360 pugs rescued since October, 2005
Charlie came to us during Thanksgiving weekend and, from the moment he arrived, it was like he had always been a part of our family. He made himself at home quickly and immediately took over a chair in the family room. It is now known as Charlie's chair. He even started sleeping with our daughter on the end of her bed right from the first night and continues to sleep amongst her stuffies every night.
Charlie loves his daily walks, except when it rains. He says he doesn't like to get his feet wet. So far he doesn't seem to mind the snow, but I'm pretty sure that the deeper it gets, the more he'll mind having to walk in it.
Charlie, like most pugs, loves his food and treats. He is very vocal when it comes to wanting breakfast and dinner and his treats, which include carrots, apples and bartlett pears!
He is a fun loving little fella who is learning to enjoy his toy giraffe and a good wrestle along with many snuggles during the day! In general Charlie, myself, my husband and our daughter consider ourselves as the luckiest family in the world and can't thank Pugalug Pug Rescue enough for giving us the opportunity to have Charlie join in our family to continue on his life's journey. As our daughter says "Charlie is not just a dog ... he is our 4-legged family member."
Charlie Brown is an incredibly sweet and handsome 8 year old pug. He is a very youthful guy with lots of energy for playing or taking long walks through the park. He is also very happy to sleep on the couch with his humans while they watch TV or read a book. Charlie started off as quite a humper with his dog buddies but happily, he's discovered many new and less potentially contentious styles of play. Charlie Brown particularly loves running around the yard or park chasing other dogs. He also enjoys a good wrestle. His humping days seem to be mostly behind him.
Although Charlie Brown does not resource guard from humans, he does resource guard from other dogs. He will start a scrap if a dog approaches his food bowl, Kong, or bully stick (anything he considers valuable). He will also attempt to take these items away from other dogs. As such, he needs to be separated with these items when around other dogs. We crate him or put him in an exercise pen while he's eating or working on food toys, but could be taught to enjoy it longer term (presently vocalizes while in crate without food/chew). Because management fails and food accidents happen, we think he might do better in a home without other dogs, or in home with dog of a very dog-dog Resource guarding savvy human.
Charlie Brown came to us with severe skin allergies and a lot of hair loss. With careful management of his food and by continuing with his Prednisone, he's improved greatly over time. We switched him to a kangaroo protein food, which he did very well with, and now we're seeing how he does on Acana Lamb formula (all looks good, so far). Charlie is likely to have permanent hair loss on his chest but rest assured, this does nothing to detract from this boy's incredible good looks. When he starts scratching his chest or licking his feet, a bath with his medicinal shampoo makes a huge difference. He's really good about bath time and it's the best place to clip his nails, as well.
Charlie Brown was a country dog. As such, he can be a watchdog barker with all the new city noises. Furthermore, when he gets over-stimulated, such as with meal time or when his people come home, his barking can be loud and persistent. We're still working on this and it's definitely improving. However, at present, a condo might not be a suitable home for this little man. Charlie also barks when he's crated in the car unless he has a Kong to work on. So, being prepared for long trips is a must. I suspect he might do fine in a seat with a seat belt but we haven't been able to test this out yet. He also jumps up a lot and will leap into your lap when you least expect it!
Charlie Brown has done some fence fighting with the neighbour's dogs. They tend to egg him on and he enjoys barking back and leaping at the fence - did we mention he's a very young 8? We've been working on his recall and he's getting really good at ignoring distractions. When it's more solid, we'll begin training it as a call-away from the fence. Once this is solid, however, it will require constant reinforcement to keep it strong. Charlie told me to say that dehydrated liver snacks are a good choice for reinforcement.
Charlie Brown has done pretty well with housetraining but has done some marking in the house. However, another marker lives with him, which has contributed to the problem. A belly band overnight has worked well and he's a total champ about putting it on and wearing it. It's unclear how he'll do in a home without another dog's urine scent but it's not uncommon to expect some marking with any new dog the first week or so in a new home.
On August 17th, Charlie Brown had 12 teeth extracted. They were in rough shape and he definitely seems happier about having his mouth touched. We're getting him used to a finger toothbrush and things are going very well. Furthermore, his kisses are now much fresher and more welcome. He is very happy about this! Charlie Brown is a really sweet boy who is learning lots of new skills. He'll need a bit of patience as he refines these skills but he's totally worth it. He loves people and other dogs, and will make some lucky person or family a wonderful, loyal companion.
Since arriving, Charlie Brown has lost a bit of weight and now is a more sleek 26lbs. He goes in for his dental next week and we suspect it will make his mouth feel a lot better. Once we get the okay from the vet, we'll start working on a teeth brushing regimen.
By watching what he eats, CB's skin has improved greatly and a lot of his neck and chest hair has grown back. Some areas may remain hairless, but it certainly does nothing to take away from his handsome good looks. He still takes prednisone and gets a weekly bath to keep things under control. I've found he will let me do his nails in the bathtub. This discovery is great news because he sure hated having them done when he arrived. The after bath mayhem is no less hilarious than it was on Day 1 and has bought us lots and lots of laughs.
CB is still quite a barker. He is easily over-stimulated and has a bit of a hard time calming down, which leads to some very barky moments. When I leave the house, I can hear his loud disapproval for the first few minutes. Furthermore, the novel sounds of the city take a lot of getting used to and a horn still has him running and barking to search out the source of that strange "bark." However, we're moving in the right direction here. He is much less vocal than upon arrival. In contrast to his barking, his happy noises while rolling on the couch need to increase in frequency, as far as we're concerned. They are absolutely adorable. CB really is a sweet and happy little guy.
I've recently introduced bully sticks and stuffed Kongs into CB's diet since his skin is doing so well. The good news is that he loves them and we're finding they cause little to no itching. The bad news is that, having been an only child, CB resource guards these prized possessions from his foster siblings and will start a quarrel if someone gets too close. Management comes to the rescue - moving CB to a crate or ex-penned area solves the problem. I was already feeding him this way (so he couldn't get into anyone else's food that might be an allergy issue) so it was a quick fix.
Some more great news - CB has learned to play in a more universally acceptable manner. Yep...his humping has decreased significantly making his playmates generally happier. He now likes tag and wrestling and humping just doesn't measure up the same way. In other news, his foster brother and Pugalug alum, Henry, now looooves to hump Charlie Brown - good grief! (See what I did there?) CB is such a good sport about it all, especially considering Henry wasn't always so accommodating.
We still use a belly band overnight with CB to keep him from having any marking accidents. His foster brother, Henry, marks so we have a bit of a hard situation in this house where they try to cover one another's spot. The belly band is super successful in preventing these competitions though.
CB has been going on group walks with lots of other dogs and he is a total champ. He can be vocal in the car, but a Kong or bully stick in the crate solves this problem. CB loves the park and has gotten along great with all the new dogs. He tends to bark at the bigger ones at first, but before long they are all his buddies.
CB is a really sweet boy with a handsome and expressive face that almost no one can resist kissing. He is adjusting so well to all the new experiences and changes in his world and we know he'll make a lucky family really, really happy.
Charlie Brown is an 8 year old who came to Pugalug as an owner surrender. We describe him as a "young 8". He is very handsome and is quickly discovering how fun other dogs can be. Charlie Brown is a big boy, weighing in at 27lbs, and could certainly afford to lose a couple pounds although he is quite fit, overall.
Charlie Brown has been suffering from severe skin allergies. However, a change in diet and careful management has improved the situation drastically. Some of the hair on his chest and neck has even started to fill in. He rarely scratches now and the shirts he was wearing during his first week and a half have come off. Hopefully, he'll keep making strides in this direction.
It took CB about five nights to let his foster Mom sleep through the night, but now he's a total champ and sleeps through the whole night with zero problems. He did some marking at first, but it seems to have stopped. A belly band also completely solved the problem when it was happening. Such a good boy! There has also been some improvement in his over-arousal/excitement barking when he sees us after some absence or when his dinner is ready. I think with time and some work on impulse control behaviours, this issue will continue to improve. However, he is a vocal little man who barks at new sights and sounds.
CB had his vet visit on July 6th. The vet thinks he suffers from environmental allergies (in addition to the food allergy), but we're waiting to see how he progresses with the new diet. We are also continuing to give him the Prednisone, which he was already taking, and bathe him twice a week with medicinal shampoo. He's really good about getting his baths and is quite entertaining during the drying off process - he rolls and flops and spins and slides. It is adorable! CB also was diagnosed with a mild (grade 1) systolic heart murmur. His teeth are in rough shape and he'll be going in for a dental cleaning and extractions in August, which should improve his quality of life quite a bit.
CB could be described as a professional humper. Yep, it's true. This behaviour seems to be his main form of play and interaction with his pug brothers (and ONLY his pug brothers - he definitely has a type). However, there has been a bit more wrestling and tag type games going on in the last few days. Hopefully, his foster brothers will continue to expand his horizons in play options and styles.
Overall, CB is a lovely boy with tons of charm and amazing qualities. He loves giving kisses and is really as sweet as can be. I cannot wait to see how he does after his dental work and skin irritations have improved. In the meantime, we will enjoy every minute of his company!
