Victoria on Howie.
I have always loved dogs and have owned various breeds my whole life but my love affair with pugs started in December 2016 when an elderly neighbour had to go into hospital and needed someone to look after her little black pug. Pugsley came to stay for Christmas, and it was love at first sight. I could not get over her quirky habits and how friendly and cuddly she was. When the time came for her to go back to her owner, I just couldn’t stop thinking about what great little dogs pugs are, and over the course of the next six months I did lots of research into the breed and came across PDWRA.
I was contacted by the VAC for my area almost immediately after submitting my application form and within a few weeks a home check had been completed and I was an approved adopter. It was then a case of waiting for the right dog to come along. In late October 2017, I got the call I had been waiting for. A bonded pair needed re-homing and I jumped at the chance. Howie (fawn) aged five and Moog (black) aged 11 arrived on 9 November 2017 via a volunteer road train travelling across the country with the final stop being Reading services on the M4 where I was ready and waiting for them. The rest as they say is history!
I used to work in a rehoming kennel so I would always choose to adopt rather than buy a puppy and after nine months of reading and preparing, I took the plunge and completed the online form to adopt from PDWRA. I am of the opinion why only rescue one if you can have two so stated on my form that I was happy to take a bonded pair. I can still remember now how excited I was when I clicked the submit button.
Howie is the most loving dog I have ever met. Never before have I known a dog that likes cuddles so much. He has classic pug traits – barking at animals on the tv being one as well as barking at other dogs when we are out and about but despite being a bit highly strung, he is my soul mate in dog form.
Howie originally arrived with his first wife Moog who he had been with his whole life. When she passed away, we thought it only right that we look to PDWRA to help us find him a new girlfriend. In March 2019, we agreed to foster Minnie and see how she got on with Howie. Needless to say, we became failed fosterers and it was a love match (well more so on his side, she took some time to come around to his adoring ear washing and constant stalking). They became the best of friends and spent five very happy years together before we very sadly and suddenly lost her in late October this year. We are all missing her very much.
Howie was five when I got him and he is now 12 years old and a double widower, but he is still young at heart, enjoying his walks and chillaxing on all the cushions on the sofa – oh boy does he really love a cushion! He can’t hear very well, and his eyesight isn’t what is used to be, but he is still enjoying life as my numero uno.
The adoption process was really easy to navigate from completing the form online and paying the registration fee to the home check followed by the payment of the adoption fee and then the exciting part, the collection of the pugs. The VACs and volunteers are always so helpful and knowledgeable and the majority of the people that helped me adopt Howie are still actively involved with the charity even now, many years later.
I think anyone considering adopting or fostering a pug should be aware, if they are not already, that they are not your average dog. In fact, I am not sure that we can call them dogs as they are like no other. One big thing to be aware of is that when people say that they are a companion breed multiply this concept by at least three and that is how much attention a pug needs alongside most of them having zero concept of personal space!
They snore like nothing you have ever heard before and my goodness me do they shed their fur (well the fawn ones do due to being double coated, the blacks less so). However, they are small dogs with the biggest personality and so much love to give. I have been both an adopter and a fosterer (albeit it failed) as well as having a stint as a VAC and it is the most rewarding thing to see a little dog come into their own upon being taken in by PDWRA. Pugs are not without their health conditions, and it is important to note that many have issues that will require long term medical care, but my experience is that the charity are brilliant at providing advice and guidance on this and ensuring that any health conditions are identified early on.
My partner Tom and I cannot thank PDWRA enough for bringing Howie (and our other beautiful black girls) into our lives. Howie is literally our first-born child, and he is the best big brother to our two year old human child (I am pretty sure that I probably have more photos of him than I do of my daughter!). We wouldn’t change him for the world and sincerely hope we have a good few more happy years together.
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