Our Fur Baby: Pepper

After writing about Soku and Sammy I had to write something about our fur baby Pepper.

We were living in Burlington and enjoying our downtown, carefree lifestyle. I grew up with lots of dogs and was also enjoying how effortlessly the house stayed clean (ha! Those were the days). I don't remember how it first came up but we started talking about a dog. We agreed it should be a dog with hair so it wouldn't shed and it shouldn't be a water dog (like a lab) because their coats can feel greasy.

Next thing I know Dada of Ma'at points out a dog on Petfinder.com who is a boxer/lab mix. She failed our dog requirements, but she was so cute we had to go check her out.

We walked into the shelter (Good Karma Rescue in Montpelier) and her litter mates immediately attacked Dada of Ma 'at's shoelaces and destroyed them instantly. Pepper just hung back and watched. We knew she was the perfect dog for us.

I had recently been laid off from my job at the start of the Great Recession so I got to stay home with her to work on training and bonding.

There were lots of naps with her on my chest when she was a puppy...just like I did later with Big Bro and Lil Sis when they came along. 

It was hard leaving her behind for the first time with Grandma and Grandpa too when we went to see Barack Obama inaugurated as President of the United States.

She came everywhere with us and we went on multiple walks a day. Oh how fast she grew! The picture above shows her each month between December and March of her first year. Even when she got big she would still take the occasional siesta on Dada of Ma'at on the couch.

She is the best family dog imaginable. She is so patient and forgiving with the kids. She isn't the center of our attention these days like she used to be (Truly sorry Pep!) but she is a much loved member of the family.