Pepper is a very special little Pom. In fact she is so special that she decided that she wanted to tell her own story! In the words of Pepper, here is how she found her forever home with her family, Jennifer and Stephanie:
I knew from the moment I saw her that she was the one. She had come over to Sherri’s to see a dog called Honey Bear and before leaving, she asked to be introduced to the other available mutts. That’s when she ventured upstairs to the shoe closet where I was waiting for my prince/princess to come.
Since arriving at Muttville from the mean streets of San Jose, I had been hanging out upstairs, enjoying the peace and quiet. When Jenny walked through the door and sat herself down, I could tell what she was thinking – although growing up with dogs, she’d never had small, fluffy one like me. She thought of us as fashion accessories, carried around in purses. I knew she wasn’t looking for a dog like me and gave me a skeptical look when I jumped on to her lap and Sherri remarked, “look at that, she really likes you!” “I bet she says that to everyone,” I could hear Jenny say in her head as she walked off to check out another dog, a spunky terrier named Fancy. My heart sank when I heard her say that Fancy was more her type – medium sized, a little scruffy and who could keep up on hikes, bike rides and long walks.
A couple days later, Jenny returned, this time with Stephanie, to take Fancy up to the dog park. Since Stephanie was there too, they decided to take me along as well. I had just had a dental and was still getting over my anesthesia, so I was moving a little slower than usual. Thankfully, Stephanie helped me up the steps that lead to the park. I could tell Jenny was saying to herself, “see, no way a little Pom would work for me.” She was absorbed with trying to get Fancy to walk calmly on the leash and not run wildly all over the place and hardly noticed I was doing everything I could to get her to notice me.
When Jenny and Stephanie returned, they found out that Fancy was probably going to be adopted by someone else, but Sherri suggested that they foster me for a couple of weeks just to see if having a dog in their lives would work. Jenny was indeed concerned that a small condo and full-time job might not be the best environment for a dog, so fostering sounded like a good way to try things out. Since I seemed well-mannered and polite, she thought I would be a good dog to introduce to Ginger, the cat of the house. So, it was agreed that on July 2nd I’d come over to a 2 week visit.
Jenny took that day off so that she could get me settled in and that weekend we went up to Sonoma to spend some time with Stephanie’s family. Everyone I met fell in love with me, but I wasn’t quite sure how Jenny felt. She’s the strong silent type and probably didn’t want to admit that she could fall for a fluffy little Pom like me. As the days went by, however, I could tell that her heart was starting to melt. She took me everywhere, even to work, and when we went for walks up and down the steep hills of Potrero Hill, she’d pick me up if I started to fall behind and hold me up by her shoulder so we could chat about the day. When Jenny called Sherri to ask it if was OK to take me to Bernie’s for a bath and haircut, we all knew that I wouldn’t be going back to Muttville. Jenny had realized that despite herself, I was in fact the perfect dog for her and she couldn’t imagine life without me. She might not have thought that I was the dog she wanted, but I showed her that I was exactly what she needed.
It’s been three years now and I can’t remember what life was like before Jenny, Stephanie, Ginger and I became a family. We’ve been on many great adventures and every day we are together is a gift. Thank you, Muttville, for my fairy tale ending!
“You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometime, you just might find you get what you need.” – Rolling Stones
You can ‘friend’ Pepper on Facebook!
8/24/11
Are you the proud parent of a Muttville dog? Send us your story! Include three of your favorite photos and send it to success_stories@muttville.org with the subject line 'Success Story'.
