May 2012
10 posts
Moishe's Story Part 4
Moishe and Twyla
A few days later I happened to be at my vet’s office chatting with the techs at the front desk. I was telling them about Moishe when the tech from the back overheard our conversation. She came out and told me that her good friend, a professional dog walker who owned her own dog walking business, was actually looking to adopt a pug, and she particularly wanted a black one.
As...
Moishe's Story Part 3.
Sharleen took Moishe and left town for many months. Walking by their house was painful and sad. More time passed, and eventually, when they came back, I felt intuitively that Sharleen probably needed help with Moishe. I left a note in her mailbox offering to walk him or to help out with him if she needed it. She called back and told me that actually she needed to find Moishe a home because she had...
Moishe's Story Part 2.
As Kyle got older and busier with his teenage pursuits and high school activities, I began to see his Mom Sharleen out walking Moishe in the neighborhood. She was a delightful, vivacious person and I was just thoroughly impressed with both Kyle and his Mom as being fabulous, interesting people, who, like all the really cool people, were pug people too!
Sharleen, Moishe and Kyle became a part of...
Moishe's Story Part 1.
West Berkeley is a neighborhood of tree lined streets lush with blossoming flowers, shrubs and vines. Strawberry Creek wends its way down from North Berkeley and the UC Berkeley Campus, gently bubbling along, swelling and overflowing its banks during the rainy season. Crows, robins, the white crowned sparrow and hummingbirds, along with feral cats, possum and raccoon, co exist with humans, dogs,...
Who is the little black pug who keeps appearing on...
Stay Tuned for Moishe’s Story. Coming Soon!
April 2012
3 posts
March 2012
2 posts
Pug Walking 101
First. You must have a harness not a collar! Even on a good day, breathing is an issue for the average pug. You do not want to be putting any pressure on your pug’s throat.
A harness prevents any tugging or pulling on the trachea, which can be very vulnerable in a pug. Even regular dogs of other breeds should only be wearing harnesses, because most people jerk their dogs around,...
February 2012
1 post
Henry has recovered from pneumonia!
I have not posted in a long time because Henry has been very sick and you know how that is. When your pug baby is suffering the whole world grinds to a halt and you are focused on only one thing..getting that pug well!
Our vet said that one of the lobes of Henry’s right lung was “impacted” meaning, congested with an infection. She was amazed at how perky he was in spite of...
January 2012
2 posts
Henry enjoyed Christmas
December 2011
3 posts
What is CT and why is it hurting my Henry??
Henry has gotten up in the years and is starting to have serious health problems. He looks pretty good for a Senior Pug and sometimes I can’t believe he is as old as he is.
About a month or two ago, He began a pattern of recurring health problems that continue to escalate. First, he scratched his cornea, a very common injury in the bulgy eyed set. Then, he began coughing and gagging on a...
October 2011
0 posts
September 2011
2 posts
Pugnaciousness is Real
I have lived with pugs now for over 16 years and cannot imagine life without a pug by my side, schnuffling along, smiling up at me with that goofy frog dog grin, big brown eyes bulging with joie de vivre.
A happy healthy pug is a most amusing companion, filled with opinions and observations. When out walking they tell you where they want to go and can be very bossy if you decide to go in a...
August 2011
4 posts
July 2011
1 post
June 2011
1 post
May 2011
2 posts
Henry in Mendocino
We took a trip up North to the Mendocino Coast with little Henry in tow. We found a nice hotel that would accommodate doggies and spent only one night away. But the truth is, Henry was miserable!! He hated being out of his routine.
We assumed that Henry would be fine because he was with us. We who dote on him, adore him, anticipate his every need, abjectly worship his little highness.
He...
April 2011
3 posts
The Double Curled Tail
The Pug tail is supposed to curl tightly and sit right over the back end. If a Pug is champion quality and competing in the ring, they are scored for the quality of their tails. The Double Curl is ideal and gets more points. If a Pug tail is loose and not tightly wound in a nice curl, points are deducted.
Henry’s tail is a double curl. It is very tight and sits high upon his back end....
March 2011
3 posts
The Dark Side of Louie
I have not yet written about the dark side of my Pugs. They do of course, like all the breeds, have their have flaws. Terriers can be terrorists, chihuahuas can be ankle biters, and Pugs can be Pigs.
The dark side of Louie was what I called his “Hog Dog” side. It came out every day not only on our walks, when he would go into a feeding frenzy looking for dog poop to eat, but any time...
February 2011
4 posts
January 2011
6 posts
How I Became Pug Obsessed (4th installment)
I slowly came to realize that there was indeed a very large annual dog show in San Francisco, and that my dream of meeting Pug breeders and their champion Pugs was within my grasp. With my girlfriend in tow I began a two year journey of visiting the Golden Gate Kennel Association dog show at the Cow Palace. Anyone who had attended this festival of canine worship can attest to what an amazing...
How I Became Pug Obsessed (3rd installment)
I could have bought one out of the newspapers but in all my extensive research and reading about Pugs I agreed with the advice of the best breeders. They suggested that you never buy a puppy out of the paper, because it was highly likely they could be from puppy mills, with all the attendant horrors such as serious health and behavior problems. It was best to go to the local AKC dog shows and...
How I became Pug Obsessed 2nd installment
When I found out that Nick was a Pug, and that there were Pugs in the world, something came over me. A deep desire to know a Pug. Intimately. Really. Know a Pug. Not just visit with one. I became obsessed with the idea of having my own Pug. Suddenly I saw them everywhere. In stores, walking down streets. One day I was in a pet store buying cat food when a woman walked in with a Pug puppy. It was...
How I Became Pug Obsessed
It started almost fourteen years ago. My obsession with Pugs. I was walking in the beautiful hills of North Berkeley, strolling down a leafy green street, when a little black dog came out of its front yard and walked right up to me.
It was the strangest looking dog I had ever seen, and yet when I say strange I mean strangely beautiful. Strangely, compellingly, beautiful. It looked up at me with...
December 2010
2 posts
November 2010
2 posts
Henry is Getting Older
Its hard to believe that Henry is eleven years old. (In the pic above he is around 10 weeks old.) He is a senior Pug and is showing signs of slowing down. Our walks are getting shorter as he is getting slower. His chin and muzzle are graying and sometimes he seems a little frail.
Then, there are days, especially after he has had a Vitamin B shot, when he acts like a puppy. One recent morning...