Dog Name: Pepper
Dog Information and Overview:
Old, stiff, overweight and not looking her best? No problem. We can relate! Pepper has been the perfect addition to our aging two human, four feline family. She is thoughtful, quiet and a bit of a homebody. She loves to snack and take naps. A kindred spirit! Our biggest concern about bringing a dog into our home was that our poor cats might get bullied but we need not have worried. Pepper pretty much ignores them…even when they are rubbing up against her, walking under her belly or hinting that they would like to be invited to snuggle in that big cushy dog bed. Within days of arriving here she assumed the job of home protector, proudly alerting us to intruders on our street. (Usually those intruders are neighbors but she looks to us for guidance before progressing from a muttered hoohoof to full bark.) She enjoys short walks on wooded trails or neighborhood streets and she has befriended a few pooches who visit the nearby park. Mostly she likes to sit at a safe distance and observe. Be the subject frolicking dogs, people doing yard work or busy pet store employees, Pepper wants to study them.
She does like toys, with favorites she that she carries around the house. It only took her a day to train us to fill her Kong with cheese cubes when she brings it into the kitchen. Pepper’s foster had warned us that she is a “counter surfer” so, when we humans are at work, the kitchen is off limits. One day after Pepper had been here about a week, however, we failed to secure the baby gate. When we came home, everything looked normal with the exception of a strange, deformed object in the middle of the living room floor.
It was a previously unopened can of Nutro Senior Lamb and Rice that somebody removed from a new case of canned dog food atop the kitchen counter. The same counter held opened boxes of treats and opened bags of dry food that had not been touched. How Pepper managed to pull one can of food out of the case, then proceed to crush it and eat the contents boggles the mind. Despite having punctured metal, Pepper’s tongue, gums and teeth were intact. (Well, a couple of her canines already were minus tips. Maybe now we know why.) She is self sufficient! And smart. And sweet. And we are delighted to have Ms.Pepper as a part of our family here in Pittsburgh. ps: Hats off to all of the volunteers who worked to save this wonderful old gal and to get her into the right home. Special thanks to BSDRT, the fosters and the transport drivers.
Update: Spring 2013
Even as a senior she still enjoys the best parts of life: eating and sitting in the front yard and brief strolls on our street to sniff sniffs and say hello to neighbors (Yes, she's now approaching neighbors!) That's our Pepper. 
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Within days of this update appearing Pepper went to the Rainbow Bridge. Rest in Peace sweet Pepper.
