Family is at the center of Al Roker's latest book, Recipes to Live By: Easy, Memory-Making Family Dishes for Every Occasion, which he worked on with his daughter Courtney Roker Laga.
But the book also contains a bittersweet moment, as they pay tribute to their family dog Pepper, who passed away earlier this year. Speaking to HELLO!, Al opened up about the grief the family experienced in losing their dog.
© Instagram"It's tough," he said. "It's one of those things I remember saying to Deborah, almost 13 years ago. The kids were really after us for a dog. And I said, here's the thing: I've always had dogs. I'm not against the dog, but I know what's going to happen."
"We're going to have this dog, and it's going to become part of our lives," he continued. "I mean, it's going to be a family member, and then the kids are going to grow up, and they're going to leave, and we're going to be with the dog, and then we're going to lose the dog and we are going to be heartbroken."
© InstagramDespite the fact that the couple had prepared for this reality, it wasn't easy to experience, he said, as he discussed well-wishers' responses to their loss.
"I know people are well wishing, but I've had a lot of people who were like, maybe a day or so after, saying: 'So are you gonna get another one?'" He explained, adding that his reaction to this was that they needed to "settle down."
© InstagramOn the topic of whether they might replace their dog, Al said: "I think we're going to get through the holidays and then reassess, because we really do miss her. She was just… It truly is unconditional love. And out of the corner of my eye, I think I see her somewhere."
The couple mourned the loss of their dog on June 10, weeks after Pepper underwent emergency surgery.
Sharing a statement online, Al said that "12 years ago, this sweet little girl named Pepper changed our lives," sharing a video full of Pepper's best moments.
The couple first adopted Pepper from the Main Line Animal Rescue outside of Philadelphia when she was only 10 weeks old, and Al was besotted by the pup. He described her as the "perfect dog."
"I always made fun of the people with those little rat dogs, but the great thing about Pepper is she’s small, but she has a big personality," he told People.
