Pugs

I was helping a friend search for a young dog online and was astonished to see the number of pugs available for adoption across the country. Since I work with the local pug rescue group Pug Rescue of Memphis, I certainly was aware of pugs in need of good homes; I just didn't realize there were so many.

So if you think you'd like to be owned by a pug, please check with the local rescue groups first. Rescued pugs make the best pets!

Queen Rosie

Rosie, the oldest, has decided (after all these years) that she is in charge. She has discovered that she can control both humans and most of the four-legged residents of the household just by her bark.

She barks orders from her perch atop the pillows on the corner of the couch--she barks to be placed there, barks to be let down, and barks when anyone gets too close. Should one of us humans decide to take a nap on her couch, we must be careful of where we lay. Basically, if your head touches her pillow, she will sit on your head.

Her pillows are the throne upon which Her Majesty Queen Rosie rests; where she surveys all within her domain, and controls all under her dominion.

Long Live Queen Rosie!

Petunia's Limp

Looks like Petunia just slept wrong, or turned her foot coming down the ramp from bed, or something. The limp had nothing to do with the cancer and is now gone. In fact this morning she actually ran down the hall, something the ol' girl hasn't done in years!

As for that new drug Palladia, I guess we'll just have to wait and see. For now, it doesn't seem Petunia needs it.

Daisy Mae aka "Chewbacca"

We've taken to calling Daisy Mae "Chewbacca" because she chews everything in sight, but her favorite "chew toys" are the throw pillows on the couch, any stuffed animal, and frisbees.

Daisy is a serial murderer of stuffed animals; she prefers to rip the heads off and eat the stuffing out of them. She also spreads the stuffing around the room, so on any given day it looks as though it has snowed indoors. She also likes to chew the corners off the throw pillows and treats them much the same as the stuffed animals--the guts are strewn from one end of the room to the other.

As far as frisbees go, she prefers the hard plastic ones; she chews them up until there is not much left of them. These she prefers to swallow.

It makes for the most interesting poop.

Sebastian, aka "Grumpy Old Man"

Sebastian is just six months younger than Petunia and originally lived next door to us, so we have known him almost his whole life. He came to live with us permanently just a year ago when Miss Lillian, his previous owner, passed away at age 90. That ugly growth he had on the side of his neck when he came to us has been removed and has not returned, but his disposition has gotten progressively grumpier.

Maybe it's because he is the only male with three females, or maybe it's because he was raised by an elderly woman, but I think he is grumpier since Daisy Mae arrived on the scene. As a puppy, she is naturally more energetic and wants to play. As a ten-year-old, Sebastian would rather play couch potato than catch.

Rosie

Our little Rosie has issues; we believe she may have been abused by a former owner, since she weighed just ten pounds when we got her and she didn't know what a toy was.

She has adjusted fairly well over the years, but last year she had some work done on her teeth and while she was under the anesthetic, apparently her blood pressure dropped and they almost lost her. She recovered, but she hasn't been the same since. She is about 14 years old and partially blind and partially deaf, and now she tilts her head to one side when she is stressed. This causes her to walk in circles, or more precisely, figure 8's. She has a path she follows around the yard, avoiding the tree and skirting the bushes, and she manages okay.

In the house Rosie will no longer attempt to use the ramp to get on the couch or bed; now she stands there and barks until you put her on her pillow. She will sit there happily all day until she has to pee or eat or get a drink of water. Then she will bark until you put her on the floor and she accomplishes her mission.

Well lately Daisy Mae has been getting on Rosie's last nerve. Seems Daisy Mae likes to pull the pillow out from under Rosie while she is sitting on it. Daisy then proceeds to rip all the stuffing out of the pillow. This, understandably, makes Rosie a little testy. Daisy also likes to sit on Rosie's pillow while Rosie is on the floor. When you put Rosie back on the couch, she just shoves Daisy out of the way and resumes her post on the pillow in the corner of the couch, all the while expressing her opinion.

Anyway, it's almost dinner time; if I'm not putting the food in the bowls in the next five minutes, Rosie will let me have it!

More about Petunia

Last week Petunia started the day by limping down the hall; I thought perhaps she slept wrong on it, but the limp seemed to become more pronounced as the day went along. I worried at first that it was her cancer acting up (she has a mast tumor on her leg) but it looked like it was one of the other legs that was bothering her. Anyway, I gave her Rimadyl and she seemed less bothered by the limp.

Then yesterday she started limping again, and it is definitely the leg with the tumor. She was avoiding putting any weight on it at all. So tomorrow we call the veterinary oncologist to see what is going on.

I also found the name of the cancer treatment medicine I've been hearing about; it is called "Palladia." I'll ask the doctor about that as well.

Keep good thoughts for Petunia.

Hungry Pugs

Because of Petunia's diabetes, all the pugs are on a strict feeding schedule...no free-range feeding as in the past. Breakfast is at 8:30 am, Petunia's first vetsulin shot is at 9, snack at noon, dinner at 5pm, another snack at 9 pm and then Petunia gets her second shot. All the pugs know the schedule, and if I am busy at shot time, Petunia will come and find me.

Well tonight we had dinner at a friend's house and I was late getting home. As I pulled up into the driveway I could hear the yowling; it was already 6:15 pm! Didn't I realize what time it was?

I opened up the door and stepped back and the herd came charging past me. Since the foster kittens have arrived, I haven't been leaving the back door open, so the pugs had not been outside since, OMG, 4pm!

I immediately started preparing dinner, so now the pugs didn't know what to do--pee or eat? They began running in and out, past each other, as they debated which bodily function took precedence. They all four decided to eat first, pee later. They gobbled down their food like they hadn't eaten in weeks, then immediately demanded to be let outside, and in no uncertain terms, let me know their displeasure at my tardiness.

I promised I wouldn't let it happen again, and they forgave me. We'll see how it goes tomorrow.