For the last 16 years and 10 months our family has shared our lives with our faithful companion and four legged fury family member known as Mr Pepper.

He is spoiled, well travelled, entitled, loves biltong and droewors and is absolutely devoted to his humans, especially his absent childhood companion. We are in-turn devoted to him, and are probably solely responsible for his entitled behaviour, but that’s OK, he has earned his senior citizen status.

He is my son’s Jack Russell who has been with us since our son was 9. Now that he has grown up and left home to make his fortune Mr Pepper has remained with us. He joined us when we lived in Cape Town and travelled with us to the Middle East and returned with us to South Africa to live in St Lucia in KZN when we returned home.

He is now medicated daily for arthritis, has kidney issues due to the medication so is on a specialised kidney and dementia friendly diet, he is almost completely deaf and blind yet he remains our delightful Mr pepper with a zest for life a dog half his age could only wish for. He knows his routine and he insists on it, and only once he has had his meds, and his kidney friendly breakfast does he demand his walkies. He is only permitted to walk half a km (500m), which he does diligently, morning, and evening. It is a slow walk because everything has to be smelled and carefully examined. We refer to it as his smelly vision.

He is my companion in the studio when I paint. He either basks in the sun by the pool, or sleeps in his studio bed. All this while wiling away the time till his favourite human comes to visit, and the world is right again.

Mr Pepper’s face says it all. I have to admit I wonder who our son comes to visit when he flies in for a stay. If I had to ask Mr Pepper his answer would be a resounding ME! We refer to them as THE INSEPERABLES!