FROM bad treat-
Lou Cubbage of Culpeper County can't stand the way some dogs, like one in her neighborhood, live life
She said the one near her slept on top of the snow for weeks this winter, when something as simple as a piece of carpet would have saved him from that.
"The saddest thing is when someone comes to the house," she said. "The dog just stands at the end of his chain and wags his tail. I have never seen anyone speak to him, pat him or acknowledge him in any way. It breaks my heart."
Cindi Harry of King George County said her gripe is people who buy puppies from pet stores.
"With all the education about puppy mills and the misery that is bred there, why, oh why, would anyone even enter a pet store?" she asked.
Carolyn Williams of King George is tired of going to the drive-through at a leading fast food chain in hopes of getting appealing, hot french fries.
Only to get "limp, greasy, semi-warm fries," she said.
Complaints have brought apologies, but the problem persists.
"It's like throwing dice on whether you'll get hot fries," she said.
Twila Ahlers of Spotsylvania County has had it with all the mail she gets, the lion's share of it solicitations from nonprofit groups asking for cash.
It was such a problem, she decided to keep track of what she got for an entire year.
"During 2009, I received 2,558 pieces of mail," she said. "More than half was solicitations.
"The most I received in one day was 34. I had to tear it up to get it out of the mail box. It's nothing to get anywhere from eight to 24 pieces in a day, many repeat requests."
She's written the Direct Marketing Association to ask for help with the problem, but it persists.
"This is a waste of resources," she said. "If I read every letter, completed every survey or even thought about donating to every request, I would not have time to do much else or support myself."
Kathy Marcus of Spotsylvania, like other readers, is sick of telephone call-centers and automated phone systems.
"You 'press one' and then have the choice of pressing one to five after listening to each option," she noted. "And you'd better listen close or you have to listen all over again."
Most frustrating: the message that says "I can help you with that," when no one there really can.
Nancy Porter Hursey of Fredericksburg was one of many who've had it with folks who talk on cell phones in public.
She noted that one day while she was in the poetry section of a local bookstore,
"He said 'I can only talk
Fed up, she got up and told him "Sir, you need to go outside to a table and talk," which she was glad he did.
Faye Harlin of Spotsylvania County is tired of moms who take children into supermarkets and feed them fruit, chips, cookies or anything else the children ask for, before paying for the items.
"I'm afraid we're raising
Margaret Thode of Lake of the Woods is bothered by the fact that nothing is made in the U.S. anymore.
"Try buying a pair of shoes made here," she said. "One large furniture store in town always carried quality furniture made here. Not anymore. It's all made in China.
"How did we let this happen? If I tried to boycott stuff made in China, I would be walking around barefoot and naked."
Marion Dongieux of Westmoreland County can't stand the fact that her favorite grocery store took coffee grinders out of their stores, partly because of concerns that residue might create problems for customers with allergies.
"This sounds well and good, but what it's done
And my friend Bonnie Stone of King George hit on one that readers always list: cigarette butts left by the front doors of businesses.
Back Thursday with more gripes.
Rob Hedelt: 540/374-5415
Email: rhedelt@freelancestar.com