360 pugs rescued since October, 2005
Coco is an absolute superstar. We can hardly remember what life was like without him.
When Coco arrived home for the first time, he immediately staked his claim on 50% of the King sized bed and a respectable amount of space in the centre of the living room. Since then, he has been dutiful in reminding us when mealtime is approaching and ensuring that an appropriate amount of attention is paid to him at all times.
Coco's daily pleasures include: sleeping in for as long as possible, strolling around the neighbourhood, investigating in the park, barking at sirens (and the occasional goose), playing games, receiving belly rubs, and coaxing his afternoon snack from us a few minutes early whenever possible.
Some of Coco's most exciting adventures have involved visiting "Grandma's house" (as she likes to say) where space is abundant and extra attention is always available. He has yet to win the affection of their cat, but you can't expect a feline to be so easy going as to allow a pug to sniff his bum.
Coco has just enrolled in Life Skills class for grownup pups and is excited to focus on his education this summer. He has been introduced to a kind and capable veterinarian and is beginning to reconsider his distaste for the veterinary profession. Although he's still not a fan of being poked or prodded, the waiting room doesn't seem like such a scary place.
We most admire Coco's playful personality, his adorable expressions, and his ability to make almost anyone smile. He is the best part of every day and we love him very much.
Thank you for allowing us to be his family.
Coco is a very loving 5 year old, black pug. He loves to play with toys. He sleeps with his blankets and likes to suck on the blankets while he sleeps. He particularly likes to play with his football and soccer ball that are very close to his size.
Coco walks very well on a leash and loves to explore the neighbourhood on his walks. He likes to meet new people on his walks and in the house.
He is a bit of a bully with dogs his own size. Coco is much better with female dogs that are larger than he is. He would do best in a home where he is the only dog and he does not need to compete for attention.
Coco is crated when in the car and when he needs quiet time at home.
He is on a very strict diet grain free diet due to his allergies that were reported before he came to rescue. He has not had any issues while in foster care but it would be best to keep his current regimen of grain free food and carrots for treats. This will keep his allergies at bay and aid in his weight loss. He has lost 7 pounds so far and has about 3 more to go to get to his ideal weight.
Coco has an extreme fear of going to the vet?s office to be examined. The adopter must be willing to continue to work with him on this fear.
He is a very smart and loyal boy to his people. He would defend his people if he thought they were being threatened.
Coco is a real character who enjoys spending time with his people but isn?t overly cuddly for long periods of time. He is happy just to be close to his people for the most part. He doesn?t particularly like to be picked up or held and will struggle strenuously to be let go.
He is a quiet boy until close to mealtime. Then Coco runs around the house and tells you that it is his mealtime!
Coco is a very sweet boy who is well worth the extra effort to help him get over his fears.
Here is an update on Coco (now also known as "Nut Butt" because of his tendency toward craziness).
Coco has not had any issues with allergies since he arrived. I have him on Now Grain Free kibble and he is doing really well with that. Although I originally thought it might be needed, he was not transitioned to the kangaroo diet as it was obvious that the grain-free food did the trick! Coco has also been doing very well with his weight loss, having lost a whopping 6 pounds since arriving! He only has 3 more pounds to go before he reaches his ideal weight!
We have been working on his fear issues with his ear drops and the vet. I am happy to report that his issues with having his ears and scruff of the neck touched are behind him. He now strangely loves to have his ears and neck rubbed. However, his fear of going to the vet is still a work in progress. I am going to go to our local 24 hour emergency vet this week to see if I can start bringing him there for regular visits as their hours are better. We are hoping that with repeated visits for love and treats (instead of pokes and prods), Coco will learn that the vet is an okay place to visit after all.
Coco continues to love his walks and is still very willing to go outside in any weather, which is such a rarity in this house. All of the other dogs act like we are sending them to certain death if we want them to go outside in rain or snow.
The one thing that we have noticed about Coco since his arrival is that he can get overstimulated on occasion. When that happens, we send him to his house to calm down. It works really well for him and he really enjoys having a place that is all his own. He will often stash toys in there or conversely, he enjoys pulling things out of his house (like blankets) and running around the house with them.
Overall, Coco is a funny little guy, who is very entertaining. We have enjoyed watching him come out of his shell and showing us all of his hilarious little quirks! He has been a wonderful little pug to foster!
Coco has been to the vet for his wellness check. He was given a mostly clear bill of health with the exception of a new ear infection. The vet changed his drops with the hope that these ones will clear up his ear challenges once and for all. On a happier note however, Coco has lost quite a bit of weight since he arrived and only has about 3 pounds to go before he is down to his fighting weight.
Outside of his poor ear issues, Coco is continuing to learn to play nice with the other fur kids in the house and has been enjoying hanging out on all the furniture. Of course, we are enjoying his company as well!
Coco is a 4 year old male pug who finds himself in Pugalug through no fault of his own. Having arrived just over a week ago, it is obvious that he has been a well loved by his previous family as he has fit into ours seamlessly (he seems to really enjoy chaos). It is also obvious that Coco has been well-trained in the housebreaking department because he has yet to have an accident since coming into foster care.
In the past, Coco has struggled with allergies and chronic ear infections. So far, we haven't noticed any major symptoms of allergies and he has been taking his ear drops every day without issue - he doesn't like it, but he does it! We have kept Coco on his previous Acana kibble, but he does need to lose a bit of weight so he is on a diet. Fortunately, he's really been enjoying his carrot treats and I don't think the change has affected him one bit!.
Coco is an adorable fella who loves to talk! He will tell his foster family stories about anything and everything! In terms of looks, he is almost completely black except for the neat little white stripes on the underside of his tail and his belly. In true pug fashion, he also has tends to have this adorable expression on his face as though he being constantly surprised by the world. He also loves to play non-stop! When combined with the many nature walks that he goes on, I have no doubt that he'll lose those extra pounds shortly!
In general, Coco is super playful and enjoys wrestling with his fellow Pugalug Rescue, Barack. However, he has had one incident in which he became a bit too excited during playtime and started a fight. This response isn't unheard of with some dogs and we were quickly able to get everyone calmed down and the situation under control. Given his history and past playmates, it may be that he's used to playing with larger dogs and is unsure of how best to play with the small dogs in his foster home. In the upcoming days, we will have a larger dog come and visit to see if he behaves differently. In the meantime, we'll monitor playtime and Coco's excitement levels while also looking for any specific triggers.
