Hello everyone. My name is Esme and I first came to PDWRA in 2021. I’ll start with the day I was told I had a new Furever Home. I was transported from my foster home to another lovely volunteer’s home, and from there I was collected by Myra and her daughter, Melissa. I was taken to my new home where I met my new brother, Rupert (a Jack Russell/Chihuahua cross). As I explored the house, I found that there were dog beds in each room, one for each of us, (but sometimes Rupert and I like to share together) and a large garden, which has lots of birds visiting. I love to chase birds! I also checked out the most important room, the kitchen… I found that the menu was quite delicious!
It didn’t take me long to find the best spot on the bed that night, with my own pillow, and I must say I slept well. Two days later though, I did not feel good, and my new family realised that I had a problem with my eye, so off I went to the vet. Apparently, I had an ulcerated cornea, and when the standard treatment didn’t work, I was referred to a specialist, who told me that I needed expensive surgery imminently, or I would lose my eye. As it was a pre-existing condition, the PDWRA agreed to pay the costs. I was then forced to wear the cone of shame for weeks, but thankfully, with the swift action from my humans and help from PDWRA I have been able to keep my eye.
A little while later I began to take interest in Rupert’s toys and so Melissa gave me a toy of my own, and I love it. I don’t play with it very often, but I love to give it a chew from time to time.
When I first came here, I was not used to walking and I had a terrible fear of traffic, but both Myra and Melissa were very patient with me and slowly built up my walking distance, and took time to let me get used to traffic. I still have a go at big vans if they are too close to me but I can now walk by the road without having to be kept on a short lead. I do still have occasional night terrors but even they have got better the longer I’m here.
Sadly, Myra became ill, and so Melissa took over our care as well as looking after her Mum, and in April 2023 we lost Myra. Melissa has now become our sole Human and she has made sure that Rupert and I lost nothing but also gained so much, as we now go on doggy adventures to the forest and other local spaces and we’ve been on holidays to the New Forest and Cornwall. I can now walk up to 7 miles in a day, not bad for a Pug who had never been walking before! Melissa is an actor and film maker and I have actually appeared in a couple of her films, and have even appeared in a travel show for Korean TV.
Thank you PDWRA for all you have done for me and others like me, and I hope that you continue the good work for other Pugs.
