The New Pack
From Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Hilarious, Heroic, Human Dog
By D.M. Woolston

I think dogs are the most amazing creatures. They give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive.
~Gilda Radner

I must admit, I haven’t always liked animals. In fact, I distrusted them greatly while growing up, and I still fear the ones I don’t know personally. What set my beliefs in stone was being attacked — not once but many times, including the summer after second grade when I was bitten by a rabbit. Then, when I was nine and cruising my dirt bike down the road, a large dog charged me and tried to bite my ankle.

In another attack, my experience was shared by the whole high-school cross-country team. We trained by running through our small town, and one hot day we were chased by a stray Rottweiler. It must have looked like a scene from Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. I had safety in the mid-pack position, but I heard screams coming from behind as the lion tried to pick off stragglers in the back. I’m sure I achieved a PR (personal record) that day. (Keep reading)