I got one of my two dogs from the Austin Pets Alive group that tries to keep the dogs from going to the shelters (this was before Austin's shelter went "no kill"). It was simple enough, they needed a volunteer to give Pepper a home and take her to Petsmart on Sunday afternoons for their adoption fair things they held. Well Pepper (aka Peckerdawg) was a great companion for Boomhauer (aka Boomerdawg) so I inquired about adopting her. They said I can just keep her if that's what I really want. Healthiest dog I've ever owned, but she gets really bad breath... She escapes from the yard too much, and isn't the most minding dog in the world, hence the Peckerdawg name. But she is a little sweetie... Most of the time.