So You Want a Pug

A Pug. You just have to have one, and are just not going to rest until you do. You have seen them recently in movies, TV commercials and magazines.

You have decided this just absolutely has to be the breed for you.

Or, is it?

With that movie star package comes the problems associated with this breed. The newness of “cute” soon wears off as medical expenses and care become a reality. Still interested? Here are some facts compiled by owners and rescuers closely associated with this breed.

Pugs demand your time and attention. Key word here is demand. Pugs were bred solely as companion animals. They are “in your face” all the time. Pugs are not satisfied to be pets; they have to be family members. If your schedule is one that requires you be away from your Pug the largest part of the time, this is NOT the dog for you. In rescue we repeatedly see emotional scars left after years of confinement and isolation. If your idea of quality time is 12-14 hours in a crate, you are wrong. Read More →

Top Ten Reasons to Adopt an Older Dog

1. Older dogs are housetrained. You won’t have to go through the difficult stage(s) of teaching a puppy house manners and mopping up after accidents.
2. Older dogs are not teething puppies, and won’t chew your shoes and furniture while growing up.
3. Older dogs can focus well because they’ve mellowed. Therefore, they learn quickly.
4. Older dogs have learned what “no” means. If they hadn’t learned it, they wouldn’t have gotten to be “older” dogs.
5. Older dogs settle in easily, because they’ve learned what it takes to get along with others and become part of a pack.
6. Older dogs are good at giving love, once they get into their new, loving home. They are grateful for the 2nd chance they’ve been given.
7. What You See Is What You Get: Unlike puppies, older dogs have grown into their shape and personality. Puppies can grow up to be quite different from what they seemed at first.
8. Older dogs are instant companions—ready for hiking, car trips, and other things you like to do.
9. Older dogs leave you time for yourself, because they don’t make the kinds of demands on your time and attention that puppies and young dogs do.
10. Older dogs let you get a good night’s sleep because they’re accustomed to human schedules and don’t generally need nighttime feedings, comforting, or bathroom breaks.

I Am Your Dog

I am your dog, and I have a little something I would like to whisper in your ear.

I know that you humans lead busy lives. Some have to work. Some have children to raise. It always seems like you are running here and there, often much too fast, often never noticing the truly grand things in life.

Look down at me now, while you sit there at your computer. See, the way my dark brown eyes look at yours. They are slightly cloudy now. That comes with age. The gray hairs are beginning to ring my soft muzzle.

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