“The Sweetest Little Thing” – Pepper’s Happy Tail
January 16th, 2025
By Savannah Verdon, Development Manager –
What’s the furthest you’ve gone for love? Miranda drove across three states and back to rescue a beautiful young dog off the euthanasia list. All it took was one look at Pepper’s shelter intake photo online to know the long trip would be worth it.
“She’s everything, I drove 26 hours straight to save her life because I could just tell she was special and she truly is. She’s the sweetest little thing.”
Miranda was equally drawn to the sweet little face in the photo and the bandages wrapped around her chest. Pepper, only a little more than a year old, was abandoned and arrived at the shelter with an embedded harness and very angry wounds. But she’d had surgery at the shelter and was expected to heal well. Miranda was instructed to carefully remove the bandages once they had returned to Pepper’s new home.
She revealed a raging infection spreading across Pepper’s wounds when she peeled back the bandages. On closer inspection, she realized the poor girl had mange and a skin infection – and she was heartworm-positive to boot! She was just too young and sweet to have already suffered so much, and despite it all she had unlimited love to give in exchange for kindness and compassion. Now that she was with Miranda, there was kindness and compassion to be found everywhere.
The veterinarian explained that they would need to treat the infection and then likely resuture her surgical wounds. Pepper’s immune system was struggling under the weight of these health and skin issues, and she could be vulnerable to all sorts of bacteria. They cultured the infection so they could be sure she was given the most effective antibiotic treatment possible. As each specialized diagnostic test made the bill tick up and up, Miranda started to worry about how she would afford to give Pepper the brand new start that she truly deserved.
Part of Pepper’s brand new start was the five canine and two feline siblings waiting to meet their new little sister. Miranda had always diligently taken care of her menagerie’s health and other needs, and she’d been prepared to do the same for her new baby girl. But after filling up on gas and meals on their long journey together and paying the adoption fee, her Pepper fund was depleted. How could she have anticipated this when she was told Pepper was expected to heal so well? Caring for seven pets makes you resourceful though, and Miranda knew when to ask for help.
With a successful fundraiser among friends and family bringing her closer to the amount needed for Pepper’s full treatment, Miranda applied for a RedRover Relief Urgent Care grant to reach her goal. As she was looking into what she could dress Pepper in to better protect her surgical wounds this time, Miranda learned her application had been approved. They had an On-Call Angel to help them, and she was reassured that everything would go well from Pepper’s surgery to her healing, and eventually her sense of belonging in her new family.
Pepper came home from surgery and was greeted by fellow dogs Milo, Toby, Indy, Lucy, and Sisu and curious cats Cinder and Monty, her new brothers and sisters. Their home was as full of kindness and compassion as it was full of pet hair, and Pepper healed beautifully in such a loving environment. She looked impossibly stylish in the protective medical suit she wore to protect her wounds and the colorful T-shirts to complete the look. Being loved looked great on Pepper, and Miranda remains the uncontested best person in the world according to eight little creatures.
Here’s to 2025 and the hundreds of heartwarming Happy Tails in the making – all because of you!
