360 pugs rescued since October, 2005
Pickles has been with us for 6.5 months now. She has made great strides in the weight department; she has lost a total of 8 pounds, leaving her 1 pound away from her goal weight. She's definitely feeling great as she is chasing after tennis balls in the park and she loves going for long adventures/walks without being winded. When we think she's tired, she proves us wrong and she has endless energy to play more. With the weight loss, she has also become even more irresistibly cute and can fit into many stylish bandanas, bowties and costumes. Her barking during walks has improved, although she has her bad days; she now just barks at bigger dogs and spooky things during our night walks. She is officially becoming a city gal, as she now is able to go on the TTC with no fear jumping on the seat like an average commuter. She is still very shy with new people until she gets to know them, but she will take any treat off someone's hand. She is one healthy pug who eats an assortment of veggies (zucchinis, broccoli, spinach, carrots, cucumbers) to help keep her weight down, and she never fusses over eating her vegetables. Pickles gives us a laugh every single day with her quirky antiques and we are so happy that we have given her a forever home. We have even started an instagram for Pickles (@miss.picklesthepug) because we cant get enough of her!
Pickles has been adopted by her foster family. Stay tuned for a happy tails soon!
Pickles has recovered well from her dental surgery. She is now getting daily teeth cleaning with a finger toothbrush, which she doesn't mind, as long as it comes with a treat. We did have a small scare with Pickles' stitches coming apart from her cyst removal site. All was okay though and the vet said it would just heal on its own, which it did! However, we did need to make a third trip to the vet as Pickles developed another ear infection, despite daily hygiene care. She was given more ear drops and we changed her food. So far we are in the clear and another ear infection has not emerged. Finally, Pickles has been started on joint supplements for her arthritis and it seems to be agreeing with her. She's more active and seems to be less stiff.
Pickles' anxiety is also slowly improving. She gets rewarded on walks when she is triggered by the sight of another dog and the barking has lessened. Her "stranger danger" has improved. Pickles is such a smart girl and remembers the people that she meets and is far more calm and collected when she meets them a second time. Although the number of treats might suggest otherwise, Pickles is still on her bikini diet. We keep her treats healthy and she still enjoys her food. We've hit a bit of a plateau at the moment and those final 3lbs are proving to be much harder to shed than the initial 5.5lbs. We're still making progress though, it's just going to take a bit longer to reach her goal weight.
It is just amazing how great Pickles looks now and how much more comfortable she is in her body. She is jumping on the couch and running everywhere, which she couldn't have done when she first arrived. It's hard to even believe that she's the same dog. She is getting cuter every day and every day you can expect to get a laugh from her quirky personality. It's been wonderful helping her become the best version of herself and we have no doubt that she'll find her perfect home quickly when that day comes!
Pickles has settled nicely into our home and is enjoying foster life. She loves her squeaky toys and going for walks. Pickles is a smart little cookie too and has learned how to sit and give a paw! In fact, she's learned them so well that she just wants to give a paw every time she sees a treat! Speaking of treats, her diet has been going well and she has lost a whopping 4 pounds! Just another 4 pounds to go and Pickles will be at her goal weight. Needless to say, we're thrilled with her progress and we think she is pretty happy about it too!
Recently, Pickles visited the vet for a check-up and her blood work results came back great! She did have a minor infection in her nose folds and ears, but that has since cleared up. She now tolerates daily wrinkle cleanings because she knows she is going to get a treat for doing so; such a smart girl. The vet had noticed that some of Pickles' teeth were crowded and loose and that she had moderate plaque build up. A full dental cleaning was done this week along with some tooth extractions, but Pickles is recovering well. She has to eat soft canned food for two weeks, but Pickles isn't complaining as she goes nuts for it! Her breath is no longer stinky too, which is a bonus for us!
During the dental cleaning, Pickles also received her microchip and had a small cyst removed. We had noticed that Pickles' often bunny-hopped during walks and it turns out she has moderate arthritis in her hips, according to an x ray. Pickles will start on some joint supplements and will likely continue to improve as she loses more weight.
In the behaviour department, we are slowly working on her fear of new people and other dogs. Treats are coming in handy during walks so that she doesn't start barking and guarding. In addition, she gets lots of treats when new people come into our home. It takes some time for Pickles to trust new people, but once she doesn't think you're a "pug burglar," she will give you an occasional little kiss and want you to pet her forever!
It'll be a little while yet before Pickles will be ready for her forever home, but once she finds that special family, we have no doubt that they will love her just as much as we do!
Pickles came into our household one week ago. At the first, she was apprehensive about the change in environment and her new foster family. Thankfully, with treats and attention, she quickly turned around that day and her personality started to show. Once she trusted us, she let us into her quirky behaviours and lovable personality. Pickles is one to follow you around, panting and staring and wanting to be pet. She loves her squeaky toys, often wanting to play fetch and tug of war. She spins in circles when she is excited, for things such as food, walks, and simply greeting you. She is a heavier set gal, so day one was the first day of her new lean diet. She loves the green bean addition to her food, and we've already noticed her starting to slim down. She is adjusting to her new treats as well, which are cucumbers, carrots, apples and lean dehydrated chicken breast. She celebrated her sixth birthday in our household with a refreshing bath, and cleaning of her ears and folds. Although she's not a fan of daily hygiene cleaning, with a treat it's easier. She is great to walk, though she does enjoy barking at people and dogs. She is getting four walks a day which she enjoys at her own pace. Pickles has an upcoming vet visit scheduled to see how to see how she is doing at her young age of six. Stayed tuned for the results of that visit.
