We say goodbye to a dear, dear friend!!

Five years ago we had a cat whose name was Bounder (nickname that Rick had as a child). We only had Bounder for a couple of weeks before he got outside and was killed. The girls were very upset, so when they were at school the boys and I went to the local pound. After looking at all the cats and they were all feral or sick looking, the boys wanted to look at the puppies. We walked down the corridor with dogs barking on both sides. We came to a kennel with the sweetest little black dog looking out at us. She was gray around her muzzle and her eyes were cloudy, but she was so calm. The only way you could tell she was excited was her little tail and backside wagging. I just knew she was meant for our family and without even consulting Rick, I took Pepper home with us for the low low price of $6.00. Well one visit to the vet and $500 later, she was declared healthy and free of heart worms. The minute Pepper became a part of our family she acted like she was always ours. People would comment on how attached she was to me. Whenever I took her anywhere she would crawl behind my legs as her protector. She did this from the first day I took her. Pepper has been one of the best decisions I ever made and Rick will agree after he got over his initial upset at not being consulted on this major decision. She has given us her love and devotion. My girls had begged and begged for a dog their entire lives and for the last five years Pepper has fulfilled their need. This year, Pepper had gone down hill fast. She no longer can get up in the cars, she has a hard time getting out of her bed, her hip often becomes displaced and she has to pop it back in. She has lost her hearing and no longer barks when the door bell rings. Her latest problem was bathroom related. She could no longer hold or anticipate her need to go outside in time. After cleaning up several accidents, we decided it was time to put our dear friend to sleep. I could not bring myself to do it, Rick thankfully took her in. He was very tearful and after leaving almost went back to get her and try a different day. We knew this day would not be easy, but I know that Pepper had an additional five years and we loved her!!