Taming the Beast

He was always nice to the neighborhood dogs, though no one could explain why, especially since he seemed to have befriended the most monstrous dog of all, a giant black Newf-wolf mix that was half-feral and was rumored to have eaten one of the local children. No one could understand why The Beast - whose ill-chosen name was Furball - would be tamed by such an unassuming man. He was only twenty-five, or so the rumors went, but he looked older, tired. He wore ill-fitting slacks, shaggy grandpa cardigans, and scuffed shoes. He called The Beast "Padfoot."