Cedo... but Not What You'd Expect!!

This week a wholly unexpected surprise dropped into my mail box- the delightful news that we have a dog named after us!! The Pepper/Martin family are huge fans of the work we're doing here in the Gulf, and felt for various reasons that our name would suit Cedo the dog - pictured right -fantastically.

Read on for the full story in Alisa Martin's own words:

" My fiancee's parents, Phil & Vicki Pepper have been visiting Puerto Peñasco for 30 years. The very first time they visited, Vicki was pregnant with Jacob! They have been supporters of CEDO for years. Now that they have their own home and a vacation rental in Las Conchas, they actively send visitors your way to learn more about the unique Sea of Cortez and it's ecology.

Jacob and I met...6.5 years ago at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). Since then, we have been vacationing in Peñasco with friends & family every chance that we get. We too have enjoyed numerous Natural History talks at CEDO and referred our friends to do the same.

About 5 years ago, Jacob and I decided to adopt a dog from a shelter. We took a trip to the shelter and saw many adorable dogs, but this one stood out. He was 6 months old and had an "interesting face", we thought "what is he"? We did not adopt a dog that day. But, a friend of ours in Santa Barbara had rescued 6 dogs from the shelter. These were dogs that she thought had great potential and needed to be rescued before their time ran out. We went to her house and there he was...that dog with the "interesting face"! We fostered him for a few days and fell in love.

For weeks we could not come up with a name for him. At this juncture, we were doing lots of the 9 hour long, drive through the night trips from Santa Barbara to Peñasco. I was thinking about some of the standout things in Peñasco. We were constantly giving directions to the Peppers' home in section 1, they endearingly refer to as, "The Shipwreck"...."it's the first right after CEDO and the whale bones. Naturally, people then wonder and ask..."what is CEDO?"Everywhere we went, people would see our dog and ask, "what is he"? Out of nowhere I finally said to Jacob..."Let's name his Cedo"! It was perfect, and it stuck! We are constantly explaining to people what his name means. So, you have advocates in Santa Barbara, California explaining that CEDO is the Center for the Study of Deserts & Oceans! He is also a German Shepard, Sharpei, Lab mix!"

Kat: Love it!