and yet.... here I am. Found one wondering my neighborhood all beaten up with an embedded collar. Picked her up to take her to the animal shelter. That was 7 years ago. Best dog I ever had.

We hadn't really seen them in the coastal resort I was preparing to leave. I was standing in line at the bank and this dog strained away from its owner and came over. I let him smell my fist and scratched behind his ears and asked his owner what breed he was. "Pit bull," she snapped.

The dog didn't snap, he was a leaner, gazing up at me with big doggy eyes, tail wagging. Nasty owner, sweet dog, that was my introduction to them.

instead of "pibbles"?