It has been 6 years now that we made the trek to Hollywood Florida to fetch Luna from her captors. Just kidding. But this day 6 years ago, we did rescue her. We refer to this day as her Gotcha Day since we don't know exactly when her birthday is, this is the day we celebrate her new life with us in her forever home.
As this day approached this year, I took some time to reflect on what we knew about Luna that first day (which was almost nothing) to what we have learned about her and how she has grown (and matured).
Luna was a 2 year pooch when we met her. She had chronic dry eye, was rail thin, her fur was patchy and course, her breath stank to the highest heavens, her face was dark, her little boobies sagged from post birth nursing and she had an extremely nervous personality.
Now, her dry eye is manageable, she's beefed up a bit in the weight department, her fur is soft with far less bald spots, her breath isn't minty fresh but is doggie appropriate, her face has become a soft shade of silver, her tiny breasts perked with age (and really, who can say that?) and while she still has a feisty personality, it is not due to paranoia or fear. It's because we'd all better hail to her as she has been diva-afied.
So, those are some of the basics of how Luna has changed from a 2 year old rescue dog into the 8 year old little miss that she is today. But on to some of the finer points about what Luna has taught us.
Luna has shown us that as long as someone loves you, you can be and do anything you want to do. Luna slept standing up the first night home. So, obviously she did not come to us really ready to trust anyone. And honestly, it probably was not until about a full year later that she truly believed that she was in her forever home and could embrace both her humans, 2 pug brothers and even her sissy the cat. As she learned to depend on the routine, know that her needs were going to met, and discover what it meant to be spoiled she came around even if this was a slow process. As she learned this, that little girl then developed the same embarrassing sense of entitlement that the other silver spoon chewing pugs had. She got demanding. Which we didn't mind at all because then that meant that she knew she could not only depend on us but that we would cater to her because she knew she was loved. And that is all we ever wanted her to know is that we love her and she can feel safe with us forever. She is so comfortable with us now, that if she could snap her fingers to beckon us, she surely would. So, see, with love you surround yourself with the respect and honor you deserve.
Luna has also taught us to pay attention! Again, on Luna's first day, we stopped at McDonald's on the way home for dinner and offered her a French fry. She turned her nose up at it as the boys chowed on their tasty potato. I remember thinking that there was a serious possibility that Luna may not have teeth. I thought this since her breath was awful and now she couldn't eat a French fry. It had to have been because she was toothless. Oh, I have to laugh at myself now. She had teeth, of course. But Luna has helped me to realize that we aren't all carbohydrate lovers. Luna is a serious carnivore. That girl loves her meat! Even to this day, unlike the boys who will happily gobble a cheerio or cheese cracker, she just tells me to save it and give her a piece of ham or turkey or chicken or hamburger instead. Any meat. She is not that picky about her proteins but she warns me to not forget that meat is her favorite. Ever since that first day, I have always teased her about the fact that she really just wanted a Big Mac and that I am still sorry that I still have never delivered on the promise that someday I will get her one. (I guess now that it is 6 years later, I should follow through sometime soon.)
The last lesson Luna has helped us take to heart is to be patient and don't rush perfection. Again, since she didn't trust us, she would never submit to us by allowing us to put her on her back (which meant she missed out on many a belly rub). Well, it took a bit of time, but now she loves to be on her back to get her tummy massaged. And we all consider it worth the wait. So, to quote Diana Ross, "You Can't Hurry Love."
It has most definitely been a wonderful experience rescuing Little Looney. She's 8 now. We've had her 6 of those 8 years. Happy Gotcha Day baby girl. We love you.
After seeing Luna in action at the beach, it is hard to believe that her Saturday morning started with her tucked under the covers not wanting to get up.
While Luna had fun mixing it up with all the dogs on the beach, the dog Luna wanted to play with the most was an adorable Dachshund named Oscar. Oscar, however, only had eyes for his tennis ball. But, that wasn't a problem for Luna. As he chased his ball all over the beach, Luna tagged right along with him. She followed him everywhere on the beach. I think that is the closest that Luna will ever come to playing a game of fetch!
There were lots of young pups at the beach last Saturday. The pugs made friends with 2 wiener dogs, a golden retriever, a husky and a black lab. The pugs were by far the oldest dogs on the beach. At almost 10 the boys were more than double the age of the oldest non pug on the beach. The husky was only 9 months old and after watching her run all over the beach I realize I have forgotten how much energy is crammed into a puppy body.
While the boys could not keep up with the husky or the golden, I was glad to see them get in the mix a few times. Henry used his smarts and pounced on the golden in one of their games of chase. After that victory, he was content to watch all the other dogs run around. I think he wanted to go out on top and just prove to himself that he still has it. Which is better than what Benny did. After chasing the husky and golden to no avail, Benny just stopped and whined at them.
But, Luna, at almost 8 was in the mix of everything. And this picture pretty much sums up her feisty personality. She loves nothing more than to play with the little dogs, but she isn't afraid to mix it up with the big dogs. And the thing that surprises everyone is how fast Luna is. She can really pour it on when she wants to.
Saturday was a perfect pug weather day, so we decided to take the pugs to the beach. It has been a while since we have been to the beach, so as soon as we turned into the parking lot the pugs started barking their heads off in excitement. Needless to say, we were not sneaking up on anyone.
Since it was a beautiful day the beach was packed! Lots of dogs and lots of people. The pugs made some new friends and made sure to get a sandy mess. Which to me, just means they had a good time!
I will be sure to share some pictures of the friends the pugs made, but here are a few of Benjamin, Henry and Luna in action.
To say the pugs had sand from head to tail would be and understatement. As you can see, Henry is not shy about plopping his keester right in the sand. And what is a story about a pug trip to the beach that does not include a picture of Benny mid shake.
Luna surprised us all by actually getting her paws wet this trip. She was in and out of the water and up and down the beach. I think she had the best time of them all.
This Christmas, the pugs seemed to be more spoiled than ever before (if that is even possible). One of their many goodies that they were gifted was a bubble machine. This present was the gift of their Aunt Laurie, Uncle Phil and Cousin Lulu. And this was no ordinary bubble machine! It was a bubble machine with bacon scented bubble juice! (And really, I wish we had a scratch and sniff for this blog---hahaha---doubt I’ll ever say that again!) But the bubble mix really smelled like bacon! It was amazing.
So, at long last, we finally got around to seeing what the puggers would do with this toy. I had pretty low hopes of it being a hit, sorry Aunt Laur. However, not many people would know this (as I try not to boast about what wimpy pups I have) but the boys have been fearful of bubbles each time we have made an effort to use them during play times. So, there, it is out in the open and official. The boys are bona fide chickens. Cluck cluck cluck. We know that Benjamin has always been Baby Benny and he’s pretty much been afraid of everything. So, that should be no shocker.
However, that does leave Henry. Henry is pretty adventurous and overall a risk taker. With that said, Henry, too has not been a bubble lover throughout his life. He’s always seems a bit suspicious of them. It’s been like he questions them. "Hey, bubble, what makes you able to float?" He wants to know why they pop when they touch him. Why he cannot smell them before they burst. Why do they seem to "chase" him? And of course, how can they be so silent? It like they are stealth marshmallows but without the yummy taste!
Then once we adopted Luna, she was a nervous wreck at the beginning so we didn’t really explore bubble play with her in her early years. Then when finally did she just didn’t seem too interested. Although, she was neither a nervous Nellie nor a siss-i-fied tweety bird like her brothers. She just wasn’t quite "into it" and by the time she showed interest, I was too out of breath from blowing so many bubbles that then I wasn’t into it either.
So, to make a long story longer ('cause that is what I do best) I didn’t have the highest expectations when it came to the bubble machine. Although, I wanted them to love it! I myself have always thought that bubbles are quite awesome and enjoy them wholeheartedly. It has been a disappointment the pug-a-lugs have not felt the same and have never embraced bubbles with the same affinity that I have for them.
In any case, here is how it played out…
The boys were pretty much not interested and Luna was somewhat interested but didn’t "play" with the bubbles. At the end of this event, I sort of felt like I was back in Jr. High School science class where I had to make a prediction as to what the outcome of the experiment would be, have the experiment and graph if the results were that which I expected or not. While not what I had hoped they would be, they were pretty much just what I anticipated.
Sorry, Aunt Laurie & Uncle Phil. Cool gift but lost a bit on the aging, wimpy pugs of Central Florida. Perhaps we should re-gift it to Cousin Lulu? Let me know. If she is more puppy-like and brave, she might very well enjoy it to the level that is meant to be enjoyed.
Enjoy the video. You can see for yourself. You, too, can experience the tiny bubbles.
Which is better than what Benny did. After chasing the husky and golden to no avail, Benny just stopped and whined at them.
