pepper bear beware

i have entered into a long term relationship, which i'm quite clueless about, but i'm learning every day. pepper, or pepper bear, as i like to call her, is 60+ pounds of fur, love, play and affection. here's a lovely picture of her, taken by my photographer friend lain.pepper is a 17 month old shepherd/lab mix, pretty much perfect in every way. except when she barks. she's scared of men after being rescued from a not-very-nice one. i guess it's good, in that NO man would ever try to cross me with pep by my side... they'd never guess that she's actually a big sissy, and she would hide behind me cowering if pursued. i love her.

pep had an unfortunate run-in at the dog park last week. she was off her leash, chasing after squirrels, turning her head and smiling at me every time she treed one... when one blue healer dog came up and started humping her. now, pep and i had actually met this dog the day before at the vet... and the dog had humped her then too... but the dog's owner (an old man) apologized and said he was getting his dog fixed soon. at the dog park, however, the old man was 30 yards away, talking to some young lady on a bench, completely ignoring his uncontrollable pup. i didn't know what to do. i felt helpless! i said, "no!" but i was afraid to yell at someone else's dog, so it wasn't very convincing. after a bit, the humping dog ran away, and i noticed a little something on pepper's back. slobber? nnnno. sticky goo? yes. gross.

i felt violated. i'm not sure how pepper felt, but she was a little weird when i tried to put her collar back on to go home. so we walked around the block before jumping in the car, going home, and getting hosed down outside. my first try at bathing pepper.

dogs like that (uncontrollable, non-fixed humpers) should not be allowed in dog parks. luckily pepper has a great support group, and all her people and puppy friends have made a point to give her extra love and encouragement this past week. especially her auntie sloan and uncle dan. i think she's moved on.