Pepper is one of the original fifteen puppies of Pongo and Perdita in the 101 Dalmatians franchise. Pepper first appears watching Thunderbolt with the other Dalmatians, although it is unclear which pup Pepper is, as she is never mentioned by her name in the scene. However, later in the movie, Pongo sees all of his puppies and does call Pepper by her name.
Pepper has not been specifically designated as male or female; as such, the definite gender for Pepper has raised a lot of debate. Some believe Pepper to be male; however, they are presumably mistaking Freckles for Pepper. Others believe Pepper is female, claiming her to be one of the pups wearing a blue-collar in the "Thunderbolt" scene.
In Disney's 365 Bedtime Stories book, there are two stories which address Pepper's gender. One of which is called Patch's Plan where Pepper is referred to as "Patch's sister." However, in the story One Lucky Pup, Pepper is referred to as a "he." So, in the same book, Pepper has been addressed as both male and female. In regards to the collar argument, with the Diamond Edition release of One Hundred and One Dalmatians, Pepper is referred to as a "he," and wears a red collar in all of the promotional artwork and products, supporting the argument that he is male. However, with an official Disney test on "Oh My Disney" asking, "Which 101 Dalmatian are You?" to tie-in with the Diamond Edition release, the image for when you get Pepper is a Dalmatian with a blue-collar, supporting the female case.
