by Yasmin | 16 Dec, 2025 | Surrendering, Blog
Many of the callers enquiring about rehoming their pugs ask about what happens to them once they leave their foster home and go on to be adopted. It’s a very distressing decision to take in giving up your pug, and not usually one taken voluntarily – circumstances conspire to leave no other option in many cases. So, they are understandably concerned about what the future holds. I can only say that the vast majority of our adoption applicants are already pug owners, or those who have owned pugs in the past, and no other breed will do for them. They are knowledgeable about the breed and hold an immense loyalty, I might say, bordering on obsession in some cases! One of our adopters’ nine year old said, when asked if they should consider another breed ‘we are a pug family, pugs are the only option’.
Some pugs never move on to another home – they are adopted by their fosterer. They are known as “failed fosterers”, and there’s a lot of us about! A few examples of this are demonstrated in our West Midlands region, where Volunteers recently met for a pug meetup, on the first Sunday in November. Some of their pugs went into foster and never left! Penny and Ronald for example, who had many homes in their young lives before coming into PDWRA’s care; Polly found wandering the streets and found by a member of the public – she found her way to PDWRA via a Dog Warden who could see she wasn’t thriving in a kennel environment and contacted us. You may remember Shirley who gave birth whilst in foster care? One of her two surviving pups, Iris, is now a robust and confident young lady, always first in the queue for treats!
All attendees, pugs and humans, enjoyed the day, as the photos demonstrate – a lot of tired but happy pugs. So this is what happens to pugs coming into PDWRA’s care!
Jackie
VAC West Midlands
by Yasmin | 16 Dec, 2025 | Blog, Rescue Stories
I stumbled across PDWRA on Facebook, the mega auction page. Already the owner of a black male pug, Pablo, I was looking for a UK based pug group. I started buying and it became my go to place for unique items that you can’t buy anywhere else.
Just over 2 years ago, my son left home and there was a huge void in the household. Pablo missed him terribly as did I. Then my husband spotted that Margo was up for adoption and thought she would be a good fit. Unfortunately, we were not successful, quite rightly she went to someone who had been waiting longer than us.
Not too long after, I had a call to say that a male the same age as Pablo was being surrendered and would we be interested? We jumped at the chance! After meeting Jethro, we agreed to adopt him. We brought him home and Pablo accepted his new brother easily.
The first weeks were a huge learning curve, Jethro was very protective of food, and not just his! He wouldn’t make eye contact with anyone and was not keen on lots of fuss. I took the first week off work to help him settle in. He was brilliant walking off the lead and even went for a swim in the sea, much to Pablo’s disgust! So, I had one pug who would walk around puddles and one who would just barrel through them. Jethro slept downstairs for the first few nights, he then realised that Pablo slept on the bed with us and he came up as well. Many a time he’s actually snuggled up under the duvet, in the middle, nice and warm. After the first week, I was back in work, my husband messaged me, he’d had to call the fire brigade as Jethro had got his head stuck in the hole of his raised bowl!!!
My husband is a fluent Welsh speaker and we discovered that Jethro responded to Welsh! A bilingual dog! Slowly, Jethro has become so settled and gazes at us, he smiles and nudges us when he wants a fuss. So different than when we first had him. Sadly, between Christmas and new year, Pablo crossed the rainbow bridge, it was sudden and unexpected. However he went in my arms and Jethro was at my side, he knew. Jethro now has a little sister called Ziva, the smile on Jethro’s face when we brought her home said it all.
Jethro is 10 now and slowing down physically, he doesn’t miss a trick though and runs to greet me when I come home from work. To anyone who is considering adoption, go for it, it is so rewarding, PDWRA are so supportive and helpful. You do need truckloads of patience, but it’s worth it!
by Yasmin | 16 Dec, 2025 | Blog, Rescue Stories
I came across the PDWRA while searching for a pug to love. We’d lost our beloved pug Frank in early August 2024 and were devastated. Frank was 11 years old and had been part of our family since he was a puppy.
Our home felt so empty without him and life just wasn’t the same. I knew we had so much love to give another pug, so I applied to adopt. I had asked for a boy, not because it mattered but we were used to having a boy around. Then a few days later, our local Volunteer Area Coordinator Lisa called and told me about Mabel. That was it! I knew Mabel needed me as much as I needed her.
Mabel’s lovely foster Mum, Michelle, arrived with Mabel and our beautiful little girl peeked nervously round the sofa. For me it was love at first sight! Mabel is the most adorable, gentle, kind and loving little girl anyone could wish for. She’s the boss now, of course, and I know my place… no walks in the rain, meals on time and plenty of treats. I can’t imagine life without her!
by Yasmin | 16 Dec, 2025 | Blog, Rescue Stories
There comes a time in a pug’s life when he knows it’s time to settle down. The call of the open fire crackling in grate, the scattering of dog biscuit crumbs on the sofa, the regurgitated (twice) pigs ear to paw, and a box set of Dogs Behaving Badly playing on TV (they ain’t seen nothin’ yet).
Ah yes, that call came to Neville and Dexter not long ago. So, they instructed their Agent David, to look about for a suitable pad, with resident housekeeper, to cater for their every retirement need. Luckily, David turned to PDWRA for help in the search for a country retreat – land with huntin’ and fishin’ rights was the remit. Just such a place was on their books and the boys duly arrived to look around, gave it the paws up, and they are now happily settled as Pugs of the Manor.
The boys had certainly seen something of the world before deciding it was time to hang up their traveling harnesses. California, Arizona, Mexico, France and Spain all home to them, and great to see more of the world than most pugs. But life on the move is for the youngsters now and they wouldn’t swap their country lifestyle at all. Neville can sometimes be found gazing wistfully out of the window and reflecting on his former life, but then his pals call round and they all dash off on a squirrel hunt. “Hey, wait for me.”
Jackie Maynard
West Midlands Volunteer Area Coordinator
As well as being one of our most experienced and valued Volunteer Area Coordinators, Jackie has also fostered many pugs in need for the charity. If you’d like to find out what it’s like to foster for the PDWRA, click here to read Jackie’s story…
by Yasmin | 16 Dec, 2025 | Blog, Fundraising
The Cornwall Pug Meet is an annual event put on by Natalie, who owns the café at Poldhu Beach along with her husband Ross and pug Betty.
Natalie makes her own home-made dog treats and sells them to raise money for the charity! The Cornwall Pug Meet has been going for over 10 years now and is attended by many PDWRA pugs, so if you live in Cornwall why not go along?
We’d like to send a huge thanks to Natalie & Ross, you’re both absolute stars!
Find out more about the Poldhu Beach café here.
You can follow Natalie & Betty on Instagram here.
