I had a really scary encounter last night while walking my dogs in the shifty part of the Oleander neighborhood.
Me and Otis and Mia were cruising along on our 20-minute walk when a large, nutty-looking, mangy pit bull trotted up to us all hard-man like.
As he approached in this menacing manner I tried to give it the large one (there were three of us after all) and scare him off with cries of "Go on!" and "Away!" It made no difference to this brute.
He came right up to us, stopped, stared, flexed and raised his hackles.
Mia and Otis ain't small and scrapped a bit in their younger days, but I was mortified at what I thought was about to happen. I even looked around for a large stone or piece of wood, but there was nothing handy for the fight I was certain was about to begin.
Then I took the peace initiative.
I started talking to the dog in a friendly manner, telling him he was a good boy and a pretty boy and lots of other lies. He seemed bemused by my new tactic, but at least the snarl was gone. And then, magic! He began wagging his tail.
I knew then that the situation had been diffused. I met aggression with kindness and in the end everyone went home happy.

I'm not even a country music fan, but you don't have to be to appreciate this up-and-coming singer. View the slideshow.

Our entertainment writer is reviewing the Brad Paisley concert tonight. Check his blog late Thursday night/early Friday morning for the review, and let me know what you thought of the concert.