People often ask me what my favorite Christmas gift was when I was a kid. It's an easy call. There's not even a close second. My dog Pepper was the best.
I don't exactly remember how old I was but I think I had to have been about six or seven. I ran down the steps to see what Santa had brought me. In my haste to get to the area by the tree in the far part of the family room, I sprinted past the couch to see what I got. When I was about four feet past the couch, I came to a sudden stop. I paused, turned around, and looked at the couch.
There was the cutest English Springer Spaniel puppy you could ever imagine just sitting quietly on the couch. I looked at my mom and dad and asked, "Is he real?" They asked me what I thought. I quickly went over to pet him for the first time and realized that he was very real indeed as he wagged his tail at me.
Pepper was the first of several Springer Spaniels that I had as a child. Some of the memories of things we did together have been lost with time. But, I will never forget that Christmas morning when I experienced the pure joy of getting to play with him for the first time. He was definitely the best.
;)
