Pugs Without Borders

Check's in the...er, PayPal

Hurrah! We've sent our first donation out! Thank you all so much for the contributions--we were able to make a $75 donation to the Ohio Pug Rescue, and I know they'll put it to good use.

We'll be revealing February's organization tomorrow, and I promise it's a great one--and not Pug-related, for some variety.

While I was chatting with Terri from the Gahanna Dog Park yesterday, she mentioned that the Midwest Veterinary Conference is coming up. I didn't know there was such a conference, but it turns out that some of the seminars are open to the public. I have to say, I'm very interested in the Canine Compulsive Behavior session. I'm positive Augie has OCD. Every night before we go to bed, he has to lick Todd's face no fewer than 73 times. It's like he's counting. And once he's done, he'll curl up and go to sleep. I'm going to see if there is still open registration. I think that seminar is a must for us.

Are there any Vet seminars in your area? It doesn't hurt to ask if the public can attend. Who knows what you might learn!

Birthday Countdown

Barkley's birthday (he'll be three) is in three weeks.

Thanks to Merry, he's added these pajamas to his wish list.

With that face, how can I say no?

(We call this shot "You're Fired!" I can just picture him leaning across the boardroom table.)

Lean Mean Snacking Machine

Most pugs develop a broad chest as they get older. Not Augie. He'll be two in April, and he's still as slender as when he was a puppy. Next to Augie is a picture of his mom, Lily Possum. I think he looks just like her. Definitely the same ears and look of superiority. Although, his dad was a hefty 27-pound pug, so I'd think that would count for something.

Augie is as tall as Barkley, but while Barkley is a muscular 22-pounds, Augie wavers between 16 and 17 pounds. Both boys eat a half cup of food twice a day, and get extra kibble pieces for going onesies and twosies. Sometimes they get apple pieces, and when they decide to take begging to an artform, they score small bits of chicken.

They get nine hours of exercise a day at doggie daycare, and a couple more hours at home wresting. With all this eating and running and metabolizing, his chest is still puppy-sized. Ah well. We all grow into our features. Maybe one day he'll have a nice, thick pug chest to balance out his long legs.

In the meantime, at least he's not as stout as this fellow. The poor guy desperately needs a home--and a diet. I must say, I'm surprised his weight isn't mentioned in the ad anywhere. Surely his people must know he has a "bit of a weight problem." I'd love to rescue him from his life of overindulgence. If only he got along with other doggies...

Little Red Riding Pug

A dear friend of ours works at Target's home office in Minneapolis, and sent along a box of goodies earlier this week.

Inside the care package--along with several lovely gifties--was a large plush Target Bullseye Dog wearing a smart little red toboggan cap. As you can see, it also fits someone else quite nicely.

For the Love of Rammy

While some doggies rip into plush toys in record time, pulling out the fluffy white innards, Barkley and Augie are usually pretty good with stuffed things. When Barkley was a puppy, I had gone online and selected a few plush toys that were aesthetically pleasing, like "green man," and "flooby bunny." After he was with us for a few weeks, on a random trip to PetSmart, I picked up a stuffed ram with a look of surprise on his face, because I thought it looked funny.

Well, Rammy has been with us for over two-and-a-half years now, and is by far, Barkley's favorite toy. Every night after dinner, he has to find Rammy and bring him to us. He always carries him by the muzzle, hence Rammy's flatted jowls. We're not sure what it was about Rammy that endeared him to Barkley, but there is such a strong attachment, I worry about what we'll do should anything ever happen to Rammy.

He goes into the washing machine about once a month, is carried around by an enthusiastic pug every day, and hasn't ever split a seam. Unlike most of their toys, Rammy can't be reordered. He was part of a seasonal toy collection that's long been sold out. So we take care with the little plush ram with the look of surprise. And hopefully he'll never need to be put out to pasture.

You're Getting Sleeeepy

Augie can sleep anywhere. If someone is petting him, the boy can sleep on laps, on arms, on shoulders and on sofa backs. He's also been known to sleep in almost every position imaginable: on his back, on his side, on his belly with his head hanging off of a pillow, and as previously mentioned, sitting upright while holding his legs up. We have to keep an eye on him, because he'll sometimes doze off with a toy in his mouth. He'll be sucking on a stuffed bunny/chicken/sheep/frog one minute, then be snoring with a mouth full of toy the next.

On a trip to the zoo last summer, we read that koalas sleep about twenty-two hours a day. I'm pretty sure Augie would make a great koala. He has that same commitment to napping.

Thanks to Jenny for the mention today and for our first "ChipIn!" donation! It will be going along with the contents of Barkley and Augie's Puggy Bank to the Ohio Pug Rescue at the end of the month.

RASCAL Unit

Barkley and Augie's friend Daisy the Bulldog sent us information about the RASCAL Unit. RASCAL is a mobile vet service that provides spay/neuter services and specialty surgeries at low cost. Dr. Gonzalez and her staff have surely saved hundreds of animals who would have been euthanized in shelters due to overpopulation, and by being able to go into rural areas and travel to rescue organizations, they're able to provide quality vet care to animals who may have otherwise not had the option to get it.

As our search for a March donation recipient begins, we'll definitely consider RASCAL. I can't think of a more critical need than for animals to be spayed and neutered.

Want to spread the word? Visit their online store.

Thanks, Daisy!

A loss of "Pugment"

Barkley will be three years old next month, and he's always been a handsome lad with lovely fawn puggie markings. Last May, over a two-week period, he slowly started to lose the pigment from around his lips. They became puffy and irritated looking, and although it didn't seem to bother him, we took him to the vet.

The vet gave him prednisone, but it didn't really do anything. So she was honest with us (always a good trait in a vet), and explained that she could either keep guessing what the problem might be, or we could just take him to a canine dermatologist. Once there, he was tested for allergies, and we learned that Barkley is allergic to most grasses, pollens, molds and dust. He was put on a kangaroo and sweet potato kibble (ick), and prescribed allergy shots, but we still didn't see a vast improvement.

Then, back in November, I was reading about Shelby's allergy adventures. Like Shelby, Barkley had been eating Wellness kibble for years. In reviewing Winnie's post and the comments that followed, I did a little digging and learned that earlier in the year, Wellness had changed their formulation. I couldn't find any direct information from their web site, but I wondered if this might be the cause of Barkley's pink lips. After reading and re-reading what seemed like dozens of dog food ingredient labels, we settled on PetSmart's Authority Harvest Baked kibble. As you can see, tiny black spots are starting to join forces to become larger black spots on Barkley's lips. Was it just the kibble? Was it the allergy shots AND the kibble? Was it the fact that since he lost his pigment, we moved to a new house with fewer plants in the back yard? We'll probably never know, but hopefully in a few months, our sweet puggie will be a lot less pink.

Oh--one more thing: in the course of researching dog kibble, I found this site that "grades" brands of dog food based on their ingredient lists. I found it really helpful.

20-minute Abs

Admitedly, this isn't a great photo. The owner of the boys' doggie daycare was kind enough to take it through a window in an attempt to show me the strange behavior of our black pug, Augie. I've known for some time that Augie doesn't sit like a regular dog (chest down). He sits like a person. When he's on my lap, his legs dangle off to the side, and his torso is upright. Like a little kid, he swings his legs and rests his front paws on my arms, or my desk, if I happen to be sitting at one.

Apparently, however, he adds a unique twist at "school." While sitting, he lifts his back legs up, so that they're suspended over whatever he's sitting on. As you sit reading this, pick your feet up off the ground, and hold your legs out. Now stay like that. That's what Augie's doing. He'll stay like that for long periods. If he happens to drift off to sleep (could you sleep like that?!), and his legs drop down, he'll wake himself up suddenly, and pick his legs back up.

Now take another look at that picture. That's Augie on the right. What is the boy doing? Working on his abs? Doing yoga?

Want to help? Chip in!

We wanted to have an organization up and ready to go for February 1, so we're going with what we know. Ohio Pug Rescue is here in Columbus, and does a lot of wonderful work. While neither Barkley nor Augie are rescue pugs, many of their friends are. Their good friend Boo Boo (bottom right in the photo) was adopted through OPR, and his person had nothing but good things to say about the experience. If you'd like to help us reach our goal, click "ChipIn!" on the lovely widget.