The Pet List: My 6 Most Beloved Pets

Everyone has, at some point or another, had a pet that they have loved with all their heart or perhaps one that has changed their life. This is my list of my pets, past and present. Unfortunately, I only have pictures of a few of them.

1. Pepper. Pepper is the black dog that is pictured above. I have had her since I was 10 years old. The way that we acquired her has always had a little bit of a mystery around it. One day, my grandpa and a friend were helping roof a house for a man and patching up some shingles. The man was a missionary and was getting ready to leave on a long trip to Turkey, and he asked my grandfather if he would do him a favor and please find a good home for his dog, seeing as he wouldn’t be back for half a year or more and he had no one who could take care of her. My grandpa, Poppy, said he would do that. The whole day while he was roofing the house, Pepper would sit in the yard, watching him. She only tried to stray off once, but when he called to her, she came back and obediently sat for the rest of the time. He knew then that she was a smart and special dog. He brought her home to us and we met her for the first time. She had shaggy, ill kept hair, but I fell in love with her at once. We adopted her and we’ve had her ever since. She is about 13 or 14 years old now and her sight and hearing are beginning to go, which makes me sad. She has been the most loyal, amazing and sweet pet I have ever had. She is smart, quick to learn, and always there when I’m feeling sad. She is a mutt, but if I had to guess, I would say she has a lot of Lhasa Apso in her. Pepper has always been a furry friend, when my human friends have been less than great. I know that my days with her are probably numbered, but I will make the most of them and take care of her the way she’s always taken care of me and cheered me up.

2. Scout. Scout, like Pepper, is another one of those loyal, unforgettable dogs and is pictured above, gnawing on a ravioli can he fished out of the trash. We met him one day in the summer a few years ago when we were hanging out in my grandparents’ front yard. He lived across the road, which was heavily trafficked, and risked his life just to come over and play fetch with us. He was an English Springer Spaniel and his owner, a very mean and obstinate man, didn’t enjoy him coming over to play with us, not because he could get killed by a car, but because I think he hated the fact that his dog liked us more than him. Scout was about 18 or 19 years old and was at that time completely deaf and nearly blind, so him crossing the street was no easy feat. Though very old, Scout was one of the most energetic dogs I’ve ever met. He would play fetch for hours. He was also very polite, walking me to my car every time I would leave. I still remember how he would sit there, almost mournfully, before walking back in the garage to nap on the bed we had made him out of blankets. He was a very intelligent dog; I taught him to shake in about 5 minutes. His owner would chain him up, and one Thanksgiving, I recall him sneaking off down to our house. Scout was the first really large dog that I ever befriended, having always had smaller dogs. He was charismatic, lovable and adamant in his protecting of us from the meter reader and the mailman. Early 2010, we noticed a lump on his right paw. It grew bigger over time and he started limping. It was a tumor and the vet told us that he would die if it wasn’t removed, and even if it was removed, he would likely become crippled. One day after school, I came to my grandparents’ house and Scout wasn’t there to greet me. Mimi had taken him to be put to sleep. Sometimes, I still catch myself looking for him. He was one of the best pets, that came to us by chance and he always could make me laugh.

3. Duchess. Duchess was a little Pembroke Welsh Corgi that we had when I was in middle school, the first purebred dog we had ever owned. She was more of my brother Connor’s dog than mine, but I still loved her. EXCEPT when my mom placed her in my bed in the mornings— she had these razor sharp teeth and she would gnaw on my head until I got up. She was the best alarm clock I ever had. Duchess, unfortunately, had a birth defect: water on the brain. Corgis have large heads anyway, but hers was an abnormal size. We noticed she was different because Pepper would shun her. A few months after adopting her, she began having seizures and we had to put her to sleep. She was a sweet, bear-like little dog and Connor still talks about her sometimes.

4. Peanut. Peanut is another dog that we currently have and is pictured at the bottom of this entry. We got her from a shelter in 2003. She is spoiled, a little whiney, and definitely the cuddler between her and Pepper. If we had to guess, she’s part Schnauzer and part Cairn Terrier. I’ve tried to teach her tricks on multiple occasions, but she has ADHD and would rather chase squirrels.

5. Molly. Molly was a rabbit I had when I was 9 years old. She was one of the biggest I’ve ever seen and when I brought a picture of her to show and tell, people asked me if she was a stuffed animal. She was a short lived pet, but a sweet one. My mom left the latch up on her cage and she got out.

6. Gracie. Gracie is a cat we found in our subdivision and is also at the bottom of this post. Her owners moved away and left her behind to fend for herself, so we got her and took her to Mimi and Poppy’s. She has been a good, funny little pet that acts more like a dog than a cat. When stalking vermin, she won’t really try and catch it and if you call her, she’ll abandon her prey in favor of a good petting.

Do you have any pets?