One of our friends lives on the border of Colorado and Utah. Recently his neighbors' pitbull came in through the cat door and killed all 5 of their house cats who were innocently sleeping in their own house. His cats were not afraid of dogs since they live with two of them, so they never saw it coming. Bill came home to a bloody, genocidal laundry room.

He got his gun.

Every day he has his gun and he is waiting for the neighbors pitbull to come on his property again. He'll shoot him.

This was an anecdote until last night. That's when we found out our next door neighbors own a pitbull.

Another neighbor down the road said that this particular pitbull tried to get into his house, ruining his door frame and screen in the process. Jeff brought his broken door to the pitbulls owner. The owner said that since Denver outlawed owning pitbulls, they moved to our small town.

Next door to us.

"People in the country don't take kindly to other dogs on their property," Jeff told him. "He could get shot."

"Don't shoot my dog!" exclaimed the owner.

"I'm jest saying," Jeff replied.

My husband bought a gun last month. We were in no hurry to buy bullets. Now I am. We're buying bullets today.

I vividly remember the woman who was killed in 2001 in her own apartment building in San Francisco.  Diane Whipple was a young lacrosse coach at St. Mary's College in San Francisco.  She came home from the grocery store one day and as she frantically tried to get in her door, her neighbors' 2 dogs ripped her throat out, with their owner right there, unable to control them. 

The dogs owners actually tried to blame Diane saying it must have been her perfume or maybe she was taking steroids, thereby causing her own death by vicious dog. I can't imagine her moments of terror as she was being killed seconds from being safe in her own home.

I had a nightmare last month I was attacked by a pitbull and woke up in a cold sweat. Why was I dreaming of pitbulls?

Our 12 lb. dog Joe is just the right size to be attacked and killed.

Pitbull snack: Joe.

So I'm buying bullets and I'm keeping an eye out. If the neighbor's pitbull comes on to our property I will be shooting him. I don't have the tolerance or patience for people who choose to house vicious dogs who are a threat to the humans around them. 

And I pay attention to my dreams.