Letters | 12-7-15

Retiring doctor will be missed

Thank you, Dr. Ferren, for saving my life.

I’m sure I’m just one of many who owe our lives to Doc Ferren.

Because every member of my immediate family has, had or died from cancer, Dr. Ferren had me see him every six months for a checkup. Fifteen years ago, a PSA test showed a dramatic increase in the test results. While in his office reviewing the PSA numbers, Dr. Ferren had his exceptionally efficient nurse (Annie, or Mrs. Ferren) set up an emergency appointment with the oncologist for a biopsy of the prostate. Five days later, the biopsy results identified two cancerous tumors. Prostate surgery at The Queen’s Medical Center the following week identified two additional cancerous tumors. Since the surgery there has been no recurrence of cancer.

Thank you, Dr. Ferren, for saving my life. Enjoy your retirement.

William Ludwick

Kailua-Kona

Education is answer to saving pet population

We definitely do need more education of pet owners so that they can keep their pets and solve behavior problems, and the problem is that the Hawaii Island Humane Society does not offer any free classes in dog training to the public. I do and have done for more than five years in my weekend classes in Queen Liliuokalani Park and Gardens.

In more than 260 such pro bono classes I have taught thousands of Big island pet owners how to solve their pets’ behavior problems. They have sometimes driven all the way from Kailua-Kona and Waimea to get this training, and it has saved countless lives and made for many happy homes, so I know that group classes work and work well.

The only classes offered at the HIHS are for a fee and by a private trainer using their “bark park” — which is a violation of the terms of its contract with the county that prohibits allowing professional dog trainers to use its facilities for profit.

If you need dog training to socialize your dog or solve behavior problems, come to Queen Liliuokalani Park and Gardens from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sundays. If you want to train your dog for service dog or therapy dog certification come at the same time on Saturdays — that training is also free. I provide the instruction, training tools and treats. You just need to show up and bring a bowl for water for your dog. Education is the answer.

Dr. Carl Oguss

Hilo

Pahoa roundabout work creating traffic havoc

Oh great, the first day the state Department of Transportation is starting to work on the Pahoa roundabout, and now traffic is backed up from Ainaloa just trying to get into Pahoa. I can’t imagine how we are going to survive this.

Puna should have had an alternate route since at least 1998, and the Planning Department and DOT have been discriminating against us for too long now.

If we had an alternate route, half the people could be taking that instead of waiting and waiting and waiting for our four lanes of traffic to be crammed through a single-lane roundabout. Who is in charge here? Can you make any bigger mess? Oh, right, Puna residents have tons of free time to wait in traffic … we’re all just hippies and don’t matter to the folks in Hilo or Oahu.

You better hope there are no accidents on the Pahoa side as emergency services can’t get through.

Sara Steiner

Pahoa

Global warming deal should be legally binding

What’s the issue with not wanting to make the deal over global warming legally binding? It’s obvious that global warming is real. The unusual weather, storms and warming ocean temperatures all attest to it. Why would anyone object to making it legally binding?

If we continue on the path we are now, things will only get worse. Mankind will not only destroy all what nature has created but mankind as well. Even if we begin reducing emissions, it may already be too late, but I commend our president for trying to save our planet for us and future generations.

Colleen Miyose-Wallis

Kailua-Kona