(3) If you can, help spay/neuter the many stray and free-roaming animals in Hyde Park. The SpayAustin Campaign will provide knowledgeable consultants, all necessary equipment, and on-site assistance free of charge. For more information, call SpayAustin at 417-8673.

(4) Understand that having a pet is a serious, life-long commitment. Establish an on-going relationship with a veterinarian, provide your pets with good veterinary care throughout their lives, and take them with you when you move.

(5) If you would like to add a dog or cat to your household, adopt -- don't buy! "Mutts" (mixed-breed dogs and cats) make great pets. Even if you want a purebred, these are readily available from rescue groups. In fact, 1 in 4 dogs surrendered to animal shelters is a purebred. Many purebred cats are also taken to shelters. Isn't it time that Austin, widely considered to be the most enlightened city in the state, figured out how to put an end to so many needless deaths? At the same time, we might be able to think of a much more productive use for the millions of dollars this would save Central Texas cities and counties every year.

Dear Pecan Press,

I thought the item below might be of interest to local readers -- especially if they're UT basketball fans! In 1948 my uncle Charles Trenckmann had graduated from UT law school and was living in New York City and studying at Columbia. He sent this article home to Austin for the family's Christmas newsletter,"The Christmas Chimes of 1948."

    Highlight of the week was the Texas University vs. NYU basketball game, a thriller of the first order. Members of the UT Ex club were allotted a block of tickets. I ordered a couple of them and escorted a Miss Corky Frazer to the game. Now don't jump to the conclusion that I'm not being true to Texas women! Miss Frazer is none other than the ex-roommate of Eva Katherine Kuempel Walston and is currently learning to warble here in New York. She lives about 85 feet North 90 degrees East and 20 feet vertically above my room, a coincidence that came to light at the Texas Ex banquet this fall.
    We arrived in the middle of the first game and drank beer and ate peanuts while waiting for the Texas-NYU game to begin. Corky is a true southern lady, so after the first bottle, I had to drink all of her beer. Finally the Longhorns stampeded out onto the court and the game got underway. We built up a nice lead during the first half, but things went kaput in the second. NYU whittled away at our lead fast and at the end, with only five seconds of play left and the score at 56-58 our favor, the ball went out of bounds. The ref called it out on Texas, meaning that NYU would bring the ball back into play. Now Jack Gray, the Texas coach, had caught the ball when it went out, and he lost his temper at the ref's decision. He threw the ball down on the floor so hard that it nearly bounded to the ceiling of Madison Square Garden. The ref called this a foul on Texas and awarded NYU a free throw. Well, at that point everybody was standing up and shouting at the top of their lungs. If NYU made the free throw and then landed one more basket, they would win. They scored the free throw, making the tally 57-58. The remaining five seconds of play with NYU cavorting about the Texas basket all the time seemed like centuries. When the gun sounded we were limp.
    After the game Corky and I wandered back to the players' dressing room, where we found Bill West. Corky and Bill knew nearly all the players, and we had a most enjoyable chat with them. I returned home a tired Longhorn, and it was a grand evening except that Corky refused to kiss me goodnight.