Rhiannon’s Story of Adopting Nacho

by PDWRA | 10 Feb, 2026 | Blog, Rescue Stories

As a lifelong lover of the breed, I always knew I wanted pugs in my life. Their loving nature, their fun curly tails and their big bright eyes, not to mention their big personalities…

My first pug was a black boy renamed Taz from Battersea. When I flew the nest and moved out, my mum missed Taz (and me) so much that she decided it was time she started looking for a little pug of her own. After a lot of research on breed specific rescues, we landed on the PDWRA.

My mum was lucky enough to be matched with Luna, who settled in almost instantly and brought mum and the family so much joy! They are both enjoying growing old gracefully together! The whole process was easy, with brilliant communication, compassion for the foster family Luna came from and amazing aftercare from the PDWRA team.

I did foster briefly through the PDWRA in 2021, with a handsome little pug named Eddie. He was amazing on his own, however, after 12 weeks in my care it became apparent that the pairing between him and my pug Taz wasn’t compatible and I had to make the difficult decision for him to go back to the PDWRA. During this time, I had so much support and always had someone in the charity to speak to. I heard that he had been adopted by a family in London as the only dog in the home, and was very much loved, which made me very happy to hear. The way the PDWRA handled the case was professional and compassionate, with both pugs wellbeing at the centre of it all.

After I lost Taz in the summer of 2024 to age related complications, I was so lost. I felt like a part of me had gone and I didn’t have a purpose anymore. I knew I wanted another pug, but I didn’t know when I would be ready. Four months later in November, I received a call whilst I was at work from one of the Volunteer Area Coordinators, who asked if I was still interested in fostering and advised they had a little black boy in need of a home. I was nervous because of my experience with Eddie and was unsure if it was the right time for me, however, I asked for the details to be sent across for me to take a look at. Deep down, I had butterflies and I was excited! I’m a big believer in things happening for a reason, so I called my mum to let her know I had been contacted and she was just as excited as I was. I discussed the option of Foster to adopt due to my last attempt being unsuccessful with Eddie, which was agreed to.

I’ve always rescued, there are so many dogs who are in need of homes, and as much as I love the idea of a puppy, being able to give love to a dog in need will always be my first choice.

A date was set for volunteers to pick up Nacho and deliver him to my mum’s, where he could meet me and mum’s PDWRA rescue Luna. I was so excited to meet him but also knew I had to keep him busy to help him settle in, so as soon as he arrived we went for a walk around my mum’s garden. We then went for a walk along the river to our nearest pet store, where he got lots of attention. We picked up some treats and headed back, and he loved rolling in the grass (which he still loves to do now) and also to run!

There was an instant connection between us and the first week he came to the office with me to meet my work colleagues. Everyone couldn’t believe he had only been with me less than a week as he was off the lead and following me around like we had been together forever. He loves meeting new people and any opportunity I have to take him with me, I do! We have a local pug walking group where once a month we all meet up for a walk and he loves meeting his pug pals at the park for a run around! In January of this year. I officially adopted Nacho and it was the best decision I have made! He gives me a reason to get up in the morning, and we love to go on adventures together. We’ve been to the Lake District this year also, which he loved! We’ve just celebrated our first ‘gotcha’ day anniversary and will be celebrating Christmas with the family.

To anyone who is considering fostering/adopting, I would really recommend speaking to PDWRA as I can’t recommend them highly enough. Other charities we explored were nowhere near as experienced and professional as PDWRA and I still have contacts I can go to for support a year later with any questions I may have. Always consider rescuing a pug in need of love first. as they are capable of giving you 100 times more love back!

Wishing all the team at PDWRA a very happy new year! Thank you for all that you do and thank you for helping me and my mum find our perfect pug partners!

Rebecca’s Story of Adopting Pumpkin

by PDWRA | 10 Feb, 2026 | Blog, Rescue Stories

Pumpkin first came to us as a foster in June of 2021. She was 3 years old and couldn’t walk very far due to breathing and BOAS problems, just 100metres would have her laid on the floor and struggling for a long time. Thanks to PDWRA, she quickly had BOAS surgery, which I called her nose job! There are never any guarantees that this kind of surgery will be successful in solving a pug’s breathing problems but we’re very happy to say that it’s been completely life changing for her.

We officially adopted Pumpkin in August of 2021and the past (almost) 5 years have really flown by. It’s hard to believe she’s 8 years old now. She has a big older Springer Spaniel brother, who she bosses around, and despite having to undergo another big operation for bladder stones shortly after adoption, she recovered from everything and has been enjoying lots of adventures over the years. She’s been on caravan holidays, beach and woodland walks and even hiking in the dales. It’s also hard to believe she can go from not being able to walk 100mtrs to comfortably walking 3 miles! As age creeps in she has a little rest in a pushchair, like the Princess she is.

Pumpkin makes everyone she meets smile and is such a funny character, who loves a body twerk. We can’t thank PDWRA enough for bringing her into our hearts and family!