Reflecting on my 14 years of life...

Peanut 's POINT OF VIEW

On July 29th of 2020, I turned 14 years old or at least that is what my daddy says. If we go back to 2009, I was found living at the dump with my eight puppies. Some concerned neighbors called Pet Helpers to save my puppies and after rounding up my crazy bunch with shrimp nets (they were pretty feral), I ran up to the man taking my puppies and with one look, I was in the van my the way to the shelter as well. See my life didn’t start off so great, I don’t remember much about that time of Peanut 's my life but I do remember POINT OF VIEW being scared and needing food and wanting to keep my puppies safe.

Once we got to the shelter they made sure my babies were clean and safe and they had their vet tech staff check me out. They said I was 3 years old at the time and that I was severely underweight, a problem I have since solved! I weighed about 15 lbs and after getting all my shots and getting spayed, I was put in the puppy window next to my babies. A vet tech named me Peanut and all my babies after other nuts. On July 29th of 2009, I was laying in my kennel when a man stopped and read my card and asked to see me. I was still pretty scared of all these new faces but something Over the next 10 years, my dad would foster over 100 puppies, dogs and kittens. I always did my part in being their caretaker and teaching them vital socialization skills. In 2015, my dad told me that we were buying my favorite magazine, Lowcountry Dog and that I was going to be the Chief Canine Officer. This was exciting news as I always wanted to be the boss. about him made me feel comfortable. He left, but soon returned and took me to his house. The first few days, I would sit beside the refrigerator and hide because I didn’t know what to think. He would take me on long walks everyday and I had my own yard which was weird as I was used to going in the woods to do my business so for a while, I only went to the bathroom on a walk. The last 5 years have been a whirlwind of staying busy, informing the community and throwing events to help raise money for the local rescues and shelters in the Lowcountry. I owe my life to these groups, because if it wasn’t for them, I would have never met my dad nor would I be writing this article for you to read. My dad had just lost his other dog of 15 years and therefore he spoiled me. He took me to dog training classes and I excelled at them. After a few weeks, my dad started volunteering for the shelter and one day he came home with 3 newborn pups that had been surrendered. He told me that we were going to foster them until they were adopted. Being an experienced mother, this was my calling and I helped clean and socialize the puppies as they grew. After that litter was adopted, we kept fostering. Our next foster was a little poodle with a broken leg and then one day he brought home a 5 week old beagle puppy that I took a special liking to. We named her Calliope and she became my sister. She was my best friend for over 5 years until she moved to Texas with my mommy. You see my face and likeness on almost everything Lowcountry Dog and as we wrap up our 15th year of publishing, I begin my 15th year of life, I reflect on all the good in the world and what me and my dad have done to make the world a better place for dogs like me. I hope you enjoy the magazine and if you ever see me at an event, please come say hi, because I am no longer that scared dog from the dump. If you ever find yourself needing a friend, try stopping by the local shelter or checking out one of the awesome rescues in town. They are all listed on lowcountrydog.com/rescues