Bowser (formerly Bowzer) has been with us for a few weeks now and there is no doubt that we are head-over-heels in LOVE with him. He is such a charmer and everyone he meets falls quickly under his spell. He is very well behaved at home and on walks - though we are still working on his manners when meeting big dogs. He's doing great though!

On our first weekend with Bowser, we took him to our cottage in Parry Sound and socialized with family members and their pug, Stella. They were fantastic - though a bit jealous at times as they're both huge attention hogs! Bowser absolutely loved sitting on the comfy seats in the boat or under a shady Muskoka chair down by the dock.

He wasn't too enthused with the water though and was not very impressed with his shoreside bath!

Back at home with Sienna, our little Siamese cat, he is amazing; however, Bowser is a little intimidated by her and prefers to watch her (or ignore her) from afar. She is no stranger to pugs though and occasionally tries to rub under his chin to get him to pay attention to her. I am confident they will become the best of friends soon!

In our backyard, Bowser has learned how to sneak the tastiest of snacks by picking his own cherry tomatoes - right off the vines!! He is learning "leave it" and "come" rather quickly now.

Since Bowser had to have quite a few teeth pulled in foster care, we've been trying to take good care of these ones and I'm thrilled to report he LOVES having his teeth brushed every night!

All in all, Bowser is an absolute delight to have around the house, I can't wait to learn more of his adorable little quirks!

Bowzer is a friendly, easy-going companion. He spent time at the Pugalug booth at Woofstock and happily greeted everyone who stopped by to see him. One person asked if she could hold him. Bowzer relaxed contently in her arms as other members of the family petted him. The odd time, when the dogs in the next booth started barking, Bowzer barked in response. A gentle word from me and he stopped and came back to stand with me.

Bowzer had a healthy vet checkup and is ready to adopt. During his dental work, 11 loose teeth were removed. The rest were cleaned, scaled and polished. Regular dental checkups will ensure a long lasting healthy mouth. His breathing was normal and easy during the surgery.

The vet checked Bowzer's soft palate to determine if surgery was needed, to allow better breathing. His palate is within normal range but can be checked at a later date if breathing becomes an issue.

Bowzer does get startled when people walk by him if he is not aware in advance of their approach. When he first came into rescue his reaction was one of alertness, warning growls and sometimes he strained at the leash to lunge at the person. We have been working on his leash reactivity and Bowzer has shown significant improvement. This will need to be continued.

Using treats and positive reinforcement, I call his name and say "sit" or "cookie" to keep his attention while holding a treat in my hand. He has learned to ignore the person walking by. He now walks through crowded streets and did two shifts at Woofstock without becoming fearful.

Bowzer's new owner will have to continue this work, anticipating his reaction to people on the street and getting him to stop and sit when they see the signals that he is going to react BEFORE he reacts.

In the off-leash park, Bowzer is never far from me. If he sees another dog in the distance, he will run about 20 feet or so and then coming running back to my side. Walking around the park, he is always close to me.

He is the first one at the door to greet me, when I get home. He makes a little, high squealing sound of excitement while jumping up. I've been getting him to sit while I put down my stuff.

He integrated well with my 3 dogs and there were no issues to be resolved. He did want to monopolize my attention, when he first came, but he learned to sit quietly with the others. We had 2 other pugs come to visit and he easily accepted them into the house.

Currently Bowzer is on Taste of the Wild kibble. Three times a week he gets canned wet food, Tripett. He has a great appetite and eats a variety of fruits and vegetables as treats. He is always found in the kitchen, when I'm preparing a meal. I use Wellness or Bully Liver Treats for training on our walks.

He will make a wonderful pug friend to any family that adopts him.

Bowzer has nicely settled comfortably into his new foster home. He gets along well with the resident pugs. Bowzer's happy go lucky energy has been very stimulating for them. He has that balance of expressive enthusiasm and yet knows when to tone things down a notch. When I come home he is right there to greet me, making funny little squeals of delight. I ask the resident pugs to take note of how happy Bowzer is to see me (they express their joy in their own way - corresponding to the energy level of their age).

I have been working on his leash manners and he has improved 100%. Using small treats in my hand, I call his attention whenever any human or dog walks by. At first, he was very excited to be in a new neighbourhood and wanted to greet everyone. But he has learned that he can explore but when I call for is attention, he sits immediately and watches me.

The big test was walking alongside a children's soccer tournament the other night. Bowzer dutifully stayed by my side and barely noticed all the busy activity.

At night he lies at the end of the bed, resting his head on my foot.

Bowzer goes in for his dental work on June 26th. At that time,his palate will be examined to determine if he needs to have surgery to help him breath more easily.

Bowzer is a 5 year old fawn male, an owner surrender who has been in foster care for a little over a week. He was a little nervous of the big dogs that live in his foster home, and he showed his feelings by barking and chasing them. Over the past couple of days, this has decreased a fair bit and he is starting to settle in very well. He is enjoying playing in the backyard and then is happy to curl up on the couch to watch playoff hockey. He is a big boy with a good appetite and could stand to lose 2-3lbs.

Bowzer has been for his first vet check up, and received his rabies vaccination. His blood work results were good and his fecal sample was negative for parasites. His veterinarian feels that Bowzer needs a dental, which he will have on May 29th. He will have his soft palate examined during his dental, as he is a very noisy panter. If his palate needs to be shortened, it will be done in a separate procedure from his teeth cleaning. Then he will have his DHPP vaccination 3 weeks after that. His is a healthy boy.