Pet Tales: Pit bull terrier terrier breaks the mold

“People dump unwanted dogs there,” Scott said. “My roommate had the car door open. He was texting and she jumped right into his lap.”

She started licking his face like she does everyone else, easing the fear that normally might have spiked when a pit bull terrier pounces into your lap.

But Maddie breaks the stereotype for pit bull terriers looking scary. She's a very lovely girl with fawn color hair and a delicate red nose. Her long legs are graceful and she is gentle in her actions.

Maddie turned out to be a lover. She loves to give kisses and cuddle with her family. She's great with little kids, a good thing since there are three toddlers in our family. And she even tolerates Bo, our Dad's little silky terrier who thinks he's the Alpha dog.

“When she laid her head on my arms the first night we got her, I called Mom and said ‘Hey, Mom! Guess what, I got a dog!' ” Scott said. “She said ‘All right, I'll set an appointment with Dr. Ron for her vaccinations.”

Scott says Maddie has met at least 300 people. That's because she was the official resident dog in a household full of college guys that liked to … well, party. Maddie's calm demeanor helped her make lots of outgoing college friends.