Thursday, June 19, 2014

Pugged!

What can I say? My husband has a tender heart, and I do love him for it. He got a call from a elderly woman referred to him by a client. Her life has been upended – her husband died last winter leaving her in financial straits; she's gotten hurt trying to manage their rural property and dogs by herself; needs to sell the place and move.... She wanted her vet to put her two pugs to sleep but he demurred, offering instead to help rehome them. She said no one would take care of them like she has; she said they missed their daddy and want to go be with him. The vet wouldn't budge, so she called Rick and asked him to put them down. He has been stalling while trying to talk her down from her position, and yesterday she finally relented and said he could pick them up, take them home, and perhaps find them a new home.
Eight-year-old litter mates Woody and Rosie arrived last night. Oh, how I wish you lived within driving distance, Mary Ann! These little puggles need you, and I think you need them! They may look happy and well settled in my photos, but believe me, they are very unsure of their world right now. When Rick and Brian took them outside this morning, Woody ran off, causing great consternation among the humans and his sister. Fortunately, Rick was able to track him down (in the trees in our lower pasture!) and lure him in close enough to catch with treats and his sister as bait. Whew!

The pugs have taken over the living room for now. Our dogs are banished to the laundry room or outside to reduce the newcomers' stress, which causes our dogs much stress; it is a stressful situation all the way around! Brian, ever the acquisition baron, is campaigning to keep them, of course. I'm teetering on the edge, not desiring to stress them more with yet another move, but not at all sure they would incorporate well here. Besides, I was having trouble keeping all my plates spinning as it was....

To be continued, at . . .

16 comments:

Susan said...

Never a dull moment at Boulderneigh...it does look like they were well loved and cared for - most Pugs I see are overfed and obese! Your heart will lead you to the right solution...bless your hearts (all of you)...

Unknown said...

They look well cared for, and at only 8 years old have many more years left. Whether it is in your household or another, they will adjust and be happy again. Perhaps there is a Pug Rescue group in the area that might help you with referrals.

Unknown said...

Bless you all for finding a way to save and make a home for those two Pugs. I suspect they will adapt faster than you can imagine; they respond so well to love. This is a wonderful post.

Mary Ann said...

Oh my gosh, Michelle... they are GORGEOUS! We have never had a black pug... they are absolutely beautiful! They look so very well cared for. Can Pacific Pug rescue help them? And put them into a home together! God bless you, Brian, and Rick for helping them, and yes, I wish we were closer!

Tammy said...

I'm happy your husband has a tender heart. If they get along with your two boys, what is two more, right? ;-) I hope they get to stay together wherever they go, and I feel so sad for their previous owner. I know it seems harsh, but I understand her reasoning when there are people out there that can be so very cruel and so very devious when acquiring animals for bad purposes. But they are in good hands now, and I know you will do whatever is best for you and the pugs! They are awfully cute little buggers.

Tammy

Debbie said...

Thank your husband for stepping in and you for making them very welcome. And Brian, keep up the campaign! The pugs are very cute. Benny and the other lambs might enjoy the newcomers. Good luck with the decisions ahead.
Your sweater turned out beautiful!

Michelle said...

Rick told me they were coddled babies so I was expecting "obese," too, Susan.

Shelly, there is a regional pug rescue but the owner wasn't willing to turn the dogs over to them. :-/

They've warmed up more to Rick and Brian than to me, Nancy Kay. I guess they were the husband's "babies" – but Rick said they stayed on the woman's heels when he was there to meet them. Hence, they've tripped her and caused her serious injury at least twice, once at the stove involving hot oil and resulting in severe burns, and once resulting in a broken toe.

Oh, they MUST go together, Mary Ann. They are very bonded; I don't think they would recover emotionally from being separated from one another as WELL as from their human family.

I know, Tammy; there are certainly fates worse than death. But I would think a pug rescue would be the perfect place from which to place them with experienced pug-lovers. Their small animal vet also thought he could find them a good home, and I would think him a trustworthy intermediary.

Thistle Cove Farm said...

They are lovely and hope they're re-homed together; It would surely stress them to death to be separated. I feel for that woman; a horrible situation made even worse by the decisions one has to make after.

Theresa said...

Oh man, if I wasn't at my canine carrying load.....You'll find a good home for them and I wholeheartedly agree, a bonded pair like that needs to go to the same home. Kudos to Rick and the first vet for standing their ground about putting them to sleep. These are young dogs by small dog standards and they will adjust in loving home. All I can say is thank god they aren't Bostons, because someone might have to take away my keys.....

Mama Pea said...

What a heartbreaking situation for that dear lady . . . and what she's been through. Yes, do all you can to make sure the two of them stay together. They will adjust to a new, loving home. Animals have that ability to a higher degree than we humans.

Retired Knitter said...

Keep them. They will adjust and so will everyone else. So says a pug grandmother. But at a minimum they should go together. They are each other's anchor. 8 years old. How sad their lives are turned upside down. For a pug, 8 is midldle aged. Many good years left.

Laura said...

I'll take them!! I love pugs! (well, any smooshed face dog, if you must know). They'd have a great life at the farm, with Lyra and Aengus, and sleeping on the couch and bed, and... You could take them to BSG on Sunday, and have Correy bring them home!

Tweedles -- that's me said...

I am a blog friend of Mary Ann. I live in Oregon too,
Woody and Rosie are gorgeous puggies, and its so sad their hearts have been broken by the loss of their daddy.
All they want is to know they have a forever home and will be loved forever.
My moms can not takes these puggys as they have their hands full with my surgery issues 7 months ago,
I hope they find a home- that is full of love and magic bubbles to make them happy!
love
tweedles

C-ingspots said...

:) All I could do was smile when Rick told me that he'd taken the pugs home...a tender heart is a wonderful (albeit sometimes painful) blessing and attribute in a person. They sure are cute little buggars!

Fiona said...

God Bless you all for helping with these two..They are lovely, I am sure....if you do cave in they will work out well.

Michelle said...

Sandra, I'm sure you can understand better than most of us what that woman is going through.

Come and get 'em, Theresa! They're just like Bostons, without the white. ;-)

Yes, Mama Pea, I am believing now that they can and will adjust.

RT, if I didn't have such a challenging child to deal with in my middle age, I could be tempted to keep the pugs. But I do, so I'm not. :-/

Tweedles, thanks for visiting Boulderneigh and I hope you recover quickly!

Lorie, if we kept them we'd have FOUR dogs we'd be asking you to babysit when we have to be out of town!

Thanks, Fiona, but I'm tearing my hair out now with all that I am dealing with. Adding them to our household would not be a good thing right now....