Saturday, March 27, 2010
Today Benjamin turns 8 years old and we realized that there are conveniently 8 letters in Benny's name. So what could be more fitting than a look back at Baby Benny over the years using each letter of his name.
B for Baby: He will always be our Baby Benny.
E for Eats Everything: It's year 2 and Benjamin is still very fond of mulch, rocks and lots of other things that are not good for him.
N for Never Ending Energy: In year 3 we thought some of Benny's puppy energy would have faded by now, but he is still going strong.
J for Just Curious: In year 4 Benny finally started to calm down a bit but he was still curious about everything.
A for Awesome: Sure Benny has always been awesome, but by the time he was 5 he blossomed into his quirky, lovable self.
M for Mr. Manner: At 6 years old, Benjamin became quite the mannerly gentleman. Not sure how it happened, but I'll take it.
I for In Love with Puffy: Even after 7 years Benny is still inseparable from his puffy.
N for Next Adventure: At 8 Benny is ready for his next adventure.
Friday, March 26, 2010
We had the carpets cleaned last week and had to move the pugs' crates out of their little room. The crates took temporary residence in the bathroom and the pugs felt compelled to all pile in one while I was getting ready that day. Surprisingly, no one asked to go in the crate on top. Benjamin didn't stay long because he felt like Henry & Luna were hogging all the crate space.
And by the way, Luna got another "How old is that one?" comment last night on our walk. After this week's blog post I couldn't help but laugh and I though you guys might get a chuckle out of it.
Enjoy the weekend!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
One thing we got in the habit of doing more with the pugs when Solsey was around was taking all the pugs out with us when we ran errands. At first, it was hard for Benjamin, Henry & Luna to get used to the fact that the car ride was not going to end with them arriving at some spectacular place. When I would drive to a building, punch some buttons on a big machine and then return back home, the fawns would be extremely disappointed. But after some time, they started to figure out the difference between errands and trips to the dog park and other exciting places. So now they aren't as disheartened if they go out and don't actually get to get out of the car.
If we have to actually go in a store for a quick stop, the pugs only get to go if we both are going. That way one of us can wait in the car with them. This works great for the winter & spring months here in FL, but in the summer there is no way the pugs are going to be able to go on these quick little trips. Even with the A/C running in the car, it still gets very hot in the truck if you are just sitting in a parking lot.
So we are trying to make the most of our spring-time errands because I know summer will be here before we even know it.
And look at Baby Benny. All the car rides he has been going on has given him a bit of confidence and he will now stick his head out the window a bit when we are parked. I think he managed to stick a whole inch of his head out the window on this trip.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Last weekend there was a fair going on at one of our favorite parks. The dogs had a lot of fun walking through the game area last year, so we thought we would try it again this year during an off-peak time (early Sunday morning). As we were making our way to the carnival area, one of the VIPs (Volunteers In Policing, because that is how we roll here in Florida) manning the road block, hollered over to us:
VIP: I bet I can guess which one is the oldest.
Me: Really (acting like I had never played this game before)
VIP: Yeah, it is this one. (pointing to Luna)
Me: Nope. It is this one (pointing to Benjamin)
Then the usual conversation ensued. But that one looks so much older, she's complete gray. So I shared Luna's story and told him that she got off to a rough start and she went gray prematurely.
If I had a dollar for every person that has come up to us when we are out and about asking how old Luna is or nearly betting their life that Luna is the oldest pug of the group, Solsey's memorial fund would have about 50 more dollars.
Appearances can be deceiving.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
To me those bags of mulch represent a lot of work. To Benny, it is the most massive pile of treats ever!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Henry is always one to blaze his own trail.
Sol Sunshine Memorial Fund Update
I am so happy to report that in just 3 days, as of this writing, $1,010.00 has been contributed to the Sol Sunshine Memorial Fund via Pledgie. I don't know the exact amount, but I know other donations have been made outside of Pledgie as well.
I am truly at a loss for words. All I can say is that all of you out there in OBP land are the most caring and generous people that I have ever met. Or should I say that I have never met? Either way it doesn't matter. Whether I have met you or not, there are no better pug supporters out there than all of you!
The Sol Sunshine Memorial Fund will remain open for donations and it is my goal to ensure that the fund makes as much of an impact on the lives of senior pugs as Solsey made on our lives. I have big paws to fill because Sol made an everlasting impression on us. That means, like Henry, I will have to do some out of the box thinking of my own.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Shorty after Sol passed CFPR contacted me with an idea. They wanted to setup a memorial fund in Sol's name to benefit their hospice pugs. I immediately loved the idea because that was what Sol was all about - turning a negative into a positive. It is incredibly sad without Solsey, but here is one good thing that could come from her death. She could help other senior pugs that were just like her, a little advanced in age, but still had a lot of life left to live. And so the Sol "Sunshine" Memorial was born.
Having never been owned by a true senior pug, Sol taught me a lot. Yes, there were a lot of vet visits and there were extra meds to be given and sometimes special accommodations needed to be made, but go for one pouch walk or feed one spaghetti dinner and suddenly there is no doubt that all of the other things are worth it. I think it is the closest you can get to seeing pure joy. Nothing brought a bigger smile to my face than seeing Sol spin in excitement all the way to her spaghetti bowl, or run to get put in her pouch or beat all the other pugs to the garage to be first in the car. And then, at the end of the day, Sol would be tuckered out from all her adventures and she would curl up at your feet and gaze at you with her big brown eyes in an effort to say thanks. Thanks for seeing that even though I might have some medical issues and even though I'm not as agile as I once was, thanks helping me do all the things I still love to do. Thanks for helping me live each day to the fullest.
There are other senior pugs that are just like Sol in the care of CFPR. Thanks to all the wonderful CFPR volunteers each one of those pugs is living the type of life that Solsey lived. A life full of their favorite things. By making a donation to the Sol "Sunshine" Memorial fund you are helping a pug just like Solsey.
If you would like, you can donate to the Sol "Sunshine" Memorial using Pledgie (PayPal, credit card payments) or if you prefer via check. Be sure to include a note or write on the check that the donation is for the Sol "Sunshine" Memorial.
Checks made payable to Central Florida Pug Rescue can be mailed to:
Central Florida Pug Rescue
PO Box 953744
Lake Mary, FL 32795
Donations big and small go a long way in helping the senior pugs.
A big thank you to everyone from me, Solsey & senior pugs everywhere!
If there are any businesses that are interested in teaming up to help support the Sol "Sunshine" memorial fund (now or anytime in the future) please feel free to contact me - .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
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