Editor:

I applaud the concern for dogs expressed in the article by Jeremy Pepper ("Students should think twice before purchasing pets," June 12) and the letter to the editor on the facing page ("Summer heat will fry dogs' feet"). Our best friends sometimes deserv e better of us. Regarding the very real danger pointed out by Mary Beth Vender-Fay that "summer heat will fry dogs' feet," there is good news. Because it is necessary that working dogs (e.g., Seeing-Eye dogs) be out at all hours of the day, a protective dog shoe has been developed. I found "Dog Togs" at Summit Hut. They serve to keep my pooches' feet cool and free of thorns while trooping around the streets and wilds of Tucson.

A.J. Dessler
Senior scientist, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory