On Oct 22 it will have been 3 years since my beloved fawn pug Shad died. He was my first pug & a one of a kind pug. He was so special. I miss him like crazy. After all I had had him 17 ½ years. He was like one of my kids. After he died I never thought of replacing him. We just planned on being a 2 dog family & eventually a one dog family.
Then that day came almost 2 years later. It was October 16, 2012.
A year ago today I got a phone call asking if I wanted a black pug. A black pug had been dumped off out in the middle of nowhere. He had been living for about 2 weeks out in a cotton field. Our friends who lived in a farmhouse nearby had been keeping an eye on him. They were worried he’d starve to death, a wild animal would get him or a tractor/car’d hit him. That day they had convinced the dog to come to their house to eat & stay. Before he would go to their house for food & go back to the field at night.
At first I wasn’t sure. I had always wanted a black pug & I had wanted to name it Harry Pugger. But I still wasn’t sure if I wanted another dog right now. We had just spent a ton of money on Buddy (Our 4 year old Sheltie) who had just had surgery a week before. I was still trying to keep Buddy from eating his bandages off. Anyway so we decided we would drive down there & see this dog.
When we got there we saw this skin & bones little black dog running around barking. He was an odd looking thing. Very skinny, but his legs & feet were huge. He had obviously not eaten much. He looked like a full pug but we weren’t sure.
We decided to take him home. He wasn’t sure he liked us & wanted to go with us. So we got this dog home. He smelled horrible. He went to the bath right away. After several washings he was clean. This poor dog had tick wounds/scabs all over him. He also had singed fur down his back. That night we went & bought him a collar, flee & tick stuff, a nametag & a flashing name tag. It was a good thing we got the flashing nametag. He was extremely hard to see in the dark. Not to mention he escaped a few times. If he hadn’t had that flashing nametag on we’d never have found him in the dark.
He was real skittish. He was afraid of the boys, the other dogs, & any noise. He’d hide under our little church bench so no one could see him. He’d sit there shivering the whole time.
The next day I took him to the vet. He did not have a microchip on him. He was very malnourished. He was dehydrated & anemic. He also had heartworms & tick fever. So right away we had to start him on medicine. It was a long road & not a cheap one either. The vet also guessed he was about 6 or 7 years old.
We decided to call him Pugsley. He answered to it right away. I decided he needed a cleaver middle name. So I started calling him Pugsley Mugsley because it rhymed. Pugsley & I bonded over cans of dog food & Peanut butter sandwiches. At first he was so hungry he’d eat the canned dog food with the pills hidden in it. He had to take these pills 3 times a day. We did this for 6 weeks. After a while it became more & more of a challenge of getting him to take his medicine. We went to the vet weekly to see his process. The vet told me since I was having problems getting him to take his medicine to try it with peanut butter. So he ate PB Sandwiches.
A few days into this whole rescue process I wondered what I had gotten myself into. Here was a dog that was scared of everything. He didn’t want to be loved on & in fact he acted like he’d be abused. I wondered if he’d make a good dog or not. But I was willing to try. On the 3rd day I decided to take his picture. He’s been hanging out in the dinning room catching some warm sun. So I said to him, can I take your picture? It was as if he understood me. All of a sudden he stands up right on his back legs & poses. After I took my picture he sat back down & went back to sunning. It was that moment when I fell in love with this dog. I could see it in his eyes that he was going to be a good dog. He just needed time.
He hid from everyone. Came out only for food, water & to go outside. At night he had bad dreams & cried in his sleep. He refused to sleep in a bed. I even made him his very own blanket. But he wouldn’t sleep on that either. Instead he insisted on sleeping under my bed or right beside it. He also loved to sleep in my sorted laundry. He often got stepped on because he blended in so well. I had to be careful at night getting up because if I stepped on him, touched him with the slightest touch or ever dropped something on him, he’d go Ninja as I call it. He’d bite who ever it was that touched him the wrong way. He doesn’t bite hard. It’s more of like when a puppy bites. When he’d do this it was like a Jekyll & Hyde thing. One minute he was nice & loveable the next he was a totally different dog. Once he realized what he was doing he immediately felt bad. His eyes would go from that glassy eyed stare to a sweet loving pup.
He can’t stand toys with squeakers. Those would set him off. I was really concerned with him being around people. Every chance he got he tried to run away.
He hated Sassy our 12-year-old fawn pug. He would try to attack her when she got too close. There was something about Buddy that he liked. They became instant friends. But he did not want to be in the same room with Sassy. He started responded well to being loved on. However it hurt him if you petted him on the back legs. (Another reason I thought he might have been abused.) He’d try to bite you if you pet him in the wrong spot. He also did not want the other dogs around him when he was getting petted. He’d snap at them. He didn’t like two people trying to pet him at once. He’d snap at the other one letting them know to back off.
By the end of November he had almost finished his pills. He had put on 8 pounds since we got him. The heartworms, tick fever & anemia had all gone away. He was now able to get his shots. He was starting to get used to us by then. He still didn’t like Sassy.
When he’d eat he sat down on his butt & ate like he was sitting at a table. (He still does this.) He hated Sassy standing behind him barking at him. Often he’d turn & give her apiece of his mind.
He loves treats!! I admit I spoiled him on treats. I did a bunch of research on adopting stray dogs & getting them to trust you. One of the things it said was to give them special treatment. So I got tons of treats for him. I’d give him one often. He’d set up on his hind legs (just like he did the day I took his picture) & beg for one when he decided he needed one. Every time someone came over we’d show them his cool trick. This also helped him bond with guest in our home.
By December he was settling down. Noises & storms still bothered him. He still got scared easy over anything. But the normal 6-year-old kid noise the boys make he adjusted too. He bonded closer to me than anyone. His favorite place to hide was under the Christmas tree.
Between January & February I talked him into sleeping on the blanket I made him. He’d push it under my bed where he slept & would lay on it.
In March I had major surgery & since then Pugsley has been my shadow. He doesn’t let me out of his sight when I’m home.
He went back to the Vet the first of May. They pronounced him a happy & healthy pug. They said he defiantly did not look like the same pug I brought in back in October. However they did say he didn’t need to gain any more weight. If he does we might need to put him on a diet.
By summer he acted like a normal dog who had lived with us all his life. He loves hanging out in the back yard, or sleeping in front of the front door or dinning room windows. He no longer would hide from people. He was however still terrified of Thunderstorms. He’d sit in my lap & shiver the whole time. If we had one during the night he’d make sure to wake me up so I could comfort him. I started him a Facebook fan page this summer. His friend’s on Facebook recommended trying a thunder shirt on him. So we bought him one. It worked well.
He has relaxed quite a bit over the storms. He still gets antsy & acts like he knows when one is about to hit, but he’s much better.
By August I got him to start sleeping in a dog bed. Before he wouldn’t have anything to do with it. I’d put him on it & he’d get off 2 seconds later. I had to put his blanket on it to get him to try. At first he’d stay a few minutes then get off when I wasn’t looking. Gradually he’d stay longer. Now he sleeps on it most of the night. But every chance he gets to lay in the dirty clothes, there he is…
In the last few months he & Sassy have become friends. He’s even protective over her. She’s mostly blind & deaf now. He waits for her to go outside with him. He keeps an eye on her & stays with her. He even willingly shares his treats with her & Buddy too.
It doesn’t seem like we’ve had him a year. But then again it does. I’m so glad we decided to take that big step & take him in. He needed us & we needed him. He has learned to love & be loved. When he’s outside I often yell out “Pugsley Mugsley!! Where you is?” And he comes running as fast as he can, so happy to see me.
When I hear other stories of other dogs like him abandoned & abused it breaks my heart. How can people do that to an animal? Especially a pug! There’s just something special about a pug. I’m so thankful that God led us to this little guy.
I still miss Shad. No other dog will ever take his place. Pugsley has that same spirit Shad had & I love him just as much. If I had this to do over again I would in a heart beat.
If your interested in Pugsley’s fan page. You can follow him at https://www.facebook.com/PugsleyMugsley
Between January & February I talked him into sleeping on the blanket I made him. He’d push it under my bed where he slept & would lay on it.
In March I had major surgery & since then Pugsley has been my shadow. He doesn’t let me out of his sight when I’m home.
He went back to the Vet the first of May. They pronounced him a happy & healthy pug. They said he defiantly did not look like the same pug I brought in back in October. However they did say he didn’t need to gain any more weight. If he does we might need to put him on a diet.
By summer he acted like a normal dog who had lived with us all his life. He loves hanging out in the back yard, or sleeping in front of the front door or dinning room windows. He no longer would hide from people. He was however still terrified of Thunderstorms. He’d sit in my lap & shiver the whole time. If we had one during the night he’d make sure to wake me up so I could comfort him. I started him a Facebook fan page this summer. His friend’s on Facebook recommended trying a thunder shirt on him. So we bought him one. It worked well.
He has relaxed quite a bit over the storms. He still gets antsy & acts like he knows when one is about to hit, but he’s much better.
By August I got him to start sleeping in a dog bed. Before he wouldn’t have anything to do with it. I’d put him on it & he’d get off 2 seconds later. I had to put his blanket on it to get him to try. At first he’d stay a few minutes then get off when I wasn’t looking. Gradually he’d stay longer. Now he sleeps on it most of the night. But every chance he gets to lay in the dirty clothes, there he is…
In the last few months he & Sassy have become friends. He’s even protective over her. She’s mostly blind & deaf now. He waits for her to go outside with him. He keeps an eye on her & stays with her. He even willingly shares his treats with her & Buddy too.
It doesn’t seem like we’ve had him a year. But then again it does. I’m so glad we decided to take that big step & take him in. He needed us & we needed him. He has learned to love & be loved. When he’s outside I often yell out “Pugsley Mugsley!! Where you is?” And he comes running as fast as he can, so happy to see me.
