I would like to warn seniors and especially women to be aware and when you have work done check out references and go see the work that people told you they have done.

I am a very honest, trusting person and I have the tendency to trust other people. My trust and faith in people has really been trampled on. I find myself turning bitter and I know I cannot let that happen as once you lose your faith and trust in people you lose too much. So, I am writing to your paper which I enjoy reading very much.

I try to deal with local people. After filing for legal separation, I started fixing up things that were let go for a few years. My first of four different experiences.

I agree with Ms. Shower's letter last week stating that the $5 cost of a rabies vaccination at the public clinic does not cover the costs involved in administering the shot. Obviously, it does not. Anyone who has their pet cared for by a vet understands the costs of running an office, not to mention the educational requirements for the vet. Veterinarians deserve to be well rewarded. I am glad to employ a vet that we trust.

However, the statement that the myriad costs listed by Ms. Showers: "one-year vaccine, syringe, needle, cost of tag, vaccine storage, technical support wages, veterinarian's time, cost of the license and continuing education needed to maintain the license to be able to administer the vaccines, the liability insurance necessary to participate nor the time both veterinarians, their staff and administrative help lost with their families" make it sound like each rabies shot should cost hundreds of dollars just to break even! (Is that list a little over the top?) Maybe then we would be offered a three-year certificate. The three-year and one-year vaccines are identical in cost, and the vaccine is also the same, according to numerous sources.

Macon County Humane Society is offering the perfect solution to individuals who would enjoy the antics and fun of a kitten or puppy, but who, for various reasons, do not wish to have a cat or dog for the rest of its life. Since pet lives are getting longer, just as ours are, this is a definite commitment that not everyone wants to make; however, one misses the laughter and enjoyment of watching a young animal develop.

Fostering is a way of obtaining the pleasure of temporarily caring for a kitten or puppy during its formative months and MCHS has recently begun a program to do just that. There are several options available: a mother cat or dog with a litter, weaned litters of kittens or puppies (litter trained, but not house broken) or an individual weaned kitten or puppy.

While Mr. Hill's editorial letter of last week's statement that in North Carolina a pet (dog or cats only) can receive a one- or three-year rabies certificate was technically correct, he was incorrect in stating that the vaccine used for the certificates is the same. For a veterinarian to legally provide a three-year certificate, they must use a rabies vaccine that is licensed and has been laboratory tested and certified to have a three-year duration of immunity. These three-year vaccines cost more per dose than a one-year vaccine. Many local veterinarians offer both one- and three-year vaccinations at their clinics. The use of which vaccine is decided over age of pet, lifestyle, species, and the financial constraints placed on us by the owner.