Middletown's first of two big budget hearings, anxious dogs and ways to help out by volunteering or donating used items are among today's offerings:

1. Does your dog bark, leave puddles, or tear up the house as soon as you leave? Fido might suffer from separation anxiety that's common among dogs. Find out at 6:30 p.m. tonight what you can do to help put your pet at ease at a special Potter Pet University class.
2. The first public hearing on Town Administrator Shawn Brown’s proposed budget for FY2012 takes place at 6 p.m. tonight in the Middletown High School cafeteria.
3. Are you a caring individual or part of a larger group looking to volunteer locally? Child & Family has numerous volunteer and internship opportunities to work with children, teens, young adults, and elders, as well as in administrative areas.
4. The Martin Luther King Center in Newport is seeking donations for its big Community Yard Sale coming up soon.
5. The Healing Co-Op's extensive gardens enjoyed by cancer patients and their families need volunteers to help weeding, landscaping and mulching.