Artwork by Beth Meadows  The story of the "vicious" sheep dog
whom* I love  There is a sheep dog that lives across the street
from me. I've never seen him off his leash that's looped around
a post on his backporch. He used to be attached to the front
porch, but I figure the owners got tired of people calling
animal control so they moved their prisoner to a more convenient
location for them.  His hair is matted and dirty, and he can't
see because his hair covers his eyes. He's weathered the coldest
frosts and the most smoldering summer days.  On several
different occasions, I've found myself standing in my apartment
parking lot, twenty yards between the dog and me, tears in my
eyes, whispering "I'm so sorry." I've also found myself standing
in my parking lot, scowling at the owners as they get out of
their car and pass their dog who loves them dearly without
touching him. They shut their front door on his wagging tail, he
stands at the door for a second, then hopelessly lies back down.
There's an alley that r