A Pugs' Life

I have a confession to make...I love pugs. For those of you with whom I interact on a regular basis, this is probably no surprise. I never ever knew I could love an animal so much until Daisy came in to our lives.

After my internship last year, I decided I wanted a dog. I have no idea what sparked this interest, seeing how I used to say I would never have a dog in the house and I would never pick up dog poop. I do not even know why I became interested in pugs. I just thought they were cute and heard they were good apartment dogs, so it seemed a perfect choice. No one bothered to tell me that they are little shed-balls! Anyway, we looked on-line and in a local pet store and found several pugs that were pretty pricey. We were ready to buy one in Oklahoma that we had seen on-line but just happened to look in the Denver paper at the puppy ads. To our surprise, we found a local ad for pug puppies! We called and then raced to Aurora where the puppies were located. We met Daisy and her four sisters and fell in love. We chose Daisy, and while we were there three of her four sisters were sold also. Good thing we were quick! We took Daisy to PetSmart and then home, and that afternoon we took her on her first road trip to Estes Park. Funny thing is, I was offered my job the same day we got Daisy--it was a good day!

Daisy is and always has been an absolute delight (except when she ate my shoes) but I hated leaving her home alone all day. I wanted another pug, but Jason wasn't sure he wanted two pugs. He was more interested in a French bulldog or Boston terrier, something a little more active. He also didn't want a puppy because of all the expenses related to getting a puppy. We decided to look at Dumb Friends League, one of the animal shelters in Denver. We got on their Boston list but did not get any response, so we decided to put our name on the pug list. That way, if a pug came in, they would call everyone on the list and the first person there would get the dog. Well, I was checking their website daily and one day came across a picture of a very handsome pug. Jason called them and he was still available! I left work at lunch and raced to Dumb Friends with Daisy, where we got to meet Oscar. Apparently he was a lost dog someone found and turned in and he was never claimed. The best part was that I had seen him so quickly they did not even have time to call anyone on the pug list! So were the proud owners of another pug! Oscar was given his name at Dumb Friends League, and it stuck. I wasn't sure I liked it at first, but now I see it is absolutely fitting. He had to stay at Dumb Friends overnight to have surgery, but we were able to pick him up the next afternoon and bring him home. I am not sure what he thought of Daisy at first, but now they are great friends. During those first few weeks of having Oscar, we were definitely second guessing our decision to get hime. He apparently ruled the roost at his last home, because he had many bad habits. Things are getting much better, though, and I love having two. No more, though--two pugs is all I can handle! Oscar's favorite thing in life is to be petted, as you can see from the picture. He is a total cuddle-pug and is very loving and sweet.

We have been able to do so many fun things with our dogs. Daisy has been to Texas, and both of the pugs went on our trip to Seattle in May. We took them to Aspen last weekend, and they even get to go to the park once a month and play with lots of other pugs. There is a Denver Pug Club that meets at Washington Park, and it is great fun. In fact, we were there today and were able to see Daisy's good friend Moxie (and her parents, our friends Joe and Gretchen). I would highly recommend pugs to anyone thinking of getting a small dog. They are full of love and the perfect companions!