First, everyone demanded the train emit less smoke. And now, there's a request for less noise.

C'mon folks. It's a railroad.

Since 1880 (more than a century before your dog was born), federal law has required all train

whistles to be loud and "to be repeated or prolonged until the crossing is reached." That's CFR 49 Part 222.21 (a-d)

and Part 222.3 (c) in case you were wondering.

Why not ask the Durango Police to muffle its sirens? Why not insist that fire and rescue

squads respond to emergencies in stealth mode?

And what's next? An ultimatum for the train to repaint its cars in pleasing hues of sage and

taupe so they don't clash with the designer color schemes of all the McMansions being built along the railroad

tracks?

Give the train a break. We should celebrate its presence and goodwill.

The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad will spend a million bucks over the next

couple of years to be a better neighbor and reduce the coal smoke.

But that's not enough, is it? Now we want to shush the train for dogs' convenience.

Local mutts are pampered enough. Heck, they even have their own park. Action Line will not

entertain any further nonsense of canine-friendly "scrubbers" for train whistles.

Besides, the real problem is not the train but the dog.

Rover "is not getting enough exercise," surmised Dave Schranck, D&SNG chief

dispatcher.

He suggested 45-minute walks in the morning and at night.

"Master 'the walk,' and treat the dog as a dog with calm assertive energy as the pack leader.

Then it won't become obsessive and develop bad habits like this one (barking at train whistles)," he said.

"The Durango Public Library has the entire first season of 'The Dog Whisperer' on DVD, and

the book, so it won't cost you a dime to quit causing the dog to be a compulsive nut by trying to meet your own

emotional needs in an inappropriate way."

Or get a bark collar. They come in lovely shades of sage or taupe.

Why are there large "craters" in the Wal-Mart parking lot? The largest one is between

Payless Shoes and Louisa's Movie House, and from that point the craters are impossible to miss. What will it take to

fix the road? Our car's front aliment will thank you. - Crater Hater

Ah, spring. The blooming of daffodils. The budding of trees. The emergence of car-eating potholes.

But help is already on the way.

Shafer Property Co. is the Texas-based development and leasing firm that manages the

non-Wal-Mart retail spaces and non-Wal-Mart asphalt in the shopping plaza.

"We just signed a contract with one of your local companies to repair those holes," said a

nice company spokeswoman from her Dallas office. She asked not to be identified, and added that the craters "will be

fixed ASAP."

And yes, Shafer is true to its word. On Friday, the potholes had already been marked in white

spray paint, so work will begin PDQ.

Happy consuming, and may all your items be on sale.

E-mail questions to Click here to send an email to the author or mail them

toAction Line, The Durango Herald, 1275 Main Ave., Durango, CO 81301.You can request anonymity if you tell the

hippies that potholes are not the place to hide their stash.