Alfie came into the care of PDWRA just before Christmas 2025. Sadly, Alfie’s long-term, elderly owner had passed away, leaving him in need of a very special home. Alfie was due to turn 15 years old in the January, and with old age comes many things, ill health being just one.
Alfie needed a home where he could be given a lot of love, attention and one to one care, a home where his many years could be celebrated and respected. Luckily for Alfie, one of our amazing volunteers, Arlene, jumped at the chance to foster him, and so Alfie spent Christmas 2025 with Arlene, her family and her 2 other PDWRA foster pugs Elsie and Ella.
Alfie visited the vets quite a lot to start with, as we needed to understand his medical and welfare needs. Arlene and the area coordinator overseeing Alfie’s care, worked closely with his vet to ensure Alfie could be as comfortable, healthy and as happy as possible. It was discovered he had allergies, meaning his skin and ears were very itchy and scally. He was found to be faecal incontinent; he also has Osteoarthritis and an old injury to his spine that caused some discomfort and weakness. He had very little muscle, all of which meant he was wobbly on his paws and unable to walk for long. He also needed assistance to get up and down steps or lifting onto the sofa. He has a very long tongue and at some point he’s had surgery on it, so it doesn’t always do what he needs it to do! But despite all of Alfie’s ailments, he was bright, alert, funny and full of life, mischief and love.
Alfie’s welfare and ailments are now all being managed and monitored. He has medication, which has drastically reduced his itchy skin and ear problems, and injections for his Osteoarthritis, enabling him to move comfortably around. Every now and then, he does a mini pug run (at the speed of a tortoise). He’s had lifestyle changes, new food, 2 daily massages from Arlene, he has his teeth brushed and face and ears washed.
Arlene has adapted her home to enable Alfie the ability to move freely and safely inside and out. He has several little jumpers, keeping his old bones warm and protecting him when he wobbles into things. Due to his tongue not always behaving itself, Arlene quite often needs to help him at mealtimes, something Alfie has grown to love. He sleeps in Arlene’s room so that he can be monitored during the night, as his breathing can be a little wheezy during the early hours. He has a pushchair, meaning he can walk until he’s tired, and then still be part of the adventure with Elsie and Ella. He’s even put some weight on, and we think a little muscle too! Having the company of 2 lovely girl pugs has also helped Alfie, he loves the girls and is always by the side of one of them, if not squashed in between both. Now that it’s spring, in between sunbathing Alfie has started sneaking over to Arlene’s veg patch, where he eats vegetables straight from the ground, something we know he loved to do with his previous owner.
Alfie is full of life, he’s happy, bright, charismatic, so funny and handsome. He’s a wonderful little chap and he is now living his best life with Arlene and the support of PDWRA.
Catherine
PDWRA Volunteer Area Coordinator
If you’d like to apply to be a PDWRA Volunteer Area Coordinator, click here to find out more.
Arlene’s Story of a Day with Alfie and his Foster Friends Elsie and Ella
Movement has been detected. The anticipation and excitement is starting to build. I take a deep breath and brace myself as I step out of bed and into the eye of the storm. A frantic foot circling hyper-pug (Ella), a bunny hopping finger-grabber (Elsie), and a cross between Keith Richards and the honey monster who is performing a wonky figure of 8 with his skinny little tail popping up and curling over itself, whilst wiggling his bottom and trying not to fall over. Everyone is very happy to see each other. With my hands above my head (to protect my fingers) I feel like I’m being taken hostage as I’m escorted directly to the kitchen, grabbing a poo bag on the way – the carefully orchestrated journey from the bedroom to the kitchen (just along the hallway) has become an award-winning accomplishment as I manage to pick up poos along the way without them being whipped up into the tornado of pugs. It’s always handy to keep some poo bags close by to collect Alfie droppings, as he’s unaware of what’s going on back there.
We somehow manage to reach our destination without any collisions, and breakfast is served. Immediately. Everyone has their own dining areas – to keep the peace and harmony. Alfie loves his food, although due to previous surgeries, his tongue doesn’t have much movement and he has very few teeth, so he struggles to eat. Alfie also has problems with his spine, due to an injury when he was younger, and he has Osteoarthritis, so he gets a little tired and achy when standing. I watch what looks like the Cookie Monster from Sesame Street eating and start hand feeding him when the kitchen floor begins to look like the end of a children’s dinner party. By this point, Elsie and Ella have already inhaled their breakfast and are peaking over the top of the partition in hope that they can help with the ‘clean up’. A little wipe around Alfie’s face and neck, then we proceed to the garden.
One step down onto the grass, Alfie has a helping hand and support. He enjoys a morning snuffle around the garden, mainly looking for fallen bird seed from the feeders. As Elsie and Ella are continuing with their toilet training, Alfie has learned that going to the toilet in the garden results in a reward, so he pretends to pee with the girls just to get a treat. He has responded really well to his daily toilet routine and has very few accidents indoors, unless they happen during the night when he’s asleep.
Prior to Alfie’s morning nap, it’s time for a pampering session. Alfie has medication for his skin allergies, so it’s really important to keep him clean and dry, especially after eating, drinking and going to the toilet. His face and neck are cleaned, ears and eyes are checked and wiped, his bottom is cleaned and all five of his teeth are brushed. Once freshened up, he has a relaxing massage as he drifts off to sleep.
Walk time. Alfie loves going out for a little walk. He will try putting his own harness on, along with everyone else’s too. He wears a padded jacket for protection in case he loses his balance, but I’m always there to prevent him from wobbling over. A local meadow is always a firm favourite, but it’s a little far for Alfie, so he watches the world from his pram and travels in comfort when he’s had enough of walking.
Helping in the garden. Now that spring has sprung and the days are getting warmer, Alfie likes to wander around the garden with me and especially enjoys helping to ‘maintain’ the vegetable patch. He has his daily brush in the garden, and when he allows me to stop brushing him, we watch the birds fly down and collect his donation of fur for their nests. Then it’s time for a sunbathe and snooze on his garden bed with Elsie and Ella.
Every four weeks we visit the vets to get Alfie’s Librela, which really helps improve his mobility and reduces any pain. He gets lots of fuss and attention from all the staff and likes to have a nap on the receptionist’s lap while we are waiting to be seen.
Cozying up on the sofa to watch a film in the evening, with a massage after a long day. It’s very tiring being a retired pug. There’s a particular kind of facial expression that Alfie puts on which works on me every time. Even though he has his own step to get up onto the sofa, he pretends he can’t quite manage it and pulls this face that just melts my heart. So, he gets a carry up and snuggles down ready for his evening massage.
Evening toilet shenanigans. As Alfie has cataracts in both eyes it’s difficult for him to see, especially in the dark, plus he has the added challenge of not being able to hear very well. With the light coming through the patio doors, I carry Alfie into the garden and down the step, I make sure he’s got his balance then point him in the direction of his favourite spot. Despite being a bit achy by the end of the day, he still tries his newly learned trick of ‘pretending to pee’ so he gets a treat, but eventually gets the message after a few gentle 180 degree turns pointing him back towards his favourite spot again.
We all have a drop of raw honey before bedtime as it helps soothe Alfie’s wheezy cough, and other ailments. He loves his honey, so I have to buy it in bulk. Then we head to bed. With a choice of four different beds, from orthopaedic to doughnuts, Alfie just loves to sleep on a bundle of pillows covered with a duvet and his special blanket from home. Elsie and I lay with Alfie until he’s found a comfy position and falls asleep, a few kisses on the head and we say goodnight. And I’m always close by to collect any bowel movements during the night.
What will tomorrow bring..? Although Alfie loves his retirement home comforts, he has enjoyed a few trips to the Suffolk countryside, where he gets spoiled by his new friends (my parents) and gets lots of attention in the local country pub. We are back there at Easter for more fun and adventures in the slow lane.
Arlene
PDWRA Fosterer
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