The KDKD Pet of the Week is Pepper! This sweet, perfectly medium-sized heeler-mix is a little shy at first. You might have to work to earn Pepper's trust--and you'll definitely want a fenced yard you can trust before you let her off leash, to be safe--but Pepper is just waiting for her forever human to trade her a little patience at first, for a whole lot of love.
Adrianne (Host) :
Welcome back to KDKD Pet of the Week brought to you by David Newman State Farm and The Dog Groomer. This is Adrianne and with me is Miss Laura Himes of the Clinton Animal Rescue Endeavor and the Clinton Animal Shelter. Hello Miss Laura.
Laura (Guest) :
Hello.
Adrianne (Host) :
And who's this shy girl with us in the studio today?
Laura (Guest) :
I brought Pepper with me today.
Hi Pepper. Hey sweetheart.
Laura (Guest) :
She's a good little girl but she's, um, she is a flight risk. I will just throw that out there first. She's gotten away a couple of times other owners, other shelters, you know, that kind of thing. So when she came to us, she was pretty timid, pretty anxious to bolt kind of thing. You know, I don't know how to express it. She was just, she was really very afraid and nervous. And right now she's doing some panting, which means she's pretty nervous right now. But this, I think this is one of the first car rides she's had since she's been at our shelter. I think she's been into, no, I don't, I don't even think she went over to get vaccinated. I think we've probably done that in house. So You know, this might be one of her first car rides since she's been there. She's been there a little while, but, you know, like we were talking earlier, she had escaped from her former owner and she just hung around the shelter. You know, somebody had caught her. and brought her to us. We called them. They came down to get her. She slipped out of the collar and then she just kind of hung out around the shelter. She liked hanging with the other dogs and we would always put food and water out for her because we knew she was hanging around. We were trying to get her caught and we finally got her to walk back to the outback play yards back there. We opened up those gates and got her to go down in one of the longer runs. So we got the... walked in behind her and got the doors shut so then we had her trapped in a in a kennel so it made a little bit easier she was still not really wanting to to be captured but now that she has been she's figured out that maybe we're not so bad after all i guess you guys are okay Like she's she really does like other dogs, though, you know, especially certain ones. But I started walking her with we had a little brown male. His name was Jason. And unfortunately enough for Jason, he got adopted. But it meant that she lost her her walking partner because I would walk them together. And they they really did very well together. They like to play.
Adrianne (Host) :
That's awesome.
Laura (Guest) :
So, yeah, it was. So now we're trying some other guys with her to see who she bonds with to try to, you know, I've taken her with a with an older male and she was all excited and happy, but she wanted to jump on his face and he was really not as excited about it. Like, will you please not let her do that? Not everybody gets your kind of playing, Pepper. That's okay. It's not your fault. Yeah, there's nothing right. Everybody's different, so no worries. We just have to find somebody else that's about our size that enjoys the same activity level. So it'll come along. Hopefully, somebody out there is looking for someone to put with their... Don't knock it over, honey. She's going in for a close-up on the camera.
Adrianne (Host) :
Good girl.
Laura (Guest) :
Hopefully we find somebody out there that's wanting to add to their dogs, and she can fit in really well. I don't know how she is with cats, but we had some outside cats there at the shelter, and I don't think she's ever bothered them. So I think as soon as she figures out that they're part of the family, it shouldn't be a problem. Right. Always test before you leave the house for a day. You may come home to a wreck. Yeah. I thought you guys were friends. What happened? She took my dog bone. Things went sideways from there. Yeah, she's a little nervous. That's that pant right there. She's not hot. She's just nervous. It's like, I feel like I'm caged. Come here, sis. You're all right. We're just going to go for a little while. We'll get you back to where you feel secure again. It's funny how they get in their own kennels. They find those as their Like a teenager does her room, you know, it's like, this is mine. I feel safe in here. Right. I can do what I want in here and not be judged or told no. Right. Well, maybe, you know.
Adrianne (Host) :
Sometimes, yeah. Maybe. But I at least feel like I can do what I want.
Laura (Guest) :
Right. hang out and be my own person. But she's a perfect size. She's definitely a little healer, so she's probably about 20 pounds at the very most. I just don't see her being a real heavy dog, a real big dog. So, you know, she's going to be little for the rest of her days. This is her adult size. She's probably about two, I think, by now. That's the puppy years. Yeah, she looks puppy, but she's not going to act quite as chewing as a puppy. Right. But she still likes to play. Still plenty of that energy. She does like to do that dance back and forth and jump and run with other puppy dogs. Oh, awesome.
Adrianne (Host) :
Do you like to play, Pepper? Yeah.
Laura (Guest) :
I'm just getting to where I really like people touching. Yeah, because for the longest time she just didn't care much for people petting her or anything. But I think it was that insecurity, I don't know if I can trust you kind of thing.
Adrianne (Host) :
Right.
Laura (Guest) :
Now she's figured out that she's okay. Yeah, very good girl.
Adrianne (Host) :
Good job, Pepper.
Laura (Guest) :
but you didn't sissy let's see and is it october for playing for pause yes october 5th um that's a saturday night you know i i didn't write down the times but you know check us on facebook it will have all that information it's going to be like a vegas night kind of where there's going to be a plinko and several blackjack tables and i don't know i'm terrible about vegas because i'm i've I've only been one time and I don't remember very much of it. So I was pretty nervous at that point. So there was a plane ride involved and that kind of blotted out all the rest of my thoughts. But it should be very fun. All the proceeds go back to helping us with all of our veterinary bills and taking care of our pets. our veterinary bills have been really high and I don't see them going down anytime soon. We do have some veterinarians who really help us as much as they can, but you know, not everybody can do stuff for free. They still have to pay for their family's things too. So we just really need some assistance with that. If we can get some help on that, it would really help. For sure. And it'll be a fun night, I'm sure.
Adrianne (Host) :
It sounds like it will be. Yeah.
Laura (Guest) :
It's going to be at the Elks Conference Room or Banquet Room. It's right across the hallway from the Elks Club. And I believe they're going to have an open cash bar, which doesn't always mean alcohol. You can have soda or water, too. Sure. So, I mean, you know, you can come up there and relax, have a good time, and know what you're doing. You're helping the animal shelter. And there are several different places that have made baskets and have donated items. So there's going to be a lot of things to pick from. It just sounds like it's going to be a fun night. fun event it really sounds like it I've seen some of the previews that's been posted on Facebook of the prizes yeah it looks really exciting yeah and always watch Facebook because anytime we get a new pet in that's been lost or found however you want to put that we try to put their picture up on the on the web page every single day that way if you've got somebody that's lost you can check and go oh hey my baby soon found and if you've lost somebody call us send us a picture and we will post it they're saying he's lost and So we just want them all to get back to where they're supposed to be. But it also has all the information for all the fun events too. So we had a little white fluffy, he's little bitty, that came in today. So if you know anybody that's missing a little, I'd say probably Maltese would be my guess. He's kind of a mix, but came in, and he's very nervous. He's kind of a nippy nervous right now, so we're letting him kind of decompress, and tomorrow we'll be snuggling all over him. But today it's just kind of like you just kind of hang out, chill out, and we'll see if we can't find your parents. Right. So pass the word along if you know who that belongs to. Sure. What do you think, sister?
Adrianne (Host) :
Hi, Pepper.
Laura (Guest) :
She's starting to calm down a little bit. I know she's still panting, but she's sitting and her stature is a lot more relaxed. I like seeing her when she starts to calm down. Oh, she heard something.
Adrianne (Host) :
A little commotion out in the front office, maybe.
Laura (Guest) :
Oh, look at her. Her ears are already cocked in on that. It's like, what is that? What was that, Pepper? Oh, there's somebody out there talking to you. And see, she's calmed down now. She's not even panting. So she's starting to relax. I think that's all it takes is she just needs to get into a home where she realizes that this is where I'm supposed to be and they're not going to leave me and they're not going to leave me somewhere out in the middle of nowhere and drive away quickly.
Adrianne (Host) :
We're all friends. We're all comfy.
Laura (Guest) :
Yeah. We always have the three rule. It takes like three days for them to kind of understand what's going on. Three weeks for them to get acclimated to your house. And three months before they decide, this is where I'm supposed to be. This is my home. You know, they're not going to keep me for a couple of days and take me back. You know, that kind of thing. So it just takes a little while for them to get to where they're 100% sure that this is the right spot. Even if we're sure. Yeah. We're sure they're going to stay, but sometimes they're not.
Adrianne (Host) :
Well, it's like starting a new job. The first couple weeks, you don't know what you're doing and where the extra pens are.
Laura (Guest) :
And you're nervous all the time. Right. The whole thing. It is a lot like that because it doesn't take much to throw you off your game. Right. It's like, did I do something wrong?
Adrianne (Host) :
Right. It's like a new job where you don't speak the same language. Yeah, sometimes. That's it. Like, can you draw pictures? Sorry, I only understand no treat and walk right now. Yeah. That wasn't one of those words. Yeah.
Laura (Guest) :
It's like, I think my name is No. Not you, Pepper. Your name's Good Girl. Yes, you're a good girl. Is it? Yeah. She looks confused. I'm not. Yes, you are a good girl. You're just as nervous as can be, but you'll figure it out. This part of, you know, taking her somewhere. Get her, you know, accustomed to going around and meeting new people. That's kind of something that everybody needs to do with their pet. When you get a new pet, don't just put them in the house and take them for a walk around the backyard. Take them places with you, of course, safely. Make sure that you've got them hooked up where they can't get away from you. And, you know, do short stint. A little bitty walks here, a little bitty walks there. Go meet your neighbor. Go meet your parents. You know, that kind of thing. But it's better for them if they get to where they're not afraid of everything that's going on. So, you know, later on, if they do have to, you know, if you have to go to the doctor or you have to go on a trip or something like that, they're not just thrown into this tailspin of, oh, my gosh, you know, they're never coming back and they're leaving me, you know.
Adrianne (Host) :
Right. I've never talked to a stranger before. I don't know what to do.
Laura (Guest) :
What do I do? I'm lost and confused. Sure. It's like I always encourage anybody who wants to take their dog somewhere, please do. Just make sure that you're safe and they're safe. Right, of course.
Adrianne (Host) :
Do it safely. Give them those experiences of, okay, we're going to go for a car ride. We're going to go to the radio station. Someone's going to try really hard to give you a treat. You don't have to eat it. Then we're going to take the car ride back.
Laura (Guest) :
I promise you the treat will be safe. It's okay. Right. It's like going for trick-or-treats. You know, it's like, this one's been licked over. It's fine. You're okay. We've checked her out. She hasn't poisoned anybody yet.
Adrianne (Host) :
She didn't cook these.
Laura (Guest) :
Don't eat my cooking. The treats come right out the jar. That's right. Mine are always star-brought, too. Just for that reason. It's like, I wouldn't do that to a child. Right? No. My husband. Yes, he gets to eat mine. Yeah. Sorry, money. He signed up for this. Sorry, Terry. Do we have to eat this tonight? Nope. You can go buy whatever you want. All right.
Adrianne (Host) :
Do we have anything else going on right now?
Laura (Guest) :
Not right now. We've got everybody sick at the shelter right now. Oh, gosh. Our hours might be a little bit short if you come down today or tomorrow and you notice that we've closed up an hour early or two hours early. It's because everybody's sick. It's not because we're abandoning ship or anything like that. It's just that, you know, there's been a lot of the crowd going around. Yeah. So somebody came down and shared with us. Yeah. like oh nice so just keep an eye out we'll we'll be back and hopefully this weekend we can get some more babies adopted out so sure hope so we're trying but keep an eye on the clinton animal shelter facebook for updates lost or found pets uh let's see sneak peeks of what's coming up with playing for paws
Adrianne (Host) :
And before you come down, maybe give a call, 660-885-7999. If they don't pick up, leave a voicemail. Someone is doing something important. They will get back to you as soon as they can. But I know there's always a ton to do at the shelter. Oh, yeah. So if you're healthy and you would like to come volunteer, they would love to have you right now. Yes. Dog walkers, cat brushers, laundry, dishes, paperwork, sweepers, moppers, scoopers.
Laura (Guest) :
yeah just ever all of it there's just so much to do you know you really don't think about it until you get into that area and you start seeing it on a day-to-day basis and you're like holy cow yeah i was like i didn't know this is what i was signing on for but they'll be kind they'll they'll ask you how much you want to do right don't feel like you have to do all that's right you don't have to do all of it so
Adrianne (Host) :
If you want to, you can. You're just bored at home.
Laura (Guest) :
You want to make somebody's day, yes.
Adrianne (Host) :
But no, foster, volunteer, donate, adopt if you can. Come on down and meet Pepper. She might make you work to earn her trust, but once she does, oh, she's going to be such a sweet snuggle bug. Yeah. She's a good girl. Mm-hmm. You are. I can tell. Pretty girl. And she has the cutest perky ears and little cookies and cream pepper nose. So you really need to come down and meet her. Good girl.
Adrianne (Host) :
Yeah.
Adrianne (Host) :
All right. Is that everything you think, Ms. Laura? I think that's all of it. All right. Well, thanks to our sponsors, Dave & Newman State Farm and The Dog Groomer. Thank you, Ms. Laura, for coming out today. Well, thanks for having us out. Pepper, I'm sorry we didn't get more snuggles in, but thanks for coming out. I appreciate it. I know you're learning. We're getting there. This has been Adrienne with KDKD Pet of the Week, and thanks to all of you for listening. Take care.