SANTA BARBARA, California (CNN) -- Berkeley Breathed answers the door to his Santa Barbara home, a tall, slender figure in suede cowboy boots. Berkeley Breathed has left comic strips behind to focus on his writing -- particularly children's books. But before he can extend a hand in greeting, he's nudged aside by a canine companion eager to introduce herself. "Pickles" offers a hearty welcome, vigorously shaking a tail that seems powerful enough to whack a lamp from an end table. The pit bull is one of a number of dogs that Breathed and his wife, Jody, have rescued over the years.
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Berkeley Breathed's new book, "Flawed Dogs," inspired by photo of abused dog
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After seeing picture, Breathed says he wanted to do story about dog horrors, rescue
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Breathed best known for comic strips "Bloom County" and "Opus"
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Among his fans: Harper Lee, who he says asked him not to end the Opus character
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