Monday, August 30, 2010

Levi's Story


This is Levi.  As you can see, he's quite the "ham" with the ladies.  Mason must have been too busy eating food to notice him "mackin" on his women.  You can read Levi's complete story below under "Introduce your pet"

Sunday, August 29, 2010

And Then There Were Two...

So basically... 2 months after getting Mason it was decided that Mason needed a friend or companion- not that he wasn't enjoying soaking up the full attention of his mommy and daddy.  It's just that mommy and daddy had class and work and Mason had already learned that crying quickly got him out of his crate when he so desired- we'll call it "positive reinforcement" and we will blame most of that on his daddy and his Giggy.  Therefore, Mason was often left to wander around the apartment by himself.

I called the lady that we got Mason from to ask how old a male had to be before AKC would recognize his offspring for him to be studded out.  My plan was to stud Mason out once, ask for pick of the liter, and keep a female pug for myself, and then get Mason neutered.  At this point in my puggy motherhood I did not realize the negatives of dog breeding, as well as all of the homeless dogs out there needing homes.  The lady told me I needed to decide whether I wanted Mason to be a stud dog, or a "fixed" dog.  To put it bluntly, I didn't need to let Mason impregnate a lady and then have his male parts removed.  That was just WRONG!  The lady then let me know that she had extra females left over for sale from a previous liter.  They were females that were born 2 weeks after Mason to a different momma, same daddy.  We got Mason at 6 wks old, and these females were 15 wks at the time.  I wasn't interested UNTIL the lady disclosed the discounted price of the dogs and it was 1/3 the price of Mason.  Plus, she told me she was just going to turn them into breeding dogs if I didn't purchase.

I won't go into details about my visit to the breeders' home.  Let's suffice it to say I wish I could have bought every single dog they had occupying the residence, yard, kennel, etc.  It broke me heart to only be able to "save" two.  I gave one to a mutual friend of G-Man and I, Mr. Goggle.  He named her Annie.  The girl I kept for myself I named Lily.  Even though I did not go through an actual Rescue to obtain Annie or Lily, I would like to think that they were "rescued."  Below are baby pictures of Lily, also known as Lil Pil, boo-boo, baby bear, my boo-boo bear, Liller, and Lily Bear.

Mason.  Annie.  Lily.
The lesson to be learned here is that the home I went to was not the exception, it was the rule.  Most breeders keep the living quarters and residences of their dogs in miserable, unbearable, undesireable, condemnable condition(s).  Their dogs' primary purpose is not to be a pet or to receive love like we think of our pets receiving; most breeders' primary purpose for their dogs is to produce babies to make breeders money.  If breeders can't sell the puppies, they usually turn them into breed dogs.  If their dogs don't get pregnant, they usually discard and/or abandoned them.  These are the same dogs that end up in KPR's care.  These are the same dogs that get found on the sides of roads, dumped off by their owners, the same people who were supposed to care for them and provide for them. 

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Giving Back to Those Who Give

I received an email the other day from one of the board members of Kentuckiana Pug Rescue (KPR).  I'll attach the content here, as I think it explains the purpose of this post more accurately than my words can:


"We are at a very critical point in the rescue where there are still so many pugs out there that need us, but we just don't know how we will get the resources to help them...there are not enough homes and not enough money.


You've been receiving pleas from me for foster homes and sadly there just aren't enough homes for all the needy pugs coming our way. Just this morning we had an emergency situation and had to place two pugs at two different boarding facilities. We can't afford to board them, but we can't afford not to board them. How can we look at these pugs and not want to help them?

The picture attached is a pug that was just rescued this morning from a rural shelter in Kentucky that kills all the animals in the shelter every 4-5 days like clockwork. The only thing more eery than a full shelter is an empty one and had this pug been left one more day this plea to help him and his sweet picture would not have made it to your inbox.

This fawn, male pug is estimated to be around 4-5 years old and we just named him "Owen". We feel we "owe" him one because he is gentle and loving and kind to us, but by looking at him....well, it is obvious by his fur that he has had a rough life. He has sores on his skin and will need weekly medicated baths for months to come. Amazingly his teeth are in good shape and his eyes are bright and clear. He is a cautious, but curious pug with a gentle disposition and the most expressive eyes and face. How can anything so neglected still be so trusting and loving!?! He was even gentle and kind when the vet clipped his overgrown, curled under nails. What a very good boy! When is it his turn to receive a soft place to sleep, regular meals, affection, and companionship? I hear him whimper and it makes me think of my own spoiled pug at home sleeping soundly in his plush bed. What if my pug's fate had been this and he had to endure the life Owen received? It is all so random and unfair.

I realize that we are asking much of you as volunteers, fosters, and adoptive homes. I am sorry to once again send another sad, depressing e-mail. It can be overwhelming, but it can also be rewarding as you see these abused, neglected, and abandoned pugs rescued by KPR with your help and then watch them blossom into loving members of a family.

Please know if you are approved to adopt that you can foster and if you are already approved to foster that you can adopt. The application and approval process are the same. KPR pays all the vet bills for any pug or pug mix you foster and you are only responsible for providing a loving home and good food.

Your help is needed. Pugs like Owen, Ralphie, Bonded Pair: Penny & Popper, & Frankie depend on you and the kindness of others. How can their lives be changed and cherished?

Homes are needed and so if you can open your home and heart to any of these pugs, please let me know OR if you are willing to make a small donation to cover the cost of just a few nights of boarding that would also be sincerely appreciated. KPR spends thousands and thousands on medical bills each month and so every little bit helps...especially now when so many needy pugs are coming to KPR. How could we possibly turn them away when they depend on us and need us so badly? You only need to read about some of the pugs on the website to know what a difference is being made every day for this wonderful breed.

Other ways you can help pugs like Owen:

Ask friends, family members, and your dog's babysitters to consider fostering a pug in need and encourage them to complete an online application. Let them know how easy, yet rewarding it can be...

Much of our help comes from word of mouth referrals so please tell people about KPR when your pug or pug mix is complimented or you are out at the local pet supply store, on your facebook page, etc.

Make a Donation to KPR through paypal by visiting www.kentuckianapugs.com

Mail a check to Kentuckiana Pug Rescue, P.O. Box 22697, Louisville, Kentucky 40252

Thank you for caring so much about pugs and pug mixes in need. Your compassion is appreciated"
 
 
 
I thought about this email long and hard.  Its' message played on my mind for several days.  I realized I couldn't foster and/or adopt another pug at this point in my life.  I realized we could donate, and we did.  But as the message states, there are other things I could be doing.  The idea of this blog was primarily born out of this email message I received.  If this blog and my blogspot does nothing more than find 1 more pug a happy forever home and save 1 more pug life, then my purpose has been well served.
 
I hope you will read this and think about what you could be doing to prevent so many animals from dying each day, at no fault of their own.  Whether you have money to spare by donating, time to give by volunteering, a voice to share by spreading the word, hands to use by writing/blogging, or a home to provide for a needing and deserving pug- I hope you'll realize that you can contribute and help in some way.  You can do any and/or all of these things by visiting http://www.kentuckianapugs.com/
 
I've attached a picture to this blog of a KPR "Meet & Greet" event my husband and I attended shortly after rescuing our black pug from KPR.  I would like for you to take a moment and look at all the pugs in this picture, as well as their owners' smiling faces.  This is just a small fraction of the pugs that can thank KPR for saving their lives, and can thank the humans willing to make sacrifices in order to do so...  Have a wonderful Saturday and may God Bless!

Friday, August 27, 2010

Let everyone meet your Furry Friend

You've just read my introduction story of Mason.  Now it's your turn to tell all readers your story into pet parenthood.  Introduce your pet or pet(s) to us and leave a picture if you'd like!  We'd love to see them!

It all started as a gift........

Ok.. so once upon a time there was a small apartment in Louisville, Ky. that did not contain the sounds of small feet pattering across the vinyl flooring.  This was 4 years ago.  Those were lonely days.

My now husband G-Man (boyfriend at the time) used to own a pug.  For various reasons he was unable to care for it and had to give it to people who could.  I would buy him pug memorabilia such as stuffed pugs, figurines, etc. as gifts to somehow in my mind compensate for the earlier loss of his living, breathing companion.  I did this from the start of our courtship in 2003 up until November of 2006.  I wanted that Christmas to be special.  I decided to get G-Man a real pug. 

I knew it was going to be a big responsibility and a bonding opportunity in our own relationship, but I was feeling ready and excited for the task of raising a puppy!  Let me at this point remind you that as a child I had grown up without a dog, let alone a puppy.  My mom, Mama Red, was one of those mommas that didn't want a dog peeing in her flower bed or in her house for that matter; therefore, we were designated to the more refined term of "cat people."

Gender was never an issue.  Even though my family kept reminding me that "females make better pets," I knew I wanted a male for my G-man- just like the pug he had to give away in his younger teenage years.  I arranged for a lady to bring all her available male pug puppies (there turned out to only be 2) to our apartment.  I then wrote up a cute jingle on a card to my G-man about making sure to pick the perfect pug for him, tied ribbon through the card with the plan of tying the ribbon around one of the puggies' little neckies.  Once again my puppy iliteracy kicked in because I had not anticipated the puppies being so small that a card would weight their necks down, and weigh their necks down it did.  Ultimately, the card with the jingle just got handed to G-man once he realized what was going on.  Not quite the same dramatic effect as of one of the puppies actually walking up to him with a card around their neck.  I guess some things just sound better in theory.

When G-man walked through the apartment door after coming from work, we opened the dog crate and the puppies ran out.  One was immediately drawn to G-man.  My husband likes to say that he eventually claimed that one due to the fact his belly was red (it was told to us that it was red because he had been the laziest and stayed on the heating lamp the longest while in the kennel).  G-man's response: "that's my kind of dog!"  I like to say my husband picked that one because he must have been tipped off and told that he was more expensive due to a "special" marking on his left paw (a marking he eventually grew out of- what a rip!) and G-man wanted to make sure I paid off my debt for all of the dinners on his tab since I was buying this dog.  Either way, G-man did pick the "lazy dog" and we pondered on an appropriate name all night.  G-man named him Mason, but he also responds to Mater Tater, Big Boy, Made Tade, Mase, and a variety of other random words

This is the very first picture we took of our newest family member, Mason, the Friday night we got him

Thursday, August 26, 2010

A Pugtastic Plan

Let me start by saying I am not a blogger.  I am actually one of those individuals who often make comments about the oddities of those who do blog... "they must have no life if they have nothing better to do than keep others informed of their every move" or "it takes a certain kind of person to think others actually care about a 24/7 run-down of their daily agenda."  If that is the type of blog you are looking for on my blogspot, I'll spare you the heartbreak and tell you now that you might as well leave.  This blogspot was born out of an idea to promote a very important and special cause that is near and dear to me and my family (you will meet them in due time). 

This blog is for all of those who have ever had, owned, loved, rescued, adopted, and/or lost a pet.  If you have ever experienced the mixture of sadness and joy that accompany any of these actions you understand how important our pets can become to us as human beings.  Pet owners understand and can appreciate the fact that our pets can read our emotions and feelings better sometimes than those closest to us, or that our pets can sometimes cheer us up at the end of the day when no one else quite can.  There is a special type of bond that links all pet lovers together in a realm of understanding.  I never realized how powerful that connection was until I became a pet owner myself.

This blog is about my story into puggy motherhood.  But whether you have pugs, another type of dog, or even a pet snake, I hope you will find and read things here that you can relate to and that make you smile- from one pet owner to the next.  I invite all posts of any feedback, opinions, advice, pet stories, etc. at all times on my blog.  Along with fun stories and pictures, my second purpose in this blog will also be addressed.  That purpose is promoting and emphasizing the importance of pet rescues, and in my particular case, the importance of the Kentuckiana Pug Rescue and its significance in my own life.  Animals are dying daily.  Shelters are full.  Dogs are being euthanized.  Pugs are being dumped out of the car by their owners and left on the sides of roads, blind and confused.  We CAN help.  I hope that you will read and see through my own experience and the experience of others the joy in rescuing a pet, or at least encouraging someone to do so.