We first heard about the PDWRA years ago, when we met someone out and about with a pug (you know how us pug folk are, dropping to our knees to shriek over someone else’s pug like we have never seen one, despite having at least one of our own!!) and they told us she was a foster, for the charity. We also attended fundraising events locally and kept meeting these wonderful people who had opened up their homes and hearts to foster pugs in need, and decided when our circumstances allowed, we would like to do the same. We had a 10st Dogue de Bordeaux (as well as two pugs and a British bulldog!) that we occasionally showed, hence he was entire, so we were not able to apply to foster… when we lost him, our hearts had an enormous hole but the silver lining was that we could contact PDWRA to apply to foster.
Three foster pugs later, in February 2025 we lost our last remaining (very elderly) pug Finn, and the PDWRA contacted us to ask if we could help a little boy called JJ, whose mum was too poorly to take care of him. Of course we agreed and went to collect him the following day. As was becoming standard practice I cried all over him in the car on the way home and my heart broke for his mum, having to make such a difficult decision. He was quite an anxious boy, missing most of the hair on his chest and sides, but he settled in straight away and quickly became friends with our little hairless cat Obi, despite never having lived with a cat before! We soon realised this boy LOVED going for walks and was the most active, agile, fit pug we’ve ever known!
After having older dogs for the last few years and not really walking far, we were suddenly getting out into the fields and walking for miles, every day, discovering new routes locally and making new friends, including another pug in the village, Yoyo, who is now his bestie! JJ’s fur grew back over the first few weeks, so we think he was really benefitting from a routine and getting out in the fresh air. After a couple of weeks our volunteer co-ordinator called for a chat and asked if we were ready to complete an assessment form to help him find his new home… I think we knew the answer before she even called and so asked for the adoption form instead!! We just couldn’t imagine life without this little guy in it!
Personality wise, JJ is lots of fun – he can still be quite anxious, barking at other dogs/people, although he is a sweetheart with dogs and people, he just needs to tell them off first! He has made lots of friends since he arrived and has a few little girlfriends (Rocket, Mia, Ziggy, Molli, Martha, Winnie and Minnie… don’t tell Yoyo!!) and a huge pal, a Leonberger called Steiff!
He goes for his morning walk at 7.15am every day, usually around 3 miles, and enjoys running in the fields, and rolling in anything gross if he gets the chance!
Unfortunately we lost Obi the cat a couple of months after we adopted JJ, but in a similar fashion the Sphynx Cat Association asked us to foster two girls (an urgent short term foster placement….you can guess how that turned out!) so he now has two sisters, Angelica and Eliza, and he has been an absolute star, behaving impeccably around them, couldn’t have been more proud of him! He has a fantastic relationship with Eliza in particular – they play chase, sit together, and if the doorbell rings, the pair of them fly through the house together to the door, and when he gets in his bed Eliza will curl up in there with him – adorable! Considering he had never really mixed with cats, he’s a superstar!
The adoption process was smooth sailing – a quick form and showing the PDWRA we had insurance in place for him should anything happen. The support we have received from PDWRA throughout our fostering and adopting journey has been second to none – everyone we have dealt with has been a salt of the earth, caring, wonderful soul. We’ve loved being fosterers and it was bound to lead to adoption at some point… I doubt this is the end either, haha!
Our friends who own Yoyo have also been inspired by our experiences and have also just been approved to foster for PDWRA too! I told them I’ll have the tissues ready – whether these things turn out happy or sad, tissues are always required, that’s my advice for anyone thinking of fostering or adopting!! It is heartbreaking to hear a story of how a pug became in need of the PDWRA, to see the condition some of the pugs are in, and unfortunately we’ve even had an experience where a foster didn’t make it and that one in particular affected us deeply – but the good far outshines the bad, and being part of their journey is absolutely worth any heartache on our part, in my opinion.
I’m so grateful for JJ and that we can give him the best life possible – he has improved and enriched our lives, getting us out walking, meeting new neighbours – everyone he meets falls for him, he deserves the world!!
