SMITHTOWN, N.Y. (WCBS/CNN Newsource/WKRC) - A man found himself in a scary situation when he sunk up to his waist in quicksand-like mud while walking his dog, prompting a police rescue.

The takeaway from all this is simply that dog (and cat) ownership does have an ecological footprint. Like everything else in your life, keeping a pet is intertwined with our insatiable consumerism.