The boys were kind enough to let me take some pictures of them modeling the new bow tie collars that we just got into the shop. While I snapped some pictures Luna pitched a fit because she wasn’t included. I really wanted to include Luna with a little bow tie of her own, but she is far too wiggly. The girl just can’t sit still. And when she is wiggling around, she makes Benjamin & Henry move around. Plus, being the diva that she is, she demands to be paid before, after and during the shoot. When that is not at all what the contract states. 10% of the treats are awarded up front and the remaining portion is awarded when the project is complete. She simply will not agree to those terms!
The boys are such pros at sitting and getting their picture taken that towards the end, I usually have a hard time getting shots with their eyes open. They become far too relaxed and they fall asleep on me.
They know the routine. Sit still, look cute and then we will be handsomely rewarded.
Its funny how things change. Up until about 6 months ago, I only had two pugs on my hands that were not early birds - Henry & Luna. But now I have 3!
As soon, as we get out of bed in the morning, Luna hops off the bed and goes to her crate. It’s there that she does some of her best sleeping. She comes out briefly to get a bite of banana at breakfast, but then she immediately returns and doesn’t get up and join me in my office until 9:30 or 10:00 in the morning. Even then she just, retreats to her favorite napping spot near my office door where she can nap and sun herself.
I think she spends the morning hours sleeping in her crate because she feels safe and secure there and she doesn’t have to pretend to be involved in what is going on. She is sleeping and if you need her you will just have to wait until she stirs.
Henry is just as much as a sleepy head, except that he remains in bed even after we get up. He just makes himself more comfortable. When the bed gets made, Henry does his morning stretch and then we pick him up and put him somewhere comfy in the living room.
Up until 6 months ago, Benjamin was the only early bird in the family. When the alarm would go off he would bounce out of bed, ready to get his day started. He would entertain himself with a bone or toy while I showered and he was always there to help me pour the Cheerios. But recently, when the alarm goes off, Benny does not stir. We get out of bed and Benny joins his brother in making himself more comfortable. When it comes time to make the bed, Benny doesn’t budge and he has started to give us the patented Henry stretch before we transport him off to a cozy spot in the living room.
It seems Benjamin tried out Henry’s morning routine once and decided that he liked Henry’s way much better.
Overall, Henry’s report from his annual check up was good news. The Dr. says he is in good shape and that his teeth, eyes and coat look really good. However, he has arthritis in both his knees. This is only a little bit shocking to us. Henry has had arthritis in his left knee since he was a pup. But we were surprised to hear that he has arthritis in his right knee (his good knee) and that the arthritis is actually worse in that knee.
When Henry was about 6 months old we found out that he had hip dysplasia. Hip dysplasia is more common in larger breeds and the Dr. said that if we kept Henry at a good weight he would most likely never require any type of surgery on his hips. When Henry was about a year old, however, he started to hold up his left leg. We soon found out that he had luxating patella, which basically means that his knee cap was sliding in and out of place. The Dr.‘s speculated that this was most likely caused by him compensating for his hip dyslasia. He did require surgery to fix this problem and after his physical therapy he has done very well. We were told shortly after his surgery for his knee that he had developed some arthritis in his knee. It has never been much of a problem though.
Now, however, Henry has developed quite a bit of arthritis in his right knee and the Dr. said that his knee cap is a little loose. So he may need to have the same surgery on his right knee that he did on his left knee. The main thing that is worrisome about this is that Henry is no longer the spry young pup that he once was. At a year old, the first surgery was very hard on him and the physical therapy exercises that we had to do nearly killed him and I both. Henry is now going on 6 years old and I can not imagine going through the surgery and the physical therapy again. Nor can I bear the thought of how the arthritis is going to affect him later in life.
Right now, he acts fine and he does not require any type of surgery on his right knee. Granted, he is not as agile as Benny and he can’t jump up on the bed like Benjamin & Luna can, but that is really nothing new. He has been that way since he was a pup. Just the thought of having to go through it all again looms over me.
So for now, the Dr. prescribes lots of swimming since it is very low impact and helps keep him trim and in shape. That is really the best thing we can do for him at this point.
Henry: Come on, Luna! Let’s get in the pool. The water is plenty warm.
Luna: When I was looking for my forever home, I specifically requested a home just like this one, but with no big puddle in the back yard! Can’t a girl catch a break!
A few months ago, we got each of the pugs new Red Dingo Dog ID Tags. When I first saw the tags, I was immediately drawn to them because of their unique designs. They were eye catching and it didn’t hurt that you could mix and match designs and colors to your heart’s content. There are 8 different designs and each design is available in 9 different colors and each tag is available in 3 different sizes. So we had plenty of tag choices.
We tried to choose tags for each of the pugs that expressed their personality. Benjamin’s tag is the first picture up top and we choose the Happy Dog design for him because he’s just a happy go lucky kind of guy.
Henry’s tag is a bone because he loves to chew anything. It doesn’t matter what type of bone it is, he just loves to get a new bone and find a nice quiet spot to chew and chew until he tires himself out.
Luna’s tag is a flower because she is such a sweet little girl that is very outgoing. Also, I think a flower was fitting for her because she is continuing to bloom and flourish in her new home.
I like the tags because they are stylishly functional. It lets the pugs look good while still having all their necessary contact info on them at all times.
During the summer months it is too hot to take the pugs on their normal walk when I get off work. So, what I started to do this summer was to take each of the pugs out separately and give them their own “mini” walk without their brother or sister tagging along. The walks are short because of the heat so I can get all 3 of them in same amount of time it would take to take all 3 on their normal walk. Plus, it is a great way for me to unwind after a day of work.
All the pugs enjoy their personal walks, but Henry particularly loves his time out alone. He gets to set the pace and since he loves to dawdle he just romps along without a care in the world.
Plus, Henry loves to bask in the evening sun. Sometimes he just stands in the grass, sniffing the air, letting the sun beat down on his back while he pants and grins from ear to ear.
With only one leash in my hand, I was easily able to snap this pick with my camera phone. Sometimes, it can be a lot of working taking the pugs out one at a time, but it is good quality time with each of them.
Bath time is always a fun time around here. There is just something about a bath that makes Benjamin, Henry and Luna want to run around like crazy pugs. But after their last bath, Henry really wasn’t in the mood to run around like a madman. He was tired. He had spent much of the day swimming so all he really wanted to do was relax. Benny on the other hand hadn’t been swimming. He had been napping so he was chock full of energy. So Benny wanted to play and Henry was having none of it. Benny broke out all of the moves to entice Henry, but the two have been around each other so long, that Henry had seen them all before and he wasn’t biting. Poor Benny had to wait until Luna was finished getting her bath before he had someone to chase.
