I’ve been honored to watch, first-hand some of Pepper’s journey with M.A.I.N…and “journey” is indeed the right word, because this girl has had a long road!
I happened to be at Bethany Animal Hospital the day Pepper was rescued from county. I remember the door opening to reveal a skinny Pit Bull with the worst wounds I had ever seen on a dog running down her spine. She was laying flat, too scared to come in the room. Who had inflicted such horrible wounds on this beautiful girl? Who had made her so afraid of life…and why…? Pepper was finally coaxed into the room and her transporter sat on the ground with Pepper’s head in her lap, telling her it would be okay now. What a beautiful scene that was- after all this girl had obviously been through, she still sought human affection.
Shortly after coming to M.A.I.N, Pepper developed a horrible pneumonia and had to be put on oxygen. I saw her at the animal hospital, lethargic and struggling to breathe and felt certain she wouldnt make it. She spent some time recovering in a foster home and when she came back, she was healthy and muscular! Pepper also needed several surgeries for the scars on her back- the scar tissue was adhering to the underlying muscle, causing pain. It was after these surgeries that I think Pepper truly started feeling wonderful. Her silly, spunky, peppy personality shined through- and she hasnt looked back since!
Pepper was unfortunately a hard dog to place in a foster home for whatever reason, and so I spent a lot of time taking her on walks and to the dog park. What fun memories I have of watching her run and play with her pals Denny and Sapphire, rolling in the grass with Cosmo and trotting along next to me on our walks. We garnered quite a few “looks”- a big, muscular Pit Bull girl snorting along with a T-shirt and ace wrap on (to protect her surgical site), trying to flop over and roll on every patch of grass she saw!
These days Pepper is in a loving foster home and I enjoy seeing updates on her. The confident, strong dog who happily jumped over and over into the pool at her foster home is not the same girl who wouldn’t even walk into a new room all those months ago. Pepper’s life has changed- and my soul has been enriched by being a small part of it. Pepper is a reminder to us all- it’s not where you’ve come from, it’s where you’re going…even if it’s quite the journey to get there. – Heather
for more on Pepper, click here.
