Pepper 2

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Updated 09/25/2023

When the new MAESSR website opened, Pepper’s adopting dad could not locate her there so a promise was made to recreate her page.  Her old webpage was eventually found but what follows are some loving memories of her from her dad.

Pepper’s new family maintained contact with the relinquishing owner who was gravely ill with brain cancer.  Their news about her best friend Pepper brought her great comfort in her dying days.  One email relayed: “Pepper is doing fine.  It seems every time I write to you, she is sleeping right next to me.  She usually spends the day doing the same right next to my wife.  She’s a true Velcro dog — you can’t go far without her following.  She is funny.  Every once in a while, she takes an interest in a toy, but usually not for too long.  And she does bound around the yard for short bursts of energy.  We have two black cats, and she is fascinated by them for some reason, especially the female.  She generally ignores the other cats, but the black ones really catch her attention.  We wonder if she can see them better because those are the only ones she notices.”

Her new family picked up Pepper on January 1, 2013, and her original owner died in July of that year.   The last time Pepper’s new family visited the original owner, they promised her they would take Pepper to the beach and send her some photos.  Then, something uncanny happened.  They were in Cape May, NJ and Pepper stopped eating for a whole day and would barely get up.  Her new parents were going to take her to a vet, but the next day she was fine, back to her normal self.  When they sent the beach pictures to the original owner, they got no reply which was very unusual. Later a relative of hers called to let them know the original owner had gone into hospice and died — the day Pepper stopped eating. She knew. Pepper’s dad still tears up thinking about the connection they had.

Pepper crossed the Rainbow Bridge in November of 2014.  She had the blessing of being deeply loved by two adopting families because of MAESSR.

Update 01/10/2013:  “The resident Springer in her foster home was thrilled to have a big sister in the house!”

Pepper was first a MAESSR girl back in 2003 when she was adopted and found a loving home. Over the years Pepper has been much loved but, sadly, Pepper’s owner became very ill. Wishing to see her beloved companion well taken care of, her owner turned to MAESSR to find Pepper a new special family. 

Pepper is a very sweet old gal. Though her age is estimated to be between 12 and 14, she is quite spry and lively, although fairly deaf. The resident Springer in her foster home was thrilled to have a big sister in the house! The seven cats were a bit more wary, however. It took a few days for the cats to realize that Pepper was just curious, not a threat, and by the end of the first week they were basically ignoring one another. 

Understandably, Pepper was a bit restless and anxious her first night. In the morning, however, she ate a hearty breakfast and settled right into her new family’s daily routine. This includes sleeping with her canine sister in the master bedroom at night. Both dogs are ready to go by 6 AM, whether their dad is ready or not! 

A true fieldy with a long tail, Pepper manages to bound around the yard for short bursts of energy. So adaptable, Pepper has already established herself as one of the family. Since this sweet girl has such a lovely temperament, she’s been a welcome addition, indeed.

Update 6/19/2003:  “Pepper has been adopted!”

Pepper has been adopted!

Original:  “……..Pepper is a beautiful sweet well-behaved, if not perfect ESS, whose joyful attitude is contagious.”

Pepper is a beautiful 5-year black and white female field springer who came to MAESSR by way of a Virginia humane society. Pepper’s human had died, and the family who subsequently took her and relinquished her, stated that there was not a good fit between Pepper and their Siamese cats. On learning of Pepper’s plight, Pepper’s foster mom sprung her. 

Pepper is just a wonderful dog, very feminine, very joyful; and get this, in the ESS world, very mellow. It is difficult to fit her into the confines of a checklist, because her special qualities are not quantifiable. Her appearance is deceiving– the ultimate sporting dog with the heart of a domestic goddess. She is sweet, loving, loyal, and intelligent–knows commands such as sit, stay, down, possibly rollover. She is crate trained both for the car (loves it) and the house (double loves it). She is non-aggressive, loves humans who she greets with giant tail wags rather than springs. 

In Pepper’s foster home, there are three other female dogs, 2 ESS’s and a sighthound. Pepper does not play with them, her human definitely comes first, but she does smile a lot in their presence and sleeps touching her foster sisters. She has not yet been exposed to children of any age. 

Pepper is perfect for that single human or human family who gets off on unconditional love. She follows the foster mom from room to room, not really underfoot but more in a companionlike manner. 

Her m.o. fits in well for her foster family, but the adoptive family may want to retrain Pepper. She knows life never gets any better than slurping water from the toilet boil, sitting next to her human on the furniture and sleeping with her human and foster sisters. She is selective in coming when her name is called. She is a barker, not in the territorial way, but when she is not with her human and wants to be. 

To summarize, Pepper is a beautiful sweet well-behaved, if not perfect ESS, whose joyful attitude is contagious. It is recommended that Pepper not be adopted into a family with cats, because her cat history is murky. It is also recommended that she not be placed in a family with dogs, which are aggressive in their play. She wants and needs a great deal of human companionship. It is further recommended that she attend obedience classes with her adopted human. The purpose of this, besides bonding, would be to learn Pepper’s other obedience skills, which are no doubt numerous. 

Is this sweet well-behaved Lady for you?