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Chico

His owner had abandoned him at the vet in Oxford, MS. Chico stayed there a whole month before the vet released him to the Oxford Lafayette Humane Shelter. The shelter contacted one of our volunteers and she told them we would be happy to take Chico and find him the kind of home he deserved. He will be 3 years old next month and is fawn/apricot color. He's so cute.....personality plus! He had some sores and was itchy, but looked otherwise OK. He appeared to have been kept outdoors and had some calluses from sitting on the ground. His skin scrape was negative (no mange) but had an infection of the skin caused by a tick bite. He was on antibiotics for a couple of weeks and then neutered. Anna contacted the vet where he was abandoned and they were very pleased that he was in a good place. They are baffled as to why the owner wouldn't come and get him. They had seen him several times and said each time she brought him in he was covered in ticks and fleas. She would have them bathe him and probably didn't follow up on his care. Chico has been adopted by a wonderful family and he now has a young Pug sister, Bella. Here is an update from his new Mom...

I just wanted to let you know how the handsome boy is doing. He and Bella are still working out there relationship. He is real sweet to her until it comes to food, water, or toys. Kayvan and I were talking about taking him to some kind of obedience class, but only if we are right there with him. He gives Bella kisses and at night he creeps up on her until he is sleeping by her. Unfortunately, if Bella wakes up she moves. They follow each other around all day but if he is chewing on a bone she will go way out of her way to get around him even cutting under the bed. I tell him sternly "No Chico" if he snaps then he gives her kisses and he is like "what happened". It really is like he can't help it. All that being said we are very determined to work with him because you can't help but to love him.

Mitzie & Angel

This petite girl was picked up from the busy of a middle intersection in the city. She was lost and never claimed by her owners. Her thin frame and long nails indicated she hadn’t been very well cared for, but her trusting spirit let us know she knew what love was. Mitzie was spayed and when Dr. Blackburn was examining her he found she was in great need of dental. Her teeth were in such bad condition she was unable to eat hard food. He also found several knots on her little body. He removed several and we are anxiously waiting on the pathologist results. The knot on her front leg was wrapped around the tissue of her tendon and he was not able to take it off. She moved on to her foster home in Nashville and charmed the whole family, including Puggy. June 1, 2004 The results of the biopsy show the tumor was malignant and Mitzie came back to Memphis where Dr. Backburn amputated her leg. She came through the surgery fine and spent 2 weeks recovering in the home of MeLisa & Steve. MeLisa spent countless hours with Mitzie helping her to get accustomed to walking. By the time her new family picked her up she was able to go up and down 1 small step. Mitzie was delighted to see her Mom. Nancy and her family drove down from Nashville and it was obvious Mitize had been terribly missed and would be very loved and taken care of. Her brother, Puggy was happy to let Mitzie get all the attention, although he did give her a "hello" kiss.

August 1, 2004

Just wanted to thank you again and let you know how well Mitzie is doing. She is a total joy and so cute. The funny part is she walks when she feels like it because why walk when Mommy and Daddy can carry you. We try to get her to exercise when we take her outside and we try to get her to walk to the steps so then we will pick her up and carry her up. She gets it in her little head that she is not going to walk to the steps so she will just lay down right where she is because she knows Mommy will come and get her. When she wants to be somewhere she is there pretty quickly (like when she sees you have food.) When her and her brother sit next to each other to get a treat he has to be pretty quick or she will have his treat in her mouth before he blinks. Her trip to the Vet the other day went really well. He was very thorough with her eyes and says she does not have much vision in her left eye. He gave us the drops for her and said before she goes to bed at night we should put regular lubricating gel in her eyes because she sleeps and her eyelids don't cover all of her eye so they get even more dry. He weighed her too and she is 12 lbs 4 ozs and says she is not too thin. Everyone loves her she is so sweet and yes we have really spoiled her. She is happy sleeping with us and her brother and she is loves to lie her head on his back.

Hi Anna

I wanted to give you a follow up on Angel and Mitzi. They are such sweet little girls. Angel is doing really well and Shad and Mitzi accepted her like she had always been there.

She needs to lose some weight but I can't see where she eats a lot. She is not very active and we call her a real Couch Pugtato.She does love to play with the toys though. She has several in the toy basket and goes and pulls them out when she wants to play. She also is a Daddy's girl and follows Brian around the house. It is so cute to watch. She loves to sit next to you on the couch and she looks up at you with that sweet little face. She also follows Shad around and he taught her how to bark and they always greet people together when they come to the house. I really saw her come out when we took all of them to the Pugnic they had here in Nashville. I put her on the lead and walked her around and she had the best time being friendly to everyone. Everyone made a fuss over her and she loved that.

We have had Mitzi for over a year now and she is such a sweetheart. She does make us laugh with her antics. If she decides she wishes to get off the sofa she sits there and barks at us until we come and get her. I have seen her dive off it if we do not get there quick enough for her. Heaven forbid you go into the kitchen without her. She can hear that refrigerator being opened when she is in the other side of the house. I have sent you one of the pictures of her begging for food when you are cooking. She also barks at you then. She is also like a snapping turtle when it comes to food. You really need to watch your fingers. We have moved to a new house without stairs and she is so much happier. It does have 3 big cement steps going down to the backyard and we carry her down but she gets up them in a flash when it is time to come back to the house to get a treat. Mitzi has progressed so well this year.

I do want to thank you again for these two little dolls.

Nancy and Brian

Lola

Lola was picked up by the Humane Society wandering the streets. We took her to Dr. Blackburn where he found her in good general health. She’s being treated for a skin allergy and ear infection. Her sweet eyes were also full of gunk and she was given drops that cleared her eyes up nicely. She does have a good deal of pigment in her eyes and we aren’t sure how much vision she has. She’s very playful, housetrained, and likes to know someone is close by. She would be a great "only pet" or a wonderful companion. Robin is around 7 years old, has a medium build, and a beautiful coat.

Update

Lola is such a happy little dog now. We finally have ALL of her medical problems under control. It took a really long time to get her ears totally clear but we have finally arrived. We also struggled for a long time with her itchy skin. We changed her to a food for dogs with allergies and it seems to have done the trick. Now that she isn't scratching all the time she has time to do lots of dog stuff like chew on toys and sleep. She also loves to take walks.

She has turned into a real lap dog. Every morning after she eats she runs to the couch for her time with Mom. We have coffee and cuddle for a little while before we both start our busy days.

Sleeping arrangements have also changed a little. At first we put her at the foot of our bed to sleep. You would think that was a nice change for a dog who was found wandering the streets, however, the foot of the bed isn't quite good enough for Lola. She has slowly made her way up so that she is directly between my husband and me. She also must be under the covers so she is like a third little person in the bed - under the covers with her head on a pillow , snoring like a lumber jack. Fortunately for me, I get her back to me while Grant gets "forked" by her legs. He keeps saying it's going to change but in reality "What Lola Wants ......"

We are all doing great. We love her so much and can't imagine getting a dog better suited for us. It's hard to believe someone let her go - she is so perfect. We thank you so much for making her available to us!

Susan

Charley

The Memphis Animal Shelter picked up Charley as a stray. When we got him out of the shelter he was covered in ticks and fleas. He also had hookworms and whipworms and lots of ticks and fleas. That explains why he was so emaciated. Charley is in his foster home and on the go non-stop. Now that he’s been treated for the worms and gotten rid of the fleas and ticks, he’s feeling great! Charley is very rambunctious and has a mind of his own. His foster Mom is working on housebreaking him and he definitely needs a fenced yard to help run off his energy. Charley’s about 1 year old and was probably outdoors all of the time before he was rescued. He gets along with the other pets in his foster home and would probably do best with older children. The vet determined the sight loss in the left eye was caused by an untreated injury that happened before he came to rescue.

Peanut

Peanut is accustomed to being an only dog and had her owners very well trained. She was born December 22, 1999 and will be 5 years old on her next birthday. She also doesn't have much experience with being around other dogs, but she is got along with the other Pug, Bailey in her foster home. She loves to be loved and is a very companionable dog and will come lay beside where her human is sitting. She is house trained and is used to sleeping in her kennel at night. She enjoys a fresh mushroom and 4 cut up baby carrots with each meal. She LOVES bananas, but only gets a couple of bites. Peanut is a very healthy girl and has always been well cared for. She'll continue to live the life she deserves with her new family in Texas. She's going to be an "only Pug" but will have play-dates with China, another Pug that was adopted from PRM. Peanut seems to be adjusting very well with her new family. She is sleeping with the family's 10 year old son at night and runs circles around both the boys when they get home from school in the afternoon.

Nike

Nike We are grateful the breeder allowed us the opportunity to give this charming senior girl the kind of life she deserves. She spent her entire life in a wire cage waiting to be bred time after time. Dr. Blackburn was happy to find her a little worn out, but an otherwise healthy Pug.. Nike doesn't meet a stranger, and strolls along with her dignity and a heart full of love. She's an outgoing girl and was happily accepted in her foster home by the Cochran's young children. They couldn't imagine her not being a part of their lives forever. The family has two young male Pugs and Nike loves to spend her time playfully pulling the boys tails. It's hard to believe this is the first time this sweetheart has lived in a real home with human companionship and someone to take care of her. Nike can jump on the couch... but when she is ready to get down she cries until someone comes to get her. She's spoiled and prefers to be carried around. She loves to ride in the car and expects to go everywhere with the family. When it's time to leave the house she's the first one out the door and waits by the car until Sonya puts her in the backseat between the children. She gets so excited at night it takes her at least 10 minutes to settle down after Sonya puts her on the bed. After that she snuggles next to her foster Mom for a night of sweet dreams.

Cosmo

Attached are photos of Paco (black pug) and Cosmo (fawn rescue pug). Cosmo has adjusted nicely to our home and enjoys being with Paco. As you can see in the photos, Cosmo is never to far from Paco. Cosmo likes to run in the yard outside and bark at the other dogs through the fence. He is starting to realize that this is his permanent home and likes to curl up in his new pillow under the window. He is spoiled to death by everyone here and also our friends and neighbors. He likes to walk in the neighborhood, he likes to sit on our laps and be petted, he likes grapes for snacks and he and Paco have shredded most of the stuffed animals that we had for them. Cosmo has been a great addition to our home. He is full of love and will follow us around the house. He loves to give kisses and be held.

Angelo & Claudia

Ginger

Well it will be 1 year as of the 18th of June 2005 that we have had Ginger. It has been an adjustment, but patience and prayer has gotten us to this point. Pugsley still only TOLERATES her, which I am thankful that they don't fight. Overall, I am glad I adopted her, because honestly, I have a lot of patience and it is needed daily still. I jokingly ask her if she wants to go back to Memphis..that is on her extremely needy days. Of course I don't mean it.

I have grown to love her and my hubby has to. She had lost weight at first, 5 lbs., which was a good thing, but now she is back to her weight when we got her, 25 lbs, so we are on a diet again. Pugsley also has put on the weight and is dieting too. Ginger still loves to go outside and lay in the grass insisting on staying out there (even in 95-degree weather) which I don't allow. I set her limits, because I think she would stay out there for an hour if I let her. She has a tendency to not want to go out and go potty, but only to sniff and explore and follow Pugsley wherever he goes. I have to coax her and talk her into going potty.

Pugs finally has the pesty little sister driving him crazy. I think it is funny, because he is getting payback. He used to do that to Muffin, follow her around sniffing her, and driving her crazy, so it is only fitting. She likes her spot on the couch next to me with her hot pink towel in her place. She loves to snuggle and especially loves hugs, the tighter the better. The vet said she doesn't suffer from separation anxiety, which there are days that I disagree. If I am in the house and not in her direct sight she whines. But my mother and my husband have both told me, when I leave she is fine. No whining, nothing. It is kind of like the child being a brat when mom is around, but an angel when she is not. That is Ginger.

She never has developed the strength in her front shoulders to hop on and off the couch, I have to lift her. The vet said that she will never develop the muscle to be able to do that, but I still do exercises with her to try to build that area. There have been a few times that she has heard my husband in the kitchen crinkling something (FOOD!). Out of nowhere, she will hurl off of the couch. When she does, it is hilarious, she stiffens all four legs and tries to land like a cat. If I see that she is about to do it, I lift her down, for fear that she is going to break something.

She absolutely LOVES a bath. Once a week I say BATHTIME. Oh my she gets excited, and Pugsley has come to accept that Ginger is ALWAYS first in line. As far as health goes, she is healthy. She has an anal gland problem, which I have learned to drain myself. That has to be done 1 or 2 times a week. I had the vet check her after I drained them and he said I do a fine job. Her nose fold is excessively deep, so that is cleaned every other day. Only 1 time we had a cyst between her toes. Everything healed nicely and no problems since. She likes to play occasionally with her stuffed lamb and now she has a pig that she shakes up a bit She usually likes to steal Pugsley's toy, only if he is playing with it of course. He usually just gives up and lets her have it. So, Ginger has adjusted well, and I find myself looking on the website for another one, but hubby insists on only 2. I know he is probably right and he knows that I would have a kennel of pugs if I could. Thank you for Ginger, she is a good dog. It is fun seeing her experience things that she never had the opportunity in the puppy mill she was at. It is like watching a baby take its first steps.

Peaches

Peaches is doing really well. She's going out to the bathroom just fine. She's also beginning to move around and be more agile from after her spaying. She's playing with toys. She's so funny. She's got this thing where likes to randomly pick up things and carry them around.... especially clothing. She also will watch Pokey and attempt to do what he does. For example, last night Pokey saw an offensive jogger outside and was barking at the door and running around. Peach looks at him and goes running to the door behind him and just looks at him, looks out the door, runs in a circle like he did, looks outside, looks at him, and turns her head, like "ok what am I doing this for again?" Pokey's adjusting. He just needs some time. He's been the only one for 5years and I feel sorry for him because it is an adjustment to share. He's used to ruling the roost. He seems to be a little depressed at times when she's in his normal 'spot'. But, overall, they're doing fine together. They've played and chased each other some yesterday. Pokey will try to get her into a game of chase, but I'm not sure she understands yet that he's trying to play with her.

Christy

This young Pug was found wandering near a landfill dump in Clarksville, TN. From the looks of her thin frame, worm pads and long nails, she has been on her own for awhile. She had whipworms and also tested positive for heartworms. She was picked up by our volunteers Terri & Jim Huth and transported back to Memphis by MeLisa. Dr. Blackburn gave her a full exam, her vaccinations and decided she was healthy enough to begin heartworm treatment. She is doing fabulous in her foster home. She gets along great with her foster sister, Abby and loves all the kitties! Her foster Mom, Susan says she’s very energetic and curious and it’s been no small task keeping her quite. Christy (front) pictured with Abby.

Update May 29, 2004

We almost lost this doll baby while she was at the vet last week for her second heartworm treatment. She had a severe reaction and went into shock. This happened almost immediately so Dr Blackburn was right there, or she may not have made it. . Dr B said it was a severe allergic reaction to the drug...the exact same drug he used in the first treatment. There was no way of knowing that anything bad would happen and he credited "our alert kennel guy" with his help in saving Christy. . The following morning she was still on IV medication and sitting up. After staying at Gentle Care another night her foster Mom was happy to be able to bring her home and her sister Abby was overjoyed to see her again. Poor little thing has lost all her recently gained weight. She will go back to the vet in 4 weeks and in the meantime, her foster home will do their best to keep her quiet and fatten her up again.

Update August 2004

Hi Anna....Thought you would like to see some new photos of our little Miss Christie. She is happy and healthy and growing more beautiful every day. She and sister Abby play and wrestle and chase each other all the time...they are two peas in a pod! Christie loves her toys and is learning to sit patiently when she wants us to throw a toy for her to chase. Tug of war is great fun, too. The Girls also like to race around "sharing" a toy like a tiny team of horses! So cute!

Much love. Susan
(Mom to Abby & Christie)