Josette finds her final happy place - March 24, 2007

Enter Christie, Mike and their dog Hannah. They were looking for a companion for Hannah, who had similiar emotional problems. At our initial meet and greet, they all fell in love with Josette. And Josette, in her own way, showed them she was ready to bond her life to them.

Today, Hilary whispered a tearful goodbye to one she became very close to, had to, in order to foster trust in this little pug once again. And her new family will continue to build that trust so that Josette will be able to live out her life as a canine companion.

Josette - a gentle pug ready to begin again - March 10

"We think Josette may be ready to find a forever home but need to stress that she is not for everyone. She is healthy, apart from the occasional interdigital cyst which can be fixed with antibiotic ointment. Her right eye is cloudy and she needs Optimmune ointment in it twice a day.

She is potty-trained. Her socialization skills have progressed a great deal, but any potential adopter will have to recognize that this will be an ongoing challenge with no guarantee of ultimate success. I doubt Josette will ever be entirely comfortable around humans or a high energy environment. Puppies, young active dogs, children and very social adults will not be a good match for her. She is afraid of wide open spaces so going for walks is out of the question; so a fenced yard will be essential for pottying.

After three months in the foster home, she continues to run away from her foster parents when approached and barks at strangers. Her adoptive home must be somewhere that barking will not be an issue with neighbours. With gentle handling she has allowed her foster mother to cuddle her for short periods of time but clearly doesn't enjoy it much. She is food aggressive and must be fed separately, and she will defend herself from other dogs if she thinks they are threatening her. However, since she's aloof with humans, she does enjoy the company of dogs so a home with another quiet dog would be preferred.

This little girl, who spent all of her 7-10 years in a cage in a puppy mill has come a long way since she was rescued, but at her advanced age may never fully come around to acting like a normal pug. If you want a loving dog who will cuddle with you on the couch, who will play with you or your pet, or who you can take to work or on outings, Josette is not for you. If you are interested in working hard to gain Josette's trust and will be content with small advancements, and can handle the thought that she may never give back to you what you give to her, then please apply for her specifically. She's worth it. We encourage you to call or email her foster mother to discuss any questions you may have."

Contact Hilary at dorricottdavies@hotmail.com

Foster Update, February 3rd

"In the last month, I feel Josette is more comfortable with our routine and with me. She will allow me to cuddle her for a while without fighting but still runs from me when I approach. She stills barks at Bryan every single time he comes into the room. She sleeps near a pillow between us on big bed quite happily but if we go to move her, she scurries away. Obviously there is some lingering trauma in her mind of what happens to her when she's picked up. She lets me put Optimmune in her eye and let me trim her nails last week. She even comes and lies on a dog bed beside the computer once in a while. It will be a long, long time before this little girl learns to trust humans. But she is quite comfortable with the other dogs and often curls up with them.

Josette is potty trained now but does not do "walkies". Still fearful of the wide open outdoors, she has had little chance or desire to venture off the deck in this cold, snowy weather.

She loves her food. She also loves the other dogs' food and will steal it at the slightest opportunity. Some days I have to feed her in a separate room. As a result, she has gained some much-needed weight. It is quite funny to see her first thing in the morning bouncing and jumping, tail a-wagging in anticipation of breakfast.

Foster Update, January 3rd

Josette went through a few days of loose stools and lack of appetite, to the point where I almost took her to the vet. It may have been a combination of holiday stress, too much raw turkey (which is rich) and liver training treats. She has now recovered fully and has a VERY healthy appetite.

We are making some progress with potty training outdoors but she continues to do her business on the deck as she fears the open space in the backyard. I have started putting her food bowl on the grass (thankful for no snow) to get her more secure off the deck. I truly think she wants to be close to us but doesn’t know how to handle it. All in good time.

Foster Update, Dec 5

Josette was terrified again. She shook like a leaf all the way to the vet and once in the office hunkered down to the floor as though we were going to hit her. The vet says she’s every day of 7 and could be as old as 10. Her tummy sutures came out fine and there is no indication of mastitis or infection of any kind. She is no longer lactating. He says her abdomen should shrink back as much as 50% but she’s had so many litters, there’s little elasticity left. Again he left the stenotic nare sutures to dissolve. Her temperature, heart rate and weight are good. He suggests we wait on getting a blood panel done until her hormones have normalized.

Whatever teeth she has left are useless as they are worn right down to the gum line, probably from chewing on the wire bars. He says she probably can’t eat solid food. When I said she got slop in the morning and raw meaty bones at night, he seemed pleased. Her weight is 15 lbs, down from over 17 lbs at the November 20th vet visit. However, she is eating well here and I will ensure she gets ample portions. He checked Josette’s eyes and said she has PK which is not going to reverse itself at this stage. But we got Optimmune to arrest its progress. My heart melts for her when I think of what she has endured that has made her so vulnerable physically and emotionally. It will be a long, slow process but we’ll do our best to get her happy and healthy.

Foster Update, Dec 3

Josette is going to be much harder than Ginger to rehabilitate. She is very afraid of human approach and would not settle down to sleep last night until I finally brought the crate indoors and opened the door to it. She went in and settled quickly. She spent a couple of hours before that humping Ginger. She had a pup on November 13th and they took the pup away from her breast and handed him to another bitch when they turned Josette over to rescue.

She is still lactating. Nevertheless, she was spayed on November 20th and had stenotic nare surgery. With all this rough handling and trauma, no wonder she's afraid of humans. She also appears to have had many litters as her teats hang down almost to the floor. When she sits, they get in the way and I'm sure it's hard for her to get comfortable. I will try to get a picture of her underpinnings tomorrow. She doesn't like to be handled and we haven't pushed it. Her teeth are worn and she had a lower incisor extracted. She is not housebroken and I don't want to put britches on her in case they irritate her sutures. When she pees, there is a bit of bloody discharge with it.

She has quite severe starfish paws. She has had some hesitation in eating when I or other dogs are near. This evening I sat with her in another room and she eventually let me hold her chicken drumstick while I talked quietly to her. That's good progress, I think. She has some eye problems with corneal edema in the middle of her right eye.

My lot have been very good with them and there have been no issues, except the usual jealousy thing from Daisy when I smooch with someone else. But that just means lots of cuddles for everyone. We'll see what big bed brings.

Introduction, Dec 2nd, 2006

This is the initial assessment that came from Prairie Pugs Rescue.
Josette weighs 17.4 lbs. Had a puppy two weeks ago that was pulled the night before we got her. She is VERY SHY AND TIMID. Both Ginger and Josette came from the same puppy mill with horrible conditions. I am not sure how old they are. I would say 5-7 years old.