Jake and Betsy adopted - together for life - April 29th

Bryan fell madly in love with them and the feelings seem to be mutual. Betsy gives us kisses with her pretty little pink tongue and has learned to ask out to do her business. She’s such a clever girl. Jake is unconditional love and follows me everywhere, even sleeping draped over my body at night.

They will be safe, warm and much loved with the Pugpillow Gang. Thanks to Pugalug Rescue and all the individuals throughout the world (!) who were so compassionate and contributed to their journey here.

Hilary

Double your Pug enjoyment with Jake and Betsy - April 10

Wee Betsy is the spryest 11 year-old pug I’ve ever seen. A proper little lady, she has a sweet disposition and loves to cuddle. Her preferred sleeping place is under the covers in big bed, although she is comfortable in her crate too. She can use doggy-steps well, both up and down. We’re not sure if she has poor hearing or just doesn’t understand voice commands, but with a little coaxing she soon follows direction.

A little more patience is needed with her potty-training but she has made great progress since coming into foster. Prospective adoptive homes should not have young dogs as Betsy's activity level needs to be limited to prevent coughing. She needs a forever family who will dote on her and give her lots of affection, and may do better in a family with another older pug, probably male. This little cutie endears herself to anyone she meets.

These loving eyes are looking for the right one

He loves to lie at your feet and gaze up lovingly, and follows you around the house wherever you go. His eyesight is not good but it doesn’t seem to impede him. He is having some dental surgery next week and will be looking for a loving home shortly thereafter. Jake needs a home with lots of love, fun and moderate activity in it. I defy anyone not to fall in love with Jake."

The Jake and Betsy Story, March 27

The hearts of many people were touched and within about three hours, a plan to help these pugs started gathering momentum. Volunteers with pug rescue organizations across the U.S. and independent pug lovers around the world offered to drive long distances, or to chip in for gas money and accommodation to help others transport Jake and Betsy to whatever rescue could take them. The same night, volunteers from Pugalug Rescue offered their services if transport across the continent could be arranged. Jake & Betsy's people agreed to hold off putting them down for a day while Roxane could figure out how to get them to Toronto. Another lady, Kendie from California, jumped in and was very instrumental in pulling the logistics together.

The next morning Peg in Reno, Nevada, asked her son Byron if he would drive them during his spring break from school. Byron graciously agreed. First he drove to the San Francisco area to pick the pugs up and took them home to Reno (700 km round trip) where he and Peg fostered them for ten days until their Great Adventure began on March 19. While in Reno, they were vet checked, had their shots updated, were microchipped and tested negative for heartworm. They also got new harnesses, tags and seat belts, and won the love of everyone they met. What a change to live indoors and be spoiled rotten instead of being kept outdoors and sleeping in a doghouse!

Byron, accompanied by his friend Ashley, had volunteered to drive them right through to Ontario, but when the logistics were sorted out he had time to get them only as far as Chicago (return driving time of about 60 hours) in order to get back home in time for class the next week. Mary and Kent from near Cleveland, offered to pick them up in Indiana and bring them through the border and on to Toronto, total travel time of about 20 hours. En route, the pugs and their transporters were accommodated at the homes of pug lovers in Utah, Nebraska and Ohio. The people (and there were many) who offered their homes and contributed to gas and food along the way had never met Byron or Kent and Mary, but were brought together by their common love of pugs and the urge to save the lives of these two pugs in particular. The love, generosity and effort of so many caring humans has just extended the lives of these two lucky pugs and proven that animal lovers are among the best in the world!

Jake and Betsy are adorable. They traveled happily and well and have had no problem adjusting to the many changes they've undergone or integrating into their Pugalug foster home. Sure, they need to work on potty-training and bedtime manners, but that is understandable given their past life of living outdoors. They love human interaction and give kisses and cuddles without reservation. Both have their tails up all the time, with much wagging. They are clearly happy to be given some loving attention.

They have just been vet-checked in Ontario and were pronounced in quite good shape for their ages. Jake just turned 10 and Betsy is 11. They are remarkably energetic and spry but also love to settle down and snooze at your feet or on the couch. Betsy can actually jump onto the couch with ease and they both use the doggy-steps with no problem. Jake has an interesting rolling gait, like a horse cantering, which is due to two fused vertebrae and arthritis in his front right leg. He will have to be given glucosamine for this. The vet says he is completely blind, although his behaviour would suggest otherwise and he blinks when I wave my hand in front of his eyes. At 15.6 lbs, he needs to gain a couple of pounds, which should be no problem now that he's eating twice a day, as he as a good appetite, to say the least. Betsy is a good weight at only 13.2 lbs.

Although Betsy has a moderate heart murmur (3-4 level on a scale of 1-6), the vet says this is not something to worry too much about. She has a bad cough which manifests when she is excited, under stress or at bedtime, probably caused by a collapsing trachea. The vet says that she should be kept quiet and stress-free as much as possible although this condition "won't be what does her in" when her time comes. Other than that, Betsy is quite healthy. Jake has a very mild heart murmur and has heavy breathing when he plays or gets excited. He did have a yeast infection in his ear but it seems to have cleared up. Both pugs' teeth are in bad shape, Jake's more than Betsy's. He has gingivitis and will probably have to have 4 teeth removed. Betsy has a couple of fractured canine teeth which won't be treated as it would be too risky to put her under anesthesia with her heart condition.

Once they made some progress on potty-training will be ready to make some forever family or families extremely happy. Did I say they were adorable?