Editor's Desk: Adding Pepper - Watermark Out News

I’ve been a dog person most of my life. Partially because of my terrible cat allergy — they’re the worst, sorry — but primarily because dogs are the absolute best. I don’t make the rules.

My penchant for pups was cultivated from a young age by my stepfather. He rarely met a dog he didn’t instantly love, like me, so I grew up with a few of them.

We had two rottweilers in grade school, a wonderful breed that gets a bad rap. The first was a rescue named Safa, a German name she came with, and the second was a puppy I named Rex. “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” was all the rage at the time.

My parents brought a cocker spaniel into the family fold after they passed. It was an adjustment, but what little Maggie Mae lacked in size she made up for in spirit.

She was the last dog I lived with until years later, when I moved to Florida and eventually started dating my husband-to-be. He came as a package deal with Riverboat, a two-year-old Pomeranian I still jokingly credit as the reason we got married.

How I loved that little man — and the big brother he became when we brought home Howard, the first dog we got together. He joined our family unit not long after we got engaged, because surely the best time to get a puppy is while you’re planning a wedding.

Howard was a jack russell mix and the first puppy I actually owned. It’s an experience that changes you.

Those two boys quickly became our lives, complicating extended travel but making every day more worthwhile. They even followed us down the aisle at our wedding, credited as paw-bearers on our program. I have one framed and it still makes me smile every time I see it. Look how dapper they were:

We lost Riverboat at 13 years old in 2024. It wasn’t totally unexpected — we’d been treating him for heart issues for years — but it was no less devastating.

Frankie came into our lives in the months after, a little pomsky puppy who helped heal all of our hearts. She quickly became the queen of our home.

On top of all the joy she brought, it was wonderful to watch Howard go from Riverboat’s younger brother to her older one. We thought we’d have longer to experience it but the universe had other plans.

We lost Howard last September, less than a year after Riverboat. That changes you, too.

He was only 10 but had dealt with cancer for around eight years, always valiantly, until things took a very sudden and unexpected turn. We did everything we could for weeks until we made the best decision for him that we could. It broke me in ways I didn’t know were possible.

We’ll miss those boys for the rest of our lives, but Frankie reminded us that we had to keep moving forward. Whatever we desired at the time, she made it clear pretty quickly that she wasn’t built for a one-dog household.

I’m thankful for that, because it led us to Pepper. We adopted a wonderful, wild little girl a few months ago from Friends of Strays, St. Petersburg’s oldest no-kill animal shelter, and Frankie became a big sister. It’s been quite the ride.

Pepper is many things, including my first rescue — which, you guessed it, changes you as well — but as for her breed, who knows? Two DNA tests have yet to wield a satisfactory answer; we just know she’s a Williams-Jent, through and through.

Nothing about our move from our two boys to two girls was expected or easy — but I can tell you that those little ladies are our lives now. It’s all been a timely reminder that rainbows can still show up after the strongest of storms:

That’s what’s happening in Central Florida and Tampa Bay. Our latest issue focuses on Orlando’s big LGBTQ+ weekend, detailing events from GayDays, Girls in Wonderland, The Pride Cup and One Magical Weekend coming next month.

St Pete Pride 2026 kicks off before then, the opening salvo to Florida’s largest LGBTQ+ celebration. Tampa Bay news highlights their expanded launch May 29-31 and looks back on Equality Florida’s St. Pete Gala.

The organization also features in Central Florida and State news as they announce new leadership positions within the nonprofit. Be sure to check out the Central Florida Living Out Loud Guide as well, now available in print and coming soon to our website.

Watermark Out News is proud to be your LGBTQ+ news source. Please stay safe, stay informed and enjoy this latest issue.