>       A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying 
>the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead.
>
>
>
>       He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been 
>dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>       After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side 
>of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was 
>broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>       When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch 
>that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate 
>looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got 
>closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>       When he was close enough, he called out, 'Excuse me, where are we?'
>
>
>
>
>
>
>       'This is Heaven, sir,' the man answered.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>       'Wow! Would you happen to have some water?' the man asked.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>       'Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought 
>right up.'
>
>
>
>
>
>
>       The man gestured, and the gate began to open.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>       'Can my friend,' gesturing toward his dog, 'come in, too?' the 
>traveler asked.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>       'I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets.'
>
>
>
>
>
>
>       The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and 
>continued the way he had been going with his dog.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>       After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he 
>came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had 
>never been closed. There was no fence.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>       As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a 
>tree and reading a book.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>       'Excuse me!' he called to the man. 'Do you have any water?'
>
>
>
>
>
>
>       'Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in.'
>
>
>
>
>
>
>       'How about my friend here?' the traveler gestured to the dog.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>       'There should be a bowl by the pump.'
>
>
>
>
>
>
>       They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an 
>old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>       The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, 
>then he gave some to the dog.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>       When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who 
>was standing by the tree.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>       'What do you call this place?' the traveler asked.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>       'This is Heaven,' he answered.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>       'Well, that's confusing,' the traveler said. 'The man down the road 
>said that was Heaven, too.'
>
>
>
>
>
>
>       'Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. 
>That's hell.'
>
>
>
>
>
>
>       'Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?'
>
>
>
>
>
>
>       'No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave 
>their best friends behind.'

anastasia:  I thought you'd like this L.A. Times article about one group's work with pit bulls (and especially with many of those abused by M. Vick):

Oakland couple rescues pit bulls and works to redeem breed's image

anastasia:   Woooo Hoooooo!!!!!!!