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 huge twinkly eyes, its little body dancing and tail shaking, clearly saying in body language, “Hello Hello Hello!!!”

A  most jolly and utterly charming creature! I leaned down and received many sweet snuffles and kisses. I checked his name tag and learned his name was Nick. It was hard to leave him but I had to continue my journey and said goodbye while he sauntered back into his yard and watched me go.

But I could not get him out of my mind and thought about him for days. I didn’t know the breed and urgently wanted to find out, so I went to a bookstore and found an encyclopedia of dogs. Flipping through all the breeds I finally found him. A Pug! The Pug! Le Pug! My life would never be the same.

to be continued….