by Developer | 10 Feb, 2026 | Blog, Rescue Stories, Volunteering
We came across the PDWRA whilst looking for some Pug friends for our boys Milo and Vinnie who had recently lost their sister.
We’d seen that the PDWRA were looking for local transport volunteers and fosterers, so we put our application forward and our local Volunteer Area Controller, Dee, contacted us almost immediately. We were asked to foster a bonded Mum and Daughter pair, and we were so happy to help out. We picked them up 2 days later.
10-Year-old Ava and Violet, who is 8, melted our hearts almost immediately. The moment I laid eyes on them both I knew then that they had already found their forever home with us, and that we were ultimately going to be ‘failed fosterers’. Ava and Violet slipped straight into our busy Pug family and our duo became a family of 4. They’ve been loving their park walks, Sunday dinners, cheeky afternoons in the local pub, which of course comes with lots of attention and treats, nights cosied up on the sofa and of course, lots of holidays.
Ava and Violet came into our lives at one of the saddest times and brought a whole new lease of life to our family unit. We wouldn’t be without them!
*****
For further information about Adopting inseparable Bonded-Pairs, as well as more heart-warming stories like Ava & Violet’s, please see:
https://pugwelfare-rescue.org.uk/perfect-pairs/
by Developer | 10 Feb, 2026 | Blog, In Memoriam
This is by far the hardest and saddest post I have ever had to write. How do you replace the irreplaceable Betty?
My precious girl passed away in my arms at 3.50pm on Tuesday 16 December, just 6 weeks away from her 16th birthday. She had been slowing down over the past few months, but it was so sudden at the end, the vet advised it was most probably a heart attack, my poor girl just couldn’t carry on any longer. The only consolation I have, is that she was at home, in her beloved garden, going about her business when she turned to make her way back to me when she just fell to the ground, I rushed to pick her up and held her in my arms, she looked at me and quietly passed away. Such a terrible shock, I just pray she had a peaceful and pain free journey over the rainbow bridge to meet all the other pugs that I have loved and lost over the past 40 years. We were two halves of a whole and my eyes ache to see her one last time.
We continue to be overwhelmed by all the flowers and sympathy cards with such heartfelt messages from people whose lives she had touched over the past 11 years I had Betty.
Betty was an independent little girl, she didn’t like to be fussed over, so stubborn and liked to do her own thing, a real home bird and loved nothing more than being curdled up on the sofa next to either myself or her human Dad knowing we were by her side.
I pray that Betty’s heart and spirit will live on in me and her body was just the lovely package she came in. My whole life centred around her, it was always Betty first and I sincerely hope we gave her the best life she could have wished for. Finally, I would like to thank PDWRA for choosing me to adopt and care for Betty over the last 11 years, she was such a beautiful gift inside and out, how I will ever move on without her by my side I do not know.
Precious Black Betty – 13 February 2010 to 16 December 2025
Valerie Stallard
by Developer | 21 Oct, 2025 | Blog, News
Halloween is almost upon us once again and to celebrate, we bring you a wonderful selection of pugs getting into the spirit of the season!
Last week we did a competition on our Facebook page asking our followers to send in pictures of their pugs. We expected maybe 30 or 40 pictures but actually got thousands! There were several Halloween pictures thrown in, so we thought what better time to share them with you?!
In the header image are Bentley & Stanley in their best dressing up outfits, and we have a brilliant Halloween selection below…
Marti & Zoey
Hardy, Rufus & Coco
Petey & Pris
Puma & Bailey
Rosie & Nacho
Poppy & Benny
If you’d like to follow us on Facebook and have the chance to enter more of our competitions, just click the link to head over to our page!
https://www.facebook.com/PDWRA
by Developer | 21 Oct, 2025 | Blog, Volunteering
For many devoted dog lovers, the chance to help a vulnerable animal is a calling that cannot be ignored. That rang true for me when I first discovered the Pug Dog Welfare & Rescue Association (PDWRA) via Facebook and have since become a part of the charity’s transport network.
After finding the PDWRA web page and learning that transport volunteers were needed, I didn’t hesitate to sign up. I wanted to help where I could with the support and welfare of pugs. Now, just over a year into my volunteering journey, I play a role in collecting pugs, often directly from their surrendering families, and safely delivering them to the next stage of their new lives.
The distances travelled vary but typically involve a 50–100-mile round trip from home, but I am always ready to cover “almost any distance” needed. I used to drive a lot for work and I’m very comfortable with driving long distances, I just take a lot more breaks when I have pugs on board! The journeys can be very emotional, especially when saying goodbye to former owners, but the reward is immense. Knowing that I am helping to give a pug or pugs a new life with better prospects, is what makes the effort worthwhile.
For prospective transporters, I recommend always carrying a spare lead and harness, plus plenty of water for breaks – especially if you’re bringing your own pugs along for the ride. I have three pugs of my own currently: two are from the PDWRA; one was adopted, and I offered another one a home as a long-term foster.
From heartfelt goodbyes to the joy of new beginnings, I like to think I embody the spirit of the PDWRA. One person can make such a difference, simply by answering the call to help, one pug at a time.
Brian
by Developer | 21 Oct, 2025 | Blog, Rescue Stories
In January 2024 we had to say goodbye to our beautiful elderly pug, Jack. I was heartbroken and missed him so much. We had been through so much together during his lifetime and it was hard to think of life without him.
After a couple of months or so, I started to have a tentative look for any pugs that might be in need a new home. I desperately missed Jack, and although it was difficult to imagine getting another dog, I knew I wanted another dog in my life. Whilst I love all dogs, I have a special soft spot for pugs, so I started to keep an eye on any needing new homes. I saw several, but none that felt quite right for us.
Then I saw a post about Stitch pop up in the PDWRA Facebook page and I knew instantly that he was the one! As soon as I saw his adorable, cheeky face and read about him I fell in love and knew we could give him what he needed. I contacted PDWRA immediately to say that we were interested and filled out an adoption application. After chatting with Stitch’s foster mum and passing the home check, we were delighted to be told that we could adopt Stitch!
He settled in very quickly and on the first night was more than happy to settle down in his bed in the kitchen for the night. The next day I took him for a walk over the fields around our village and found out very quickly that he very much enjoys rolling in stinky mud!
Over the next weeks and months, we enjoyed getting to know Stitch more and more. He is a delightful, chilled boy who loves walks, loves to play and learn but equally is happy to spend time relaxing at home having belly rubs.
Stitch can be reactive with some dogs when we are on walks, particularly when he is on the lead, so this is something that we have worked on with the help of a lovely local dog trainer. He enjoys meeting small dogs when we are out and about but tends to need space when he sees bigger dogs. Consistent training with this issue has resulted in him getting a lot less stressed about other dogs though and I am so proud of how far he has come over the last year.
He has also been going to a socialisation group once a week that is run by our dog trainer and has made brilliant progress with this as well. He was initially a little grumpy with the other dogs in the group (who all happen to be labradors) and would tell them off at the start of the session and then ignore them for the rest of it. But he has now reached the point where after a few weeks off from the group recently he was happy and excited to see his labradors friends again, which is such a massive difference!
Stitch really has made the best little companion. I work from home and he is such an easy-going little pug to have by my side. We have a lovely walk through the village and across the fields in the morning. We do the same in the afternoon and pop out at lunchtime. I try to incorporate little bits if training into our walks and Stitch loves foraging for treats.
We’re around 45 minutes from the coast, so we try to take him there regularly for a run on the beach and a walk along the coastal paths.
We’ve had several holidays away with family since we got Stitch and he’s loved it because he loves going for walks and exploring new places. In June this year we had a week in Cornwall and Stitch loved exploring the beaches and rock pools. We did plenty of coast walks and Stitch managed a 6-mile hike one day! He certainly slept well that night!
We have noticed that everyone who meets Stitch quickly becomes very taken with him (and they always love his white paw!) and I’ve had several people tell me they could quite happily take him home!
We now can’t imagine life without our lovely Stitchy! We absolutely adore him and it’s been such a pleasure to see how he has settled in with us over the last year.
I am so glad that we were there to offer him the fresh start that he needed.
