Wednesday, January 30, 2008
I just wanted to say, “Thank you” for all the kind comments left on yesterday’s post about Luna’s “Gotcha Day” (I like that term!). I have read (and re-read them) and I am very thankful to be able to share my thoughts about Luna, Benny & Henry with all the pug lovers out there.
I have been loving all the comments lately because I feel like I am getting to know everyone out there. So keep them coming because it is great to learn about all you wonderful people owned by pugs.
Also, many said that they have rescued a pug and I would love to hear your Rescue Story. Just send us an e-mail and we will post it on the site.
Thanks for stopping by and reading about Benjamin, Henry & Luna. Your comments always make my day!
Have a wonderful day, pug lovers!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
I have had a few questions on how to introduce a new pug to the family, so I thought I would share how we went about bringing Luna into the family. I am by no means an expert, so I would love to hear how others went about bringing a new pug into the family.
Here is what worked for us.
The first thing we knew we wanted to do was to have Luna and the boys meet on neutral ground. We didn’t want to just bring Luna into the house and plop her down in front of the boys because we knew they would feel more territorial meeting her this way. So, we brought the boys to the park where Luna’s adoption took place. Would it have been a tad easier to do all the adoption paperwork without the boys there? Yes. Would we have been able to totally pamper Luna more without the boys there? Absolutely. But I thought it was important for the boys to meet her the same time we met her and the park was a perfect meeting place. The boys had never been to that park and I don’t think Luna had been either. So from the boys’ point of view they were just meeting another dog at the park, which is something they love to do. They had no idea that she would be coming home with us.
After we took care of all the adoption paperwork, we walked around the park with Luna and the boys. There was a pug festival going on so the park was buzzing with activity and there were pugs everywhere. So we just walked around meeting other pugs and talking to people.
After we made our rounds, we decided to call it a day and head back home. We had a 3 hour drive ahead of us so we wanted to hit the road. Also, I was anxious to see how the boys would react to Luna getting in the car. This would be their first test of allowing Luna in their territory. And having them first get used to Luna being in their car, rather than their house was no accident. I wanted to sorta gradually introduce her. We had Luna’s seatbelt already setup, so we stuck to our normal routine. Benny always gets buckled in first then Henry, so we stuck to that order. Then we simply buckled Luna in making no big deal of it. Although, that was the hardest part. I wanted to make a big fuss over our new baby girl, but I just knew that I couldn’t. That would be the worst thing to do. I knew that would send the boys into jealous mode, because some new pug is getting all kinds of attention for doing something that was so routine to them. So, we kept it low key and acted as if Luna had been with us all along.
Once we got home, it was dinner time for the pugs. So we decided to feed the pugs before we even went inside the house. Luna was only used to eating kibble at that point, so we made her dinner and got the boys’ dinner ready. Rather than eating in their normal spots we had the pugs eat outside on the lanai. We gave each of the pugs ample space and put down their bowls in their normal order, Benny’s, then Henry’s and now Luna’s.
After they ate, we let them play in the backyard a bit. They had a great time running around playing chase and we got to know Luna a little bit more. Once everyone was tired it was time to show Luna her new house. We simply opened the door and let her in like she had been here before. Luna went around smelling and looking over things and the boys were right by her side (and we weren’t too far behind). Since, they already had a rapport with her they didn’t seem to mind her barging in.
After that, we just tried to keep things business as usual. It was really hard no to dote on Luna, but I knew it would be best in the long run if we treated her just like the boys (they don’t do too bad in the doting department themselves).
To sum things up, here are the thing that we deliberately set out to do to make the addition of Luna as smoothly as possible.
- Met on neutral turf
- Let the pugs get to know each other before we brought Luna into the house
- Stuck to the boys’ routine. Rather than changing everything because Luna was now here, we just simply taught her the boys’ routine.
- Gave extra praise to the boys for being such good big brothers
- No special treatment for Luna, at least not in front of the boys. With the boys around she simply got as much love and attention as they did.
- Fed Luna last. When doling out treats or meals, Luna was always fed last. I once read that the top dog gets their food first, so we didn’t want to send messages to the boys that Luna was the new top dog in town or we didn’t want to coax little Luna’s alpha personality along and help her take over.
- Took lots of walks. We went on lots of walks the first month Luna was with us. This kept the boys well exercised and well behaved and was great opportunity for them to get out and bond with Luna
How did you go about adding another pug to your family?
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Happy Birthday Luna! Today marks the 2nd anniversary of Luna’s adoption day. And in honor of such an event we like to treat the day like Luna’s birthday.
To celebrate this year, I wanted to share a few of the things that Luna has taught me in the two years that she has been a part of our family.
Don’t judge a book by its cover
If you were to look at the AKC’s definition of pug, nothing about her fits. She’s scrawny, scrappy and doesn’t even have a full coat of fur, but let me tell you she is all pug at heart. She truly embodies the spirit of the pug. She’s outgoing, she’s rough and tumble, sensitive and comical. She possesses all the wonderful traits of the pug breed.
Feel beautiful, be beautiful
It’s no secret that Luna isn’t a looker. While on walks, we are frequently asked, “What happened to this one?” when Luna is standing next to her brothers. At first, this used to make me incredibly sad. In comparison to her brothers, Luna doesn’t have the beautiful coats that they do or the sparkling eyes and you can just tell she hasn’t led the pampered life that the boys have had. But I soon realized that none of this mattered much to Luna. She has an inner confidence, a sense of personal pride and love for herself that simply doesn’t factor in physical appearance. When we are out and about, it is usually Benny that catches someone’s eye and draws them over to meet the pugs, but it is Luna that keeps them around to chat.
Stay Optimistic
Luna has to be the most optimistic dog I have met. She looks forward to everything! Even getting her eye drops! She just refuses to see the bad in any situation.
Weather the storm
Not everything in life is easy and sometimes life can simply just suck. But Luna is a constant reminder to me to stick with things because “this too shall pass.” Her past was less than ideal. She had minimal human companionship and her basic needs were simply not met. But look at her now. She eats better than I do, gets 3 walks a day, has plenty of human companionship and all the love she can soak up from her brothers. She spends her mornings sunning herself by the pool and her evenings curled up on a warm lap. It is like she knew this day was coming and she made it through each day of the past knowing that one day things would be better.
These are just a few of the things I have picked up in the two years Luna has been part of our family. I’m sure she has a lot more to teach me over the years. One thing is for sure, though, I know I am a better person because of my pugs.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Benjamin likes to lay on things. People, dogs, pugs it doesn’t matter. If you are sitting still he will plop right on top of you. Size wise, Benny is the middle pug so when he plops down on Henry it isn’t really a big deal. Henry isn’t always thrilled, but he can handle it. When he plops down on Luna, though, it is a different story. He nearly squishes her and Luna always desperately tries to wiggle her way out from underneath him. We have to remind him that he just can’t go around squishing his sister.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Pssst! Hey you! Have you happened to notice that it is lunch time?
Thursday, January 24, 2008
I am most definitely an animal lover. I have always had an animal in my life and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I took my kitten Kirk, to show-and-tell in first grade and he was still helping me do my homework when I was in college. You can definitely call me a dog lover, but I have always loved the pug breed the most. Why? I’m not really sure. I thought about it the other day and here is why I love being owned by pugs.
- Their sense of humor: A good sense of humor is important to me and I think pugs have a sense of humor. They are not serious dogs and they are able to clown it up better than most dogs out there. They make me laugh and in my book that goes along way.
- Multum in Parvo: A lot in a little. I like that pugs are small enough to pick up and sit on your lap, but tough enough to romp and stomp with you in the backyard or to hold their own at the dog park. They are in the toy group, but I think they have a lot of traits of big dogs. To me it is like owning a big dog in a little dog body. All the benefits will a little less drool.
- Companionship: I can not think of a better companion dog. Benjamin, Henry & Luna have been by my side from the moment I have brought each of them home. I like that they are people dogs and that they always want to be in the mix.
- Outgoing: I like that pugs are outgoing and eager to meet other dogs and people. This at time can be hard, say when you have company over and they get a little over zealous, but I still wouldn’t change it.
What about you? Why do you love pugs?
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Luna has this thing were she likes to stand on my chest when I am laying on my back. This is all well and good except that she places her front paws on my neck. There have been a few times that the little girl has left me gasping for air.
She did this the other day while I was laying on the sofa and of course my active imagination started running. I could just see that one day, Luna innocently comes to stand on me, overstays her welcome and ends up suffocating me. The coroner would no doubt determine my cause of death as suffocation and I’m sure the crack CSI’s would notice the odd ligature marks on my neck. That would then lead them to come back to the house to get paw impressions from the pugs and the cat. They would then use those paw impressions to determine that little Luna was the one that did the deed.
Ummm…do you think that I need to lay off the crime dramas for a little bit?
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