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why pepper is so special

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Pepperdog

Adult Guinea Pig
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after my comments yesterday I thought I would explain why my old lady is so special - and not hog anyone elses threads (sorry, I try not to :red )

this was taken the other day in my garden, she was suffering a bit with stiff joints so was wearing her pjs - yes she has pyjamas to keep her joints warm at night when the heating is off firstly as she is an old lady and deserves to be comfortable and secondly because lurchers like other sighthounds dont have any fat and thin skin so feel the cold easily
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a little vid of her learning to not cheat at the flyball machine, you will see why at the end.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/33948186@N08/4836665643/
(and you get to see me :red )

we walk most days on the beach down here in weston super mud :(|)
4726647887_132c903a6f.jpg


she helps me with the washing
http://www.flickr.com/photos/33948186@N08/4703475041/
well sort of
http://www.flickr.com/photos/33948186@N08/4704153254/

but what makes her really special is not just her zest for life, her sense of humour and her looks (and brains), its her talent for showing off and that talent I have used over the years to do dance displays to promote rescue sighthounds and black dogs (as they take longer to find homes)

here is her youtube channel, there are various small clips of training tips and some of her dances she has done.
http://www.youtube.com/user/madlurcherpepper?feature=mhum

she is now officially retired so there will be no more of her dances :(
 
[QUOTE=Pepperdog;976372)
but what makes her really special is not just her zest for life, her sense of humour and her looks (and brains), its her talent for showing off and that talent I have used over the years to do dance displays to promote rescue sighthounds and black dogs (as they take longer to find homes).

Really ?? Gosh I love black dogs (mine is nearly all black) and I'd love a black guinea pig!
Does it really matter what colour an animal is (yes I know we all have our favs) at the end of the day they are there for friendship and companionship (like an extended family member).
Aww bless them ......aren't some people picky, If I was choosing a dog I'd pick it for it's personality not it's colour.
Your dog is beautiful x
 
I have a black and a yellow labradors and have notuced that people are more afraid of the black one. The yellow can run up to them and get a warm welcome but with the black it is always a cautious welcome if at all.
 
Isn't that silly :( why think a dark coloured dog would hurt you anymore than a light coloured one.
Some people are just plain daft mallethead.
Mine is a collie x g/s and I can understand that to some people he may look a bit bit and scary, but he's as soft as, I'd be more wary of my tiny Bichon Frise who's ruled by the moon lol.
I've always found Rotties ok and they're black and I had a black lab and he was just mental, he wouldn't have hurt a fly.
 
I have a black and a yellow labradors and have notuced that people are more afraid of the black one. The yellow can run up to them and get a warm welcome but with the black it is always a cautious welcome if at all.

Yellow labs were considered untrainable by old fashioned gundog owners. It was only when andrex used the yellow puppies in their adverts that they became popular - ironically really as all black dogs are not considered cute, andrex proved that by picking the "inferior" yellow colour over the black, and yet both colours make brilliant gundogs proven now in the modern society of gundog circles. The only colour in labs that is slightly difficult is the chocolate ones, the gene that gives them the brown colour sadly does come with some undesirable behaviour traits - and the apricot colour in poodles can suffer with rage syndrome, but that doesnt of course mean they all will (I never judge by colour by the way).

Nobody really knows why black is not liked in dogs, white cats are harder to rehome (or they used to be several years ago). People do look at colour sadly when it comes to their pets, and with dogs some believe the negative feelings towards them derives from our medieavel (cant spell today, sorry) backgrounds where we feared any black animal. Also in films and books it was common practice to use a black dog for a viscious dog - hound of the baskervilles for instance.

I had a choice of two dogs when I went looking at the rescue center, one was a fawn male, and the other was pepper. The fawn male was much more suitable on paper to me but had a slaiva gland problem - had been sorted but I was worried it might flare up again and wanted him to go where someone would be able to fix it (I would get insurance but was on limited budget back then) so I thought I would take a risk on a lot of unknowns with that stray black female in the pen, took her for a walk where she pulled like a train, stood on her feet twice cos she kept putting them under mine and I thought "she can take my clumsy feet, she is perfect for me"

I never even knew back then that there was a stigma about black dogs, I have a real soft spot for them and am a black dog fan - ok if the next dog happens to be a different colour I wont mind as long as its personality matches our home, but I would really like it to be black as 1) they get a raw deal, 2) there is lots more of them and 3) I personally like the stunning black coats shining on a sunny day x)
 
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I met up with a lady who had a dogue du bordeux (french mastiff) for a walk and people were crossing the road to avoid this nasty dog rolleyes they wouldnt look beyond the size of him - yet pepper who is half lab half greyhound was the same size, he was twice the width and soft as butter. I made the comment that they should have been more worried about pepper not her dog.

People can be very judgemental and when it comes to dogs sadly it is easier for them to judge on looks. There are pathetic reasons as well - there was a story in the papers a few months back of a lady who rehomed a jack russell but when she redecorated her home she wanted to return the dog as it didnt match her curtains malletheadmallethead

I am sure you come across these type of people in rescue guinea pigs, it is horrendous why some people return dogs and cats - cant teach recall, cant teach house training, they bark malletheadmallethead

If I hadnt adopted pepper I am sure she would have been returned as she was abused in her early year of life, she will or rather would (as she is much better) retaliate at you if she felt cornered or stressed - in other words she would attempt to bite (and occasionally would but never draw blood). I built up a huge amount of trust in her and when the OH came into my life 5 years later he also had to win her trust. Poor love has had a hard start in her life, who would blame her for defending herself - even if in our human world its unjustifiable, to her its what she knew. Had the other boy I adopted not turned so severley on pepper over christmas he would have been in our family too, I had to be one of those people i hate and return him, but my reasons was much more serious than matching decor or slight issues settling in. I regret everyday having to say goodbye but I couldnt risk the life of my girl who has been with me now for 11 years, I am sure he will find a more suitable home at least and I gave him a lot of training and life skills in the months he was with us. I will point out too the foster boy we had here for 8 months had a lot of work done by myself and pepper to help him to his forever home so its not that I am a bad mum, just that we were not the right home sadly for him.
 
I had a black lab who was extremely docile but unfortunately I had to part with him.
When I bought him the 'breeder' said he was 12 weeks old (I feel so stupid even now, 11yrs later as I thought he looked to big to be 12wks old).
It turns out he was at least 20wks and had been allowed to do as he pleased.
I tried everything to train him to become a family pet but he was set on destruct.
I only had to go to the toilet and I'd come down and he'd have chewed a plug socket off the wall, I once went out for 30mins and returned to a house smelling of gas, he's chewed my gas taps off and gone through the gas pipe at the back of the cooker (good job my dad was a gas engineer) in the end the local council got fed up of repairing my sockets and plugs etc and I was given a warning.
I had the vet look at him and he recommended a dog trainer to look at him, I did and was advised to rehome him as they said my lifestyle wasn't suitable for him as he needed someone to stay at home all day or be shut in a crate (which I didn't want).
I managed to rehome him with a lovely couple who lived on a local tiny farm where he had the run of the place and he was their baby as opposed to him being my pet.
I know he was well looked after as they contacted me several times after he went.
It broke my heart to see him leave but in the end when a proffessional tells you that your dog would be better off somewhere else you have to take notice.
I'm still a little cross that the breeder lied to me over his age and why did he leave it so late to sell him, the vet seemed to think that he wasn't even a pedigree lab and the breeder had tried to sneek him in with another litter and was just waiting for someone gullible.....me :red.
 
there is a huge difference between genuine reasons - like yours and mine why a pet cannot stay in their current situation and the excuses that really are just them justifying them being fed up with the pet, and yes people who give animals up or sell them on do lie which does the pet no favours what so ever.

The foster I had wasnt walked reguarily and was undersocialised his previous owners lied about the reasons they didnt want him anymore, he got two walks a day and not only did we work on teaching him social skills on walks, I took him to classes where he learnt not to be scared of every dog he saw. He was a lovely lad and I was chuffed to bits when he got his forever home. The lad we adopted turned out to also have issues with other dogs that he hid in kennels, we would have worked through this as I had successfully done so with the foster and he was far worse, but not at risk to peppers life. Such a shame cos I still love him so much and miss him greatly.
 
we walk most days on the beach down here in weston super mud :(|)
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x) What a beautiful photograph to treasure, she looks in her element. One of my fav photos of taz is her on the beach soaking up the sun...taz looves the beach esp in the summer.

Pepper is a beautiful dog, its lovely to see rescue dogs go from being very nervous to a wonderful and loving pet. Tara was abused as a pup and chucked onto the streets because she was pregnant (at seven months old!), when we first got her she would bark/snarl/go for people with hats and scarves but over the years shes overcome this fear, and is really friendly.

Sadly, she still cowers when you raise your hand to stroke her even after nine years of owning her, its horrible to think someone in her past has whacked her, makes me very sad and very very angry!

Ive heard that black dogs are harder to rehome, due to their history in society as demons/evil/aggressive etc. :( I love black dogs/cat/mice/rodents etc i think they have a beautiful shine to their coat. Tara was hard to rehome due to her breed mix (alsation x staffie) but shes so loving! I also have a soft spot for dogs considered aggressive (rottys, alsations, staffies etc) i dont understand why people stereotype a breed/colour/type mallethead
 
Pepper's story is lovely. You are very lucky to have found each other. She obviously means the world to you x>> You're photos are lovely, especially the beach pic.

And we have a black dog too... our lovely Zac who is also a rescue :)

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He came to us from a lab rescue centre aged about 18 months after his previous owners 'developed allergies' I suspect it was because he was a typical energetic labrador, always bouncing around and into everything though.

I also suspect that he was locked in a room (or possibly outdoors) on his own for a long time, as he is very afraid of everyday household noises - the phone, the iron, the hoover... pretty much anything that makes a noise, including toys which talk. He still gets very, very nervous when voices are raised too and craves attention.

Like Pepper, people are wary of him. He has a massive bark too which scares people off, but he is the gentlest dog I've ever met and I've only heared hi growl once in 11 years!

Last year, we got a beagle puppy and she adores him and follows him everywhere. He is so very good and give up his toys and treats willingly to her :)

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He's quite poorly at the moment and his on all manner of tablets to help his heart but he still greets us with a smile (and a cushion!)
 
awwwwww i love Pepper shes beautiful, they just make your life so complete dont they?

I have a black male whippet, and what i was told was a whippet cross with a black lab, she is absolutely stunning in my eyes, well they both are. I rescued Heidi from Hope Rescue after seeing her picture online and totally falling in love with her, then i saw Jet the whippet at my friends rescue centre and took Heidi up to meet him.

Heidi had been locked in a shed with her brothers and sisters for the first 13 weeks of her life we were told, she was petrified of humans, and will only get close to one at a time, i was first, then my oh, then my mum and now shes getting there with my dad, but i have had her two years, it takes a lot for her to trust.

Anyway, basically when we got her, she didnt have a clue how to be a dog, she never ran or played or investigated or anything, so we got Jet!

Jet is a mentallist and makes me laugh soooo much! He is always cold, and cries when he gets wet, and we can guarantee whenever we take him to the beach or the field where he can run he comes home with some kind of injury!

Here they are:

HeidiJet031010.jpg


I love my black dogs, i love all dogs actually, whatever shape, colour breed etc etc.

ps/ i love the piccy of pepper on the beach, its beautiful x
 
My black collie x g/s was from a litter of 9, they were locked in a cupboard under the stairs with their mum (g/s) and doberman ***** (so they wouldn't make a mess or get pregnant again whilst they were out, but it didn't work cos the next year they had more puppies).
He cost me £40 in 2002 and he was nearly 9wks old, they'd been trying to sell the puppies for weeks and nobody was interested (think this could be due to the g/s bit).
When I bought him they offered me another that looked more g/s for an extra £10 but I declined as my dad had recently been attacked by a g/s and was still a bit traumatised so they offered me it for free mallethead or I could take one that looked like mine for a £10 but it was a girl 'so I'd have to keep her away from the boy when she was in season' mallethead.
I wished I'd have taken 2 cos god knows what happened to them:(.
The man worked for Royal mail and even now my dog cowers when he sees a floresscent jacket and he's very wary of men.
 
ok I didn't swear (as such) so I'll re-phrase: 'they were locked in a cupboard under the stairs with their mum (g/s) and doberman girl' lol
 
My black collie x g/s was from a litter of 9, they were locked in a cupboard under the stairs with their mum (g/s) and doberman ***** (so they wouldn't make a mess or get pregnant again whilst they were out, but it didn't work cos the next year they had more puppies).
He cost me £40 in 2002 and he was nearly 9wks old, they'd been trying to sell the puppies for weeks and nobody was interested (think this could be due to the g/s bit).
When I bought him they offered me another that looked more g/s for an extra £10 but I declined as my dad had recently been attacked by a g/s and was still a bit traumatised so they offered me it for free mallethead or I could take one that looked like mine for a £10 but it was a girl 'so I'd have to keep her away from the boy when she was in season' mallethead.
I wished I'd have taken 2 cos god knows what happened to them:(.
The man worked for Royal mail and even now my dog cowers when he sees a floresscent jacket and he's very wary of men.

awwwwww :0
 
If I'm walking my dogs seperate for any reason, I find people cross over when I'm walking my Tilly, She's brindle. I think some people definitely judge a dog by its colour. Crazy! Thought I'd share a piccy of my beautiful girl :) Biggest softie ever, wouldn't hurt a fly, plus she's so gentle with my piggies, goes totally against her breed :D

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I have a cupboard under my stairs (where I keep my shoes, coats and other amounts of rubbish lol) but he wont go anywhere near it, yet the Bichon loves to hide in there (when he gets the chance) and chew shoes grrrr.

What kind of person locks a dog away in a tiny space :(
 
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