Al Roker is holding his dog Pepper a little tighter this week after she experienced a nerve-racking health scare.
The TODAY weatherman announced that his beloved pet recently underwent surgery and shared an update on her condition in an Instagram post on May 5.
"Our little girl, Pepper had emergency surgery but is on the mend. She’s getting great care and is coming home tomorrow. Woof. You can sleep on our bed as much as you want," he wrote.
Al shared several photos of Pepper in his post, including a close-up of the adorable dog, a selfie with her and two photos of his wife, Deborah Roberts, posing with Pepper.
Deborah also posted an update on their pet's condition on her own Instagram page the same day.
"Gratitude. My heart is bursting with it today. Our littlest girl, Pepper, gave us quite a scare. She has survived an emergency surgery. But thankfully, Our strong girl is recovering. We are grateful for any and all prayers for our sweet doggie who has stolen our hearts for 12 years now," she captioned the post.
Deborah posted several photos of Pepper, including a sweet picture of Al holding her in his lap as she was wrapped up in a blanket. She also shared a photo of Pepper wearing a recovery cone.
The couple's followers took to the comments section in their posts to send their well wishes for Pepper.
“Sending puppy hugs and good wishes that Pepper is home and better soon,” one wrote.
Another left the following comment: "Poor baby girl. Hope she gets lots of treats to help her recover!!! 🐶🙏🐶."
Pepper has been a valued member of Al and Deborah's family for nearly 12 years, and Al recently joked that the dog had to compete for his attention once his granddaughter Sky was born.
“Pepper still not sure about Sky. Who is this who steals my attention?" he captioned a photo of the two in December 2023.
The family first adopted Pepper from a Pennsylvania rescue facility in 2012. Since then, she has become a regular on Al's Instagram feed. Most recently, Al posted a photo of Pepper wearing solar eclipse glasses to prepare for the total solar eclipse that occurred last month.
Pepper also appeared on TODAY in 2020 while Al was working remotely during the pandemic. As the weatherman reported on the latest weather, Pepper sat patiently on his lap.