12/14/2025
Finally taking a quiet moment (after getting over my shock and alarm to find one) to talk about some of the sweet stories that came from my first litter.
There are incredibly deep, sweet, and personal stories that I could tell surrounding this litter and what it means to me. We’ll start with Pepper.
Pepper was an amazing puppy and wonderful girl from the get-go. But finding a home for her almost made me wonder if I was cut out for this business.
I’d just started interviewing candidates, placed a few puppies, and had the opportunity to meet a lovely couple who were coming to my house to meet her. I think it was perhaps my fourth or fifth home visit I hosted. We had a litter of nine, and I decided to let the puppies all out to play in my living room to burn some energy off after I’d worked all day, before the couple got here.
That was a mistake. I ended up running around controlling puppy damage and not being completely ready by the time they arrived. Needless to say, chaos ensued. Then the husband stepped in an “accident” one of the babies left on the floor … and called out to his wife (who asked!!) that clearly it had been sitting on the floor for a while. (It had not. I didn’t bother arguing the point at the time, though. 😂)
They politely declined to proceed with adopting Pepper the next day … and I questioned internally whether it meant I was a failure.
But you know what? Feeling like I dropped the ball didn’t change the fact that there were awesome puppies who needed great homes, and they were my responsibility. So, I brushed myself off and kept interviewing.
And only a week or two later, I found an amazing family that I couldn’t have been luckier to connect with. When Pepper’s new mom came to pick her up, she brought me the gift of a beanie (complete with puff ball at the top) that said “Aussie Mom” … so we could both have one, and when we wear it, we’d be hat twins. 😂💕My aussies must know I love that hat, because they are constantly taking it on adventures. (“Here mom, I helped you bury it with your fall bulbs when it fell off in your garden!”)
Since then, Pepper has completed many AKC courses, including advanced and precision obedience, advanced tricks, advanced rally, and most recently, advanced scent work classes! She entered her first AKC scent competition in October.
And in the meantime, this girl has watched the sun rise over Prince Edward Island, swam in the Atlantic, and visited dog-friendly breweries (all in the name of socialization and curbing stranger danger, of course 😂). She has been a fast and steady friend to a handsome (doggy) boy named Tucker who passed away from cancer this year. She’s snuggled cats … and, in her first few weeks at home in 2023, brought chaos to this family, too, who has loved her dearly. (See photos - there’s objective proof. 😂)
We are so very proud of Pepper and her accomplishments … and so very glad to be connected with a family with such a great sense of humor and enthusiasm for their baby. Join me now in wishing Pepper a (very belated) happy second birthday. May she bring us many more wonderful stories in the future!
