"With eye upraised his master's look to scan,
The joy, the solace, and the aid of man;
The rich man's guardian and the poor man's friend,
The only creature faithful to the end."
- George Crabbe
Pepper Vu
8-12-10 to 9-11-24
Our sweet fur-child, Pepper, crossed the rainbow bridge this morning at 08:50. While she has struggled with various health conditions in recent years, including becoming deaf and blind (we fondly called her Helen Keller Pepper), although her sight was briefly restored after cataract surgery in 2023, we knew that she would soon succumb to the inevitability of old age. She started as a cautious, nervous pup, scared of Kelvin (and strangers). She then turned into a yappy, happy, energetic pup who loved to hike with us and frolic on the beach. More recently, she settled into a pattern of afternoons and evenings spent snuggling on our laps or in her bed, needing to be lifted onto the couch and down the porch stairs, not being able to jump up or walk very far in the last few months due to arthritis. We celebrated her fourteenth birthday in August, which was pretty good for a shih-tzu, and she made it just about one month longer.
On Monday, we noticed (after Niall had a very sick, wheezy weekend) that Pepper was starting to wheeze/whistle some. It became more pronounced on Tuesday, despite still-good appetite; however, on Tuesday evening, breathing became labored and she was yelping, "crying" throughout the night, neither her (nor us) being able to sleep or rest. We knew she was suffering and knew that "it was time," especially as she was refusing food and drink the next morning.
Kelvin was able to get an emergency appointment with the vet, and, after the diagnosis of acute heart failure was confirmed, he consented to have her euthanized, which happened in just a few seconds, and she died in his arms. I was thankful Kelvin took her, and struggled throughout the day to concentrate and work, although seeing patients and attempting to heal others was somewhat of a welcome distraction.
We (mostly adults) are truly heartbroken, and fresh grief is hard to work through. The only times I've ever seen Kelvin shed tears in our near-fifteen years together has been in relation to our dear Pepper's decline and today's passing. While it was always I that pushed and really wanted to have a dog, Pepper truly became the great love of my husband's life (he says he's a "one and done" dog owner). We are so grateful for all our friends' and family support today and over the years, and are especially thankful for our beloved Elise, Kelly, and Gloria and our parents, who have helped care for Pepper when we've traveled (which became impossible to do with her in later years). This little, adventurous, sweet soul brought so much joy to our hearts over the past thirteen years since she came to us from Happy Camp, and we will remember her fondly. Enjoy this trip down memory lane!
Our fur-st baby comes home (Dec 2011)
Where's Waldo (Pep always loved to hide and snuggle in towels and laundry)
Beach (Lost Coast 2012)
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Kayaking in Big Lagoon
Devil's Punchbowl hike
Trinity Alps
Pep and the Pony, 2012
Pep and BFF Shabu (August 2012)
Waiting for us to return from work!
She used to sleep with paws up!
Mt. Shasta, 2013
Bunny Flat
Pep in the Redwoods
Riding (fake) horses!
Neighborhood friends
Roadtripping with Pep
Oregon Lava Butte
Whiskeytown Lake swimming
Pep at 30,000 feet - a great flier!
Pep does International travel: British Columbia, Canada (2013)
SuperPep! (Halloween 2013)
Granddog!
McLean, VA 2013
2013 Shih-tzus (Remy, Henny) in SoCal
2014
Wai- Kiu's
The best Granddog (2014)!
High elevation Pep (Colorado, July 2014)
Dr. Pepper (Halloween 2014)
Growing family (November 2014)
Doula Doggie (December 2014)
"Five Days old in the Forest" (with newborn Iver, Dec 2014)
Newborn haze 'n days
Sleeping beauties (Jan 2015)
Pep and Pipsqueak (Jan 2015)
Tummy time! (April 2015)
Cider Rules (2015)!
Up Up and Away (August 2015)
Family Christmas (2015)
OC
Oscars Party (2016)
New Home (July 2016)
Playful Pep
Iver & Pepper wait for Papa (2016)
Best buds
November 2016 Family
Halloween 2017
"Pepper Sandwich"
Growing Family (2017)
Halloween 2018
Who wore it best? (Vanessa/Toccata on left)
2018 Redwoods Hike
Crawling Kisses (Nov 2018)
Carseat Snuggles
Ride 'em Cowboy (July 2019)
Best pals (July 2019)
Pandemic Pup (June 2020)
River Fun (June 2020)
Always finding the coziest spots
Happiness!
Never minded a little dress-up!
Grizzly Creek Camping (2020)
The OG Three (Oct 2020)
Crescent City (October 2020)
Brookings, OR (October 2020)
Hyatt Lake, OR (February, 2021)
Trillium Trail (April 2021)
Toddler snuggles & kisses (June 2021)
The Beach: her happy place (June 2021)
Bitten by a neighborhood healer
Redding Sundial Bridge (2021)
Stranded family @ Table Bluff County Park (July 2021)
October 2021
Lake Tahoe (Mt Judah hike) Nov 2021
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Sacramento November 2021
Winter 2021
Christmas (in OC), 2021
Doggie doc (2021)
Admiring her favorite place: the beach
Grandparents Visit!
Mother's day, Sequoia Park (May 2022)
Still playful (Jun 2022)
We had a fake-out where we thought we'd lose her in October 2022.
However, she rose from the ashes.
Assistive steps
Sight Restored! (Jan 2023)
Pepper, on Prednisone, got very hungry in her older age. Candy thief!
Slowin' Down
(She didn't actually wear this but we thought about it!0
Celebrating fourteen! (August 2024).
Some still-great memories!
Loving' the snuggles
A patient patient
Fort House!
September 2023: meditating
These are our snaps of her last day
(struggling to breathe)
Last kisses
Not wanting food was the kicker.
Haunting photos of "her spots."
Pep's Steps
"Not the least hard thing to bear when they go from us,
these quiet friends,
is that they carry away with them
so many years of our own lives."
- John Galsworthy
You will be missed dearly, my love. See you in heaven, sweet girl!
1 comment:
Oh, Tara. I’m so sad to hear of Pepper’s passing. Sending much love to you and your family right now. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
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