LETTERS: Brentwood, puppy mills and more

Teacher layoffs won't help Brentwood

Am I missing something? Every day I read about the gangs in Brentwood and the murders that have recently occurred. Then I read that Brentwood is possibly laying off hundreds of teachers. Now I read how residents have banded together in the group Brentwood Residents Against Violence Everyday to take action against the gang problem .

While I applaud them, I find it interesting that one of their main focuses is what programs will help keep teenagers in school and off the streets. To lose these teachers is to lose a positive constant in many of these children's lives.

Francine Zolezzi

Coram

Reputable breeders don't sell to stores

The weekend manager at The Perfect Puppy in Stony Brook claims his store "strives to use reputable breeders" rather than puppy mill suppliers. Oh, really? There is not a reputable breeder on Earth who would sell a puppy to a pet store.

Reputable breeders are hands-on about placing their dogs. They interview potential owners, and sell their pups with contracts stating they will take the dog back, if need be, for the life of the dog. Unlike a pet store, the relationship doesn't end when you hand over your credit card.

Puppy mills and their retail outlets - pet stores - breed misery. Walk away from that doggy in the window. Instead, obtain your "perfect pup" from an authentic reputable breeder, rescue organization or animal shelter.

Joanne Anderson

Babylon

Editor's note: The writer has volunteered at the Babylon town shelter for 29 years.

A cop's 'experience'

As a retired Suffolk County police detective, I take great exception to a recent writer's definition of "experience" . Perhaps he didn't realize that police officers work 90 days more a year than his 180-day teaching schedule.

If he wonders about experience, try nights, weekends and holidays. Did you say snow day or two-hour delayed openings? Thought not; cops don't get them. Winter break, spring break not spoken here. I've been shot at, stabbed and sued. I've had more tetanus shots than birthdays. I have two master's degrees. I could have been a teacher, but I couldn't take the whining!

Brian J. Lowery

Oakdale

Let's bury the wires

Considering the number of downed wires and uprooted trees in this last storm, I consider it outstanding that the Long Island Power Authority restored our power within 24 hours. But why do we have to go through this every time there is a storm? Isn't it time to start eliminating these ugly, impractical and vulnerable overhead wires?

Ernst P.A. Vanamson

Sayville