by Yasmin | 7 Aug, 2025 | Blog, News
Iris hanging out with the kittens
Meet our new Trustee – Anne McDonald
My name is Anne and I’ve recently become a Trustee for PDWRA. This is a bit about me…
I’ve been a dog owner from the age of four, my grandad’s dog had puppies and he gave me one for my birthday. She was a mixed breed called Trixie, since then I’ve never been without a dog. My first dog after getting married to Dave was my beautiful Rottweiler Roxy. She was joined by another Rottweiler and a Labrador; I’ve also owned a Bullmastiff and a Border Terrier. I now have pugs!!
I’ve worked as a Local Authority Dog Warden since 1989; I was the first full time warden to be employed at the authority and during my first year over 600 stray dogs were picked up and taken to our kennel. Needless to say, I wasn’t the most popular person at the authority! I absolutely love my job, it can be very challenging, heartbreaking at times but also so rewarding.
During the working day I can be involved with stray dogs, dangerous dogs, noisy dogs, cruelty, dogs causing a nuisance, dealing with animal licences including Riding Establishments and the keeping of performing/ dangerous animals, and anything else that the office thinks I can do. I’m also a fully qualified pest control technician and a licensing officer.
I have two grown up boys, one’s a history teacher and the other works in theatre. I like fast cars and fast horses, I’ve ridden since I was 9 years old and did work with horses in my younger days, I was a qualified teacher and did enjoy teaching. I’ve owned my own horses, usually thoroughbreds, but sold up after breaking my back in 2010. Anyone who has horses knows it’s in the blood, so I do ride as often as I can. My other great love is the theatre, and I go as often as I can, either local or to the West End.
Anne’s first Pug – Lucy
My first introduction to pugs was when I got called to a property where the occupant had died and a pug was left inside. His name was Charlie Chan and what a character he was. I remember contacting PDWRA and the lovely lady I spoke to, who was very well spoken, said “my dear, are you absolutely sure that it’s a pug?!“ They subsequently came to collect him, as we have always tried to work with breed rescues.
How did I end up living with pugs? Well, I had been dealing with a backstreet breeder for a while, removing dogs she no longer wanted. On one of the visits, a little fawn pug was in a tiny green cat house completely wired up with hardly enough room to turn around. I said to the owner that if she no longer wanted her I’d take her to rescue. 18 months later there were two pugs, this time she’d put them in a shed. Again, I suggested letting me have them but she said no, however, I was on my way to the kennels with a Labrador when she phoned to say she no longer wanted the pugs as they kept jumping up on her! Honestly, I think the poor Labrador got whiplash as I turned around so fast, and this is how I ended up with Lucy and her daughter Minnie.
Neither had ever been walked, or seen the great outdoors, and a short while later Mikey was born to Minnie, as she had been mated before I had her. I ended up paying for a caesarean and of course I kept the one puppy! I’d never really thought about having a pug or two, as I didn’t really know much about the breed. I’ve always loved big breeds and terriers, which was where my knowledge was, but was thinking ‘they are just dogs aren’t they? How difficult can they be?!’ Haha, as any pug owner knows, they are totally unique. How silly was I?!
Dave was at work when I brought them home and had no idea they would be joining us! He didn’t think he liked pugs, that was 24 years ago! We then adopted Alfie, who was from Leicester Animal Aid, the charity we use for our stray dogs. Alfie had two unsuccessful homes after being gifted to the centre, then I was greeted with ‘Anne you’ve got pugs, haven’t you?!’ So, Alfie came to live with us, a super little pug who was never a problem in any way. He lived to the grand old age of 15.
Bertie & Iris out for a walk
After losing Lucy, Minnie and Mikey, I bought pugs for the very first time, which are the two I’ve got now, Bertie and Iris. I have adopted a pug from PDWRA, but sadly lost him aged 8. Percy came to me as a pug that would bite, and he did, quite a few times! Although I’ve had many foster pugs I wasn’t happy about Percy moving on, so I adopted him. He was quirky, but lovely! He absolutely adored Dave and never made any attempt to bite him!
Bertie and Iris are now 8 years old, they have been to Crufts, to discover dogs and on the PDWRA stand. They are typical pugs and are happy to go anywhere, as long as they are with you, they will travel around London on the tube or bus, they love Richmond Park and always enjoy a beach walk with an ice cream at the end. They live with 4 cats and 2 tortoises, their very best friend is Thor, a German Shepherd I rescued as a very underweight puppy who now lives with my friend. This is one of my happy endings!
I have been involved with PDWRA since 2014, first as a volunteer, then as a VAC. When I knew they were looking for Trustees I applied, as I felt my knowledge of dogs, dog behaviour and dog law could be helpful. Aside from that, doing the other roles gives me an insight into what goes on and how much work the volunteers do.
Going forward I would like to see a joined-up charity, with everyone working together and helping each other. It’s so important to have a charity dedicated to the breed, with volunteers who are very knowledgeable and able to give helpful advice.
Percy & Alfie in the great outdoors
by Yasmin | 7 Aug, 2025 | Blog, In Memoriam
Loveday’s father leaves his beautiful collection of ceramic pugs to the PDWRA.
My father was a pug enthusiast for most of his life. Shortly after my parents married, 70 years ago, they welcomed a pug called Bunky into their lives and things were never the same again. Growing up, I can’t remember a time when there wasn’t at least one pug, often more, in our family, and this continued for the rest of my Dad’s life. The pugs’ larger than life personalities and snuffly enthusiasm for food, walks and comfort took priority in all aspects of domestic life including holidays (of course the pugs never went into kennels!).
Over the years, Dad registered with the PDWRA as an adopter and took on a succession of pugs in need of a safe, loving home. He helped them through their trauma and health issues so that they could live their lives happy, warm and without fear. His commitment meant that he sometimes drove hundreds of miles from his home in Cornwall to collect a pug that needed rehoming. His last pug, Ruby, was left partly disabled after being badly abused as a youngster, but Dad answered the PDWRA’s call for help and looked after her for many years. After Dad died in 2024, we reached out to the PDWRA to re-home a now elderly Ruby, who was missing her favourite human terribly. The volunteers were fantastic, quickly identifying a wonderful new home where Ruby spent her final months in the lap of luxury alongside some very friendly pug companions.
Pictured above is Loveday’s father, alongside his last pug Ruby
Dad’s pug obsession extended beyond the furry ones, and he built up a collection of ceramic pugs, always on the lookout for new additions. There is a mix of old and new items and Dad enjoyed them all, but he also wanted to use them to help the pug rescue community. So, in his will he gifted them to the PDWRA with the intention of them being sold to raise funds for the organisation he was proud to support. I’m so pleased that the PDWRA has accepted this legacy and will be doing just that. Dad would be so pleased that his collection will help pugs in need and have a new life with fellow enthusiasts.
Loveday Lamb
by Yasmin | 7 Aug, 2025 | Blog, News
We are saying a sad farewell and a huge thanks to Helen & Malcolm McKee – Voluntary Vet Advisors to the PDWRA from 2018 – 2025
Helen first became involved with the Charity in early 2018, when she made an initial approach to enquire about fostering. At the time, she said ‘I volunteered my services at the local donkey sanctuary for a brief period, but I need a role that will keep the grey matter working’.
In June of 2018 Helen & Malcolm collected and fostered a fawn female pug called Suki, aged 8yrs. Suki required BOAS surgery, plus an extensive dental overhaul, and her adoption happened very quickly, as both Malcolm and Helen soon became besotted with her.
In the months that followed, Helen took on the role of Volunteer Area Coordinator for the Wales region. Through the experience of doing this job, Helen and Malcolm both became very aware of a need to support and advise all of the area coordinators around the UK with valuable veterinary advice. Over time, they both became voluntary veterinary advisers to the Charity, giving a huge amount of their time to supporting the hundreds of pugs coming into our care and overseeing their medical treatment.
Helen and Malcolm have both been absolute rocks for the Charity over the last 7 years and done so much to help pugs in need to live their best lives. It’s very hard for us to imagine the Charity without them, constantly on call to offer much needed help and advice, but they have now come to the very hard decision to take a step back in order to be able to spend valuable time with their growing grandchildren.
Over their time spent helping the Charity, Helen and Malcolm fostered a total of 10 pugs. All of us at the PDWRA will miss them both terribly and will be eternally grateful for the gracious and caring way that they shared their valuable knowledge for the huge benefit of everyone involved.
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Helen and Malcolm provided regular pug-health articles on many topics. These can be found in our pug health section:
Pug Health & Wellbeing
by Yasmin | 7 Aug, 2025 | Blog, Pug Health
Written by Helen McKee
PDWRA Veterinary Advisor
I am sure all of you, and anyone who has had a pug, is familiar with the term ‘BOAS’. It stands for Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome’
It is a large topic and there is much to discuss about the condition, but hopefully I will keep it concise and in a way that can be understood. It’s also a controversial subject due to the impact it has on a dog’s (pug’s) health and welfare.
It’s a condition that has been created by the breeding of dogs so they have little or no snout.
This has then resulted in all the soft tissues at the back of the throat being squashed into a smaller space. The nose structure, both externally and internally, can be abnormal, but more importantly (for pugs), the soft palate (and tongue) are too large for the size of a pug’s head and throat.
The most significant part (for a pug) is an excessively long soft palate, which obstructs the airflow through the larynx (access at back of throat to lungs) into the trachea. This leads to a rattling noise or what is known as ‘stertor’, and less air being able to reach the lungs. This affects a pug’s ability to exercise (exercise intolerance) and is exacerbated by carrying any excess weight, particularly because pugs carry extra weight around their necks.
This is why the condition is controversial; we have bred a dog that can’t breathe properly, which is a welfare issue. In the Netherlands it is now illegal to breed a dog without a certain length of snout.
The condition can vary from mild to severe, with extreme cases fainting (apnoea) due to lack of oxygen. The sooner this is addressed, the better, in order to prevent secondary problems developing which cause further breathing issues.
Secondary changes can occur when the obstruction of the soft palate is left without treatment (chronic). Because the airway is blocked by the tissue, it creates a negative pressure at the back of the throat causing the larynx to collapse. With time, the laryngeal tissues become damaged and soft. The negative pressure can also cause the tonsils to evert out of their crypts, and the so-called laryngeal saccules to do likewise. These everted structures then cause further obstruction in the airway, which becomes a vicious cycle.
Dogs who have these secondary changes make a different noise, ‘stridor’, which is more like a wheeze rather than a rattle.
Another condition which results from the long-term negative pressure caused by the obstructive long soft palate, is gastric reflux. The sphincter at the top of the stomach gradually becomes loose due to this negative pressure, resulting in gastric reflux. Signs of reflux are stretching out of neck, licking lips and regurgitation.
This can become a potentially life-threatening condition, especially when a pug is anaesthetized. Material can become sucked (aspirated) into the lungs, a condition known as aspiration pneumonia. For this reason, all brachycephalic dogs should be given the medication ‘Omeprazole’ prior to a general anaesthetic.
The treatment for BOAS is surgery. If there are no secondary changes, BOAS surgery tends to involve the reduction of the soft palate and widening of narrowed (stenotic) nares. In my opinion, and in fact mentioned by Dr Rowena Packer (an expert in BOAS) in the book ‘Health and Welfare of Brachycephalic Companion Animals’, widening of a pug’s nostrils is rarely a cause of BOAS.
Quoting Dr Packer :- “Previously, stenotic nares were thought to be of paramount importance, and early treatment was advised to open the nostrils….. Recent work from the Cambridge BOAS Research Group shows that the nostrils in the French Bulldog are of particular importance (not pugs). It is worth noting that we have seen mature dogs with no BOAS-related respiratory signs yet with severely stenotic nostrils.”
This is certainly my experience; I have rarely seen narrowed nostrils in pugs causing breathing problems, and I personally feel widening a dog’s nostrils has become a bit of a trend without assessing if it’s actually causing a clinical problem.
This is a photo of our rescue pug Molly, with her significantly stenotic nostrils, however she runs 7 miles daily and breathes comfortably.
If a dog’s mouth breathes when at rest, then this indicates they are unable to breathe through their nose. However, widening the nostrils may not resolve the issue, as often there are abnormalities in the nasal structures (turbinates) due to the extremely shorted muzzle, which compromise and block airflow through the nose.
Although BOAS surgery is generally straight forward when there are no secondary changes, it is best carried out by a veterinary surgeon with experience / extra qualifications (Specialist or an Advanced Practitioner in Surgery). Swelling can occur at the back of the throat immediately post-operatively, which needs to be managed carefully. When there are secondary changes, the surgery carries a greater risk of complications, including death.
It used to be the case that surgeons would remove the laryngeal structures that had everted and were blocking the access to the windpipe (tonsils, laryngeal saccules), however, recently specialists have been removing the soft palate tissue only, as this carries less risk of bleeding and swelling post operatively, and it has been found these structures may go back into their natural position once the ongoing negative pressure is removed.
These dogs need to have close management post-operatively to watch for any signs of swelling/laryngeal collapses causing breathing difficulties. They also need to monitored for aspiration pneumonia; personally, I have had a foster dog who had severe BOAS, die of aspiration pneumonia following BOAS surgery.
Damage to the tissue of the larynx is generally irreversible causing softening of the larynx (malacia) and collapse. Laryngeal collapse is graded from one to three, with three being the worst affected. This can be managed conservatively (controlling exercise, not allowing the pug to get hot or too excited) and feeding from a height (‘fluff trough’). However, some vets will advise removal of cartilage from the larynx (arytenoid cartilage) or ‘laryngeal tieback’.
In my opinion, both procedures carry greater risk and are not a panacea, and I would not advise this to be performed on a pug; both can lead to a significant increased risk of aspiration pneumonia (where fluid/food is aspirated into the lungs) which is discussed above.
In summary, due to the abnormal shape of a pug’s head, they can suffer from obstructive breathing issues (BOAS) that can significantly and adversely affect the health and welfare of a pug. The earlier surgery is carried out, the better the outcome and the less likelihood of developing secondary changes such as laryngeal collapse and gastric reflux.
The surgery does carry risks, especially when the condition becomes chronic and the dog has developed secondary health problems, however, if a pug has clinical BOAS and it is not surgically corrected, they will have breathing difficulties which will worsen with time, affecting health, welfare and ultimately, the life of the pug.
Helen McKee
Veterinary Advisor
PDWRA
2018-2025
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To read more about Pug Health from our website, please go to the following pages:
https://pugwelfare-rescue.org.uk/pug-health/
https://pugwelfare-rescue.org.uk/seasonal-hazards-for-pugs/
https://pugwelfare-rescue.org.uk/pug-health/fit-not-fat/
by Yasmin | 7 Aug, 2025 | Blog, Fundraising
Emma raises funds for the PDWRA as part of her company’s Volunteer Week!
Over the past year, I’ve had the privilege of taking part in a few volunteer initiatives that have been both meaningful and memorable. One of the highlights was volunteering at a high school in New Jersey, where I helped provide interview experience for students preparing to enter the workforce. It was incredibly rewarding to support young people at such a pivotal moment in their lives and help boost their confidence as they navigate their first professional steps.
I also took part in a fantastic global initiative called Be My Eyes, a platform that connects volunteers with blind and partially sighted individuals who need assistance with everyday tasks. One particularly touching moment was helping a blind father choose the colour of icing for his daughter’s birthday cupcakes. A small act on the surface, but incredibly meaningful to be part of that celebration in even the tiniest way.
Through this initiative, I was able to convert my volunteer hours into donation points, which my company then matched as part of our annual volunteer drive. This is something we do every year, and it brings out a great sense of community (and a bit of healthy competition!) between departments to see who can log the most volunteers!
On a more personal note, life outside of work revolves heavily around our four pugs: Ernie (our ‘chonky boy’), Murphy (a lovable troubled soul), Winnie (who’s more cat than dog) and Spike (who we often say should’ve been named Dennis – as in the Menace). They are the centre of our world.
In fact, we recently made a big move from Kent to Lincolnshire, with them at the heart of that decision, as we wanted more space and a better quality of life for them. Ernie and Winnie came from a wonderful, registered breeder, who remains very involved in their lives to this day. Murphy and Spike, on the other hand, are both rescues with rough beginnings but hearts of gold.
Murphy was rescued from a drug den and took time to settle, but he’s now deeply loved. Spike, the runt of his litter, was heartbreakingly going to be abandoned by a backyard ‘greeder’ just a week before Christmas. As the saying goes, ‘One man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure’ and those two are certainly treasures in our home. Whether it’s volunteering in the community or making sure our dogs have the best life possible, giving back, whether to people or pugs, is something we really believe in.
