The Rakowskis’ House

Before love showed up and ruined  everything, the Rakowskis had nineteen dogs and an eight-foot high chain link fence to hold those mutts back. Anyone walked by and they were all jumping up against it, barking and snarling, those steel links threatening to burst, so you feared one day they were going to give and the pack was going to light on whatever soul happened to be standing there, thinking were brave instead of ass backwards brain dead.
I include myself in that number, having lost the tippy end of my little finger when I was nine. Lilly Dollinger dared me to touch one of their noses. He promised me five whole dollars. Dog gulped it down before I knew what happened. He just laughed and never paid me a cent. Said it didn’t count as touching if the touching part got bit off.