My wife and I had dinner with a couple of old friends – and very loyal readers of the Daily Times – Saturday night.

One of the reasons I enjoy their company so much is because they can offer a running commentary on what is going on here in Delco.

They are not shy about voicing their opinions. And Saturday night they confirmed something I have suspected for some time.

We routinely run stories about people who find themselves in the worst circumstances imaginable. After a while, the stories almost seem to blur together. Another horrific tale. Another tragedy. Eventually I suppose people build up a kind of defense. I know I do.

But let that story involve an animal, and you can’t get enough people in here to answer the phones. I’ve seen it happen again and again.

But in this case there was a twist. They were upset about the way we treated a recent story involving an animal, but not for the reason you might suspect.

They’re the proud new owners of a pit bull pup. And they say the breed is getting a bad rap, in part because of the constant stories about pit bull attacks.

We recently reported on an incident that happened in Collingdale, where a little girl was mauled by a pit bull that had gotten out of the house.

They wanted me to know that these instances are a decided minority, but they tend to leave a black mark on the entire breed.

So I stand corrected. I will try to be sure we don’t unfairly stereotype pit bulls.

Just in time for the dog days of August.