by PDWRA | 20 Oct, 2026 | Rescue Stories
When taking calls about surrendering a pug, it’s clear that the owner is naturally fearful about what the future may hold for their beloved pug once taken from their care. An explanation of how we go about selecting just the right forever home provides some reassurance, nevertheless it is a daunting prospect for many owners. Due to the need to protect privacy, it is not possible for contact to be maintained with the owner after the pug has been adopted. We do of course provide feedback for the first few weeks once in our foster care, and this is of immeasurable relief. But the question remains – what happens when the pug is ready for rehoming?
All approved adopters go through an initial screening process. If all is satisfactory, a further check of the home environment, with the entire family and any resident pets present, takes place. Once fully satisfied that all our criteria have been met, the Area Coordinator approves the application and the applicant is entered on our membership list of approved adopters.
All members are notified individually of pugs ready for rehoming, and if they apply, a further review of their suitability is undertaken, along with all other applicants for that pug. From there, we can select the most suitable applicant, taking into account any special circumstances or needs the pug may require. The utmost care is exercised during this process to ensure that both the pug, and its prospective family, are the best possible fit.
Our Voluntary Area Co-ordinators, Catherine and Nikki in the South East region, have put together a few images below that show examples of what can be expected once their forever family have been selected, and once the pug has spent the first few weeks getting to know them. We do hope this gives some reassurance to those who may be faced with the unfortunate decision to part with their pug.
Jackie
Lead Voluntary Area Coordinator for the West Midlands region
Bobby & Ray
‘After losing our beloved 15-year-old pug at the start of the year we knew that, when the time was right, we wanted to rescue. Before long, we were talking with the PDWRA. The registration and vetting process was thorough but quickly the charity realised we could provide a loving, fun and stable home. It wasn’t long before the PDWRA sent over some pictures of two 5-year-old brothers, Bobby and Ray. Our hearts completely melted. We knew instantly the boys were destined for us. The collection process was calm, simple and happy. Our two little boys are now completely settled and living their very best life by the seaside. We love them so so much and our lives feel complete again. We can’t thank the PDWRA enough for trusting us with Bobby and Ray. The four of us couldn’t be happier.’
Ed and Jenny x
Blossom
‘Hi, my name is Blossom. I was recently adopted and now live in my new home in North London with my older puggy sister, Dora. Mum says I’ve been a very good girl and settled well and been a wonderful addition to the family. I get on well with Dora and we’re happy to cuddle up together (I love cuddles). We even share our food. Mum said can I send a BIG thank you to Nikki at the PDWRA. She spent time and patience finding the right match and went above and beyond in her care for all involved.’
by PDWRA | 20 Oct, 2026 | News
Many of you will know Shirley, as she’s a regular contributor to our Happy Pugs in Happy Homes Facebook Group. She was also the adopter of the beautiful Margo, who she sadly lost earlier this year. Over the years, Margo featured in the PDWRA calendar, in our newsletters and almost daily on the Happy Pugs group with her various adventures.
It would be hard to imagine Shirley without pugs in her life, and some months ago she took in bonded pair Georgie and Peppa from the PDWRA. It is their adventures that are now regularly shared on the Facebook group, including their daily quest to track down the ‘Treat Man’ on their morning walks in the local park!
Shirley is also known for the beautiful animal drawings that she regularly produces for owners, charging a small fee which she then gives to the PDWRA to help out with our costs, something that is greatly appreciated by the charity!
‘I have always adopted dogs in many different breeds and sizes, as they are always the ones that need the most care. They sometimes come carrying the baggage from the past, but somehow they always learn to trust again, no matter how old they are.’
‘I’ve always said it takes three… three days to stop worrying, three weeks to settle and three months to call it home. You have to be patient and wait for them to realise that they are now in a good place. Fostering was the next step for me, as I couldn’t adopt them all 😁 I decided it would be wonderful to help to make sure they all found their special place, the place they where they were always supposed to be.’
‘The girls I have at the moment are long-term fosters, as they are older and would be difficult to place. Georgie is 11, Peppa (Pip) is 10 and they are a bonded pair. The joy they have brought to my life is amazing; they are so very special. We go to the park every morning where they receive love and treats from everyone and they have so many dog friends.’
‘I’m very grateful and pleased they are staying here for however long they have left. Fostering is an amazing thing to do, you give them a chance to learn life skills and how wonderful life can be, it is the most rewarding thing to do, and it has filled my life with happiness.’
Shirley
Below is an example of one of Shirley’s lovely drawings.
To read more about Shirley’s fundraising, click here.
by PDWRA | 20 Oct, 2026 | News
After an amazing year and a half together, it became very apparent that Rocky is built for adventure and hiking, having walked many of the trails in the local area. Adventure called and the Highlands of Scotland summoned our souls to venture on the journey of a lifetime together. A 100-mile hike and wild camping from the lowlands of Scotland all the way to the Highlands. Lifetime memories were made and he smiled from start to finish.
The trail is famous for its many challenges, including multiple terrain, brutal weather and storms and a climb that totalled over 11,500 ft in elevation over the whole journey. He loved it and the trail was taken at Rocky’s pace. Some days he walked one mile, some days he walked ten. Wherever he stopped, we set up a wild camp.
Over the twelve days he played in every stream, swam in loch Lomond and spent his evenings around a wild campfire with a great feed. We climbed Conic Hill, scrambled the low road of Loch Lomond, climbed the world-famous Devil’s Staircase and faced the ruthlessness of Glencoe and Ranoch Moor under the stormy Scottish skies.
With every step we took our bond intensified and I could see a new level of peace restored. You could see past traumas healing as he gazed out at the most serene views and observed them for hours. It was such an emotional journey, and he soon learned that wherever we are in the world, his welfare and wellbeing will always be my top priority.
Rocky completed a journey that tens of thousands of people cannot complete due to its harsh challenges. He stole the heart of every hiker and made a huge impact on the trial with his happy and excitable persona. Learning new lessons on social skills and how to act accordingly around other dogs, especially ones who approach him off the lead.
All in all, we walked under thirteen rainbows, camped on famous battle sites and slept in magical forests filled with hundreds of owls. We walked through rainclouds in the mountains and strolled through weather inversions that made the whole experience seem spiritual as we reconnected with nature in a way like never before. We slept in a bothy with twelve international strangers, and he acted like a true gentleman, greeting everyone with his beautiful smile while respecting everyone’s space, while the open fireplace roared out with a beautiful heat that warmed us all. His snores hypnotising everyone and bringing us all to sleep early.
We set off on a wee adventure – but it turned out to be a soul-searching journey for us both. Every step of the way was journaled, and we took away a million and one memories that will last as long as the Highlands themselves.
We came together through heartache and together, in the mountains, we found happiness, peace and a love like no other.
Our next adventure will be a kayak and wild camp from the West to the East of Scotland, passing through Loch Ness and other amazing wilderness. For now, it’s time to rest his wee legs, feed his body and settle down for the autumn and winter with some good food and the odd trail or two to keep his fitness up.
Thank you to everyone from the PDWRA for bringing us together.
James & Rocky
by PDWRA | 20 Oct, 2026 | Rescue Stories
“Shall we do it?” Sitting on the sofa today with Ollie and Stan curled up next to us, it’s difficult to imagine how different our lives would be if we hadn’t said yes. But when we saw the boys on the PDWRA website, we both instantly knew they were the ones for us.
We’d been thinking about getting a dog for a while and knew we wanted to rescue. Becky’s family had rescued dogs, and the joy seeing them come out of their shell was something we wanted to give another dog. And we knew we wanted a pug, having fallen in love with the breed relatively recently. Pete’s sister has a 5-year-old black pug who lived with us for a few months during some building work. During that time, we learnt about the breed’s idiosyncrasies and fell in love. Even though we’d grown up with border collies and English bull terriers, for us it had to be a pug.
We followed the PDWRA Instagram page, and Pete’s sister would also share any pugs up for adoption. Then one night, we saw them… Ted and Henry were their aliases. As we read more about them, we couldn’t believe how amazing they sounded. And two of them, why not! After waiting to feel ready, we suddenly just knew.
“Shall we do it?” We both agreed it was a definite yes, so we filled out the form straight away, sent it over and hoped.
The next day we heard from Helen; throughout the entire process, she was always so responsive and helpful. The next few days we had everything crossed. The home check went well, we got to speak to Ollie and Stan’s fosterers and FaceTime with the boys. We were in love but always wanted to make sure we were the right home for them. When we heard that we’d been chosen, we were elated. We went into full-on preparation mode to get them the comfiest beds, buying their food, trying to not go overboard with toys!
It was a long drive to get the boys, so we met Rob, one of the fosterers, halfway. And so we set off as a two and came home as a four. We were very grateful Rob introduced us and they had different colour harnesses! We were a little worried we might get them mixed up once we took them off. Now when people say they can’t tell them apart, we can’t believe it!
Ollie and Stan are just the absolute best. They are sweet, funny, chilled out but also such characters. We really couldn’t imagine our lives without them. We are so fortunate that we’ve been given the opportunity to care for them. Ollie is definitely a snuggler who loves to curl up next to you in the mornings on the sofa and is always very excited for his food. Stan is our little Velcro dog who follows us around the house, he’s always happiest if he’s in the same room as one of us. He isn’t as excited about food but has a tendency for zoomies, and they both go a little bit bonkers after a bath!
Life with Ollie and Stan is just infinitely better. We definitely don’t get as much sleep as we did before, which is surprising considering how much they sleep! Everything now revolves around them. They’ve been at the very heart and centre of a lot of our decisions around our wedding – they were even involved in the proposal! They’ve taught us patience, they make us laugh, and they just bring us so much joy.
With the PDWRA everything was so clear. All the support subsequently after adopting them has also been amazing. Helen, Lorna and Rob provided lots of information to help us settle in the boys and were on hand to answer any questions. The Happy Pugs in Happy Homes Facebook group is also a really great resource if you’ve got a question about pugs.
We cannot thank the PDWRA enough for trusting us with these very special boys and we look forward to so many more years altogether as our new little family. We are so glad we did it, as they are the best thing to happen to us.
For anyone thinking of adopting a pug or thinking “shall we do it?” you’ll know when the time is right to say yes. We’re so happy we decided to say yes to Ollie and Stan and can’t picture our lives without them.
Pete & Becky
by PDWRA | 20 Oct, 2026 | News, Pug Health
As with most dogs, Pugs can be susceptible to a variety of health issues. Something that can be fairly common in older pugs is a gradual loss of mobility in their back legs. This is often caused by spinal conditions, where a contraction can affect the ability for the proper signals to get through.
Spinal surgery can sometimes help to improve this, although a good outcome is never guaranteed. The reality often tends to be that once a pug reaches a certain age, the stress and strain of putting them through such an invasive and risky operation is considered to be more than your pug might be able to cope with.
There’s no doubt that losing the ability to walk can be quite stressful and depressing for a pug, especially one that has been very active up to this point. Most love to be roaming about outdoors, exploring and sniffing everything is sight, so no longer being able to do this can have a big effect on them.
Being confronted with this new reality can be quite stressful for owners too. We all ultimately want the best for our pugs and seeing them become confused and immobile can be very hard to deal with. Thankfully, there is a solution that can work very well with most pugs – their very own wheels!
Pugs are generally very adaptable creatures, and although they might find it a little strange at first, most will quickly embrace the new-found freedom that being placed into wheels will give them. In no time at all they are usually whizzing around all over the place and enjoying a relatively normal life.
When you buy a set of wheels for your pug, they will usually consist of an adjustable frame so that you can select the right height and width, and a harness that your pug wears, which clips onto the frame to provide stability and support. These wheels can be relatively expensive, but they will enrich, and in most cases prolong, your pug’s life.
Places where you can find a variety of styles and colour combinations include Zoomadog and Wheels4dogs. There is also a company called Training Lines where you can often find second-hand wheels, which will be a cheaper option. Likewise, Ebay usually has a variety of options, although it’s important to be careful that you are buying the right size for your pug. For PDWRA supporters who are members of the Happy Pugs in Happy Homes Facebook group, you will often find people offering wheels that they no longer need, free to a good home.
For those dealing with financial hardship, we’re happy to say that there is a brilliant solution. There is a wonderful charity called Broken Biscuits, who can provide loaned wheels for those who can’t afford the expense of buying them. They say that their mission is to keep families together by providing the practical support, expert guidance and the compassionate community that disabled dogs and their owners need—from the point of crisis through rehabilitation and for every adventure that follows.
To find out more about how the Broken Biscuits works and the support that they can provide, just click here to visit their website.
If you’d like to find out more about spinal conditions in pugs, you can click here to read former PDWRA Vet Advisor Malcolm McKee’s insightful and informative article that’s on our website.
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