Adopted

Jem left today to live with Shannon, Shawn and Geeg in Cambridge. He will have lots of ball playing, pug wrestling and exciting riverside walks in his new home. It's been a long road for the little man, but a safe haven found at the end of the line.

Jem is a delightful 10 month old black pug. He had a very severe case of demodectic mange which is an immune issue and is not contagious. There is a remote possibility that it may recur, but can be managed. Caution should be taken around vaccinations as they will suppress his immune system.

He can become aggressive around dropped food/treats and toys, particularly with males. We have worked on this, but adopter should be aware that he can get into it with other dogs around these items and needs to be monitored. No issues with people.

Although Jem is 10 months old, he has many younger puppy behaviours (finger and hand chewing, pant leg pulling, eating inappropriate items). He is still catching up developmentally. Because he was so ill with his mange, he missed the formative socialization periods as a younger puppy so can be socially inappropriate with other dogs, especially males. It's like "dog" is his second language and he doesn't understand the nuances. So he will need a home with patience, consistency and positive training methods. He should only live with older children as he is rambunctious and will eat anything on the floor (toys, socks, pencils).

He is VERY bright and learns quite quickly. He is also a busy guy and will need regular off leash exercise. He is, however, a delight to walk on leash. He loves toys and especially squeaky tennis balls.

He is well house trained, but will resist going out in the rain.

Foster Update - July 3

Jem continues to make progress both medically and behaviourally. I've begun some crate training with him to help calm him down when he get over stimulated. He still has significant tendency to guard high value items like bones. However, it is only with other dogs (and my cats) and not with people. He will likely never be trust worthy in an open area with bones so I monitor him closely or place him in his crate or X-pen for bones. He will fight over a bone and occasionally over dropped food so we are careful with this behaviour. He still can become over stimulated in an open play environment with other dogs, but this is improving and I've learned the signals of his hyper arousal. I quietly take him out and let him calm down before returning to the game.

He does best with females, but has a few selected males with whom he is good. For some reason, he LOVES beagles.

He LOVES to play fetch and will happily chase a ball (as long as it squeaks, too). He also uses his nose like a hunting dog to find a lost ball. I've never seen a pug "quarter" a space the way Jem does and it does make me wonder if he has some beagle in him somewhere down the line.

He continues to be excellent on leash and shows no reactivity or tendency to go over the top while on leash.

Here kitty kitty kitty

Foster Update - June 15

We've been working alot on his behaviour. He's been very under socialized and has had a hard time interpreting other dog behaviours. He had a tendency to operate on the "Best defence is a good offence" principle. He has improved alot with time and exposure to other dogs and different situations. A bit thank you goes to Buddy and Donnie-O (and Brenda and Doug) for helping Jem learn that play is fun and not an attack. He loves bigger dogs and plays happily with them although he's a bit of a screamer when he plays. I am careful with big dogs, however, as Jem still tends to present a bit awkwardly and could be vulnerable to a reactive dog. Although Jem doesn't initiate a fight, if one is going on, he will get into the thick of it without understanding what's going on.

He has learned to sit for a treat--this took a long time as he didn't want to sit on hard surfaces initially. And he has nice leash manners--learning "wait" and "heel".

He is shaping up into a nice little man and with continued work and socialization will be all the pug that he can be. It will still be some weeks before we can do another skin scraping to see where he's at with the mites.

He's an extremely cuddly boy when he's finished playing and so far, is very good with cats that like dogs (he likes to play with my cat, Sonny) and with children. He is young, exuberant and uses his paws alot so really little children might not be the best for him.

Foster Update - May 26

Jem is progressing well and has the beginnings of hair growth. It's at the bristley stage, but it is hair! His dry and cracked skin has begun to heal and he is much more comfortable and looks less ill. His energy has increased dramatically and he now zips around the house happily and plays with toys. He gets Aveeno Oatmeal soaks regularly and is also rubbed with a variety of essential oils to help his skin heal. He has lost some weight, which surprised us all, but we suspect that it is partly him getting more exercise and partly his body burning calories trying to heal. I've increased his rations so that he can have enough reserves to continue to fight the demodex and put on some much needed weight.

He is well enough to be neutered and goes in on the 27th. He has displayed some behaviours with the resident dogs that made neutering early a good idea. He appears to be somewhat "delayed" in his understanding of dog behaviour and has a tendency to interpret a mild correction from a dog or an invitation to play as an attack. Neutering may help reduce his tendency to be challenging, but it will also require slow and gentle exposure to dogs and play. He is slowly learning the rules and has begun to be less of a pill with Tank.

He continues to be a sweetheart with all people and is very snuggly. He has graduated to the big bed where he snuggles in between me and Hazel. He is good with my cats and is not really sure what they are, but doesn't object to being rubbed up against.

Many thanks to designer and seamstress Karen Marlikowski for making Jem's outfits. We put out a call for some clothes to help protect his skin. Karen delivered the 2 outfits, pictured below, the next day

Foster Update - May 10

Jem has demodectic mange, a heart murmur (which he may grow out of), conjunctivitis and giardia (an internal parasite). He is severely immune compromised which is why he has such a severe case of demodectic mange. We are currently working on boosting his immune system, feeding him up on a quality food and medicating him for his various infections and infestations.

As a result of his mange, he has lost most of his fur and his skin is dry, cracked and smelly. His poor little feet are very tender, too.

He is a very sweet boy and we hope that in a couple of months, he will look externally like the handsome boy he is inside. He is quite skinny, but very tall and long and has enormous feet. He loves people and displays no behavioural issues in spite of his very rough start in life.

He was finally able to get a good nigh't sleep (see pictures). It is a small step to a long recovery, but a very hopeful sign.

Introduction - May 4

I met him for the first time at his foster home and gasped at what I saw. He came running up with the other pugs, wanting to greet, give kisses and get a pat. His paws are so sore that he has to hobble a bit to get around. I picked him up and gently held him in my arms until I could hear the heart beat slow and the snoring kick in. The skin was raw to the touch. Despite several Aveeno Oatmeal baths, I could still smell the disease on his body.

Jem is going to take a few months to get back to a state of healthiness.

Stay tuned for updates and send some good healing thoughts his way.

Larry