Welcome to the family Pepper!

Well, it's not Friday, but I wanted to make a post anyway - consider it a bonus! We officially signed the adoption papers today for Pepper! 

We both slowly came to the realization that we liked the idea of having Pepper be part of our family, and that he and Ash made a pretty decent pair. We thought it over for quite some time as having two dogs was never part of our "plan" for this time in our life - but hey, plans are meant to be changed right? We have grown so attached to the little Pepster, as has everyone in our family. Going back to being a one dog family seemed awfully quiet! We like how the two dogs run around and play with each other, and enjoy each other's company on walks. Since making the decision to adopt him and filling out the paper work, we have realized that our love and attachment to Pepper has grown even more - an unexpected change. We figure that before we always had a barrier up telling us that "he wasn't our dog" and "our time with him would come to an end," but now that he is our dog and we will have him for the rest of his life, our relationship has evolved and deepened. 

Some of the first tangible changes we have been making are that we train him and Ash on more equal ground now. In the last week we have taught Pepper "down" and "roll over". He knew how to roll over previously, but we didn't really have a good command and hand signal for it. We are also working on Ash and Pepper's door and street crossing etiquette, making them sit patiently at the door, not crossing the threshold until we say "OK!", and doing the same when we come to a crosswalk. Pepper has also started to act more relaxed when other dogs pass on our walks - something we have been working on for much longer. Finally, on Saturday we went to PetSmart to buy Pepper a brand new matching collar and harness, as an official "welcome to the family" gift. He looks so handsome now! 

Pepper is now blastomycosis free, though we will have a few follow up vet appointments that we will be responsible for in the coming months. We also had a belly ache scare this weekend - Pepper had a very reduced appetite, was trembling off and on, had pain when being picked up, and was generally very quiet and lethargic. We took him to the emergency vet as we were worried about internal issues, but they said to give him some Pecid and watch him for a day or so and not to worry too much so long as his appetite didn't decrease further and he didn't start vomiting. Today Pepper seems to be feeling much more like himself after a couple of "bathroom emergencies" where he waited at the door for us to take him out, so it seems like it was just an upset stomach. We will watch him carefully tomorrow as well, and bring him back to the vet if things don't continue to improve. Luckily, now that he is officially ours we can take him to a vet down here! 

Welcome to the family Pepperman :) We are so excited to have you.