360 pugs rescued since October, 2005
Poppy is settling into life in the big city! We have been working with a wonderful trainer to get acclimated to the sights and sounds of the city and on general obedience training (Poppy is much quicker than I am!). Over the last month she's becoming much more social. She has met her human cousin, aunt, uncle and grandmother and became fast friends. We made it out to Pugentine where she had a ball running around with all the other pugs! She's also started going on group walks and is making lots of friends there and at the local dog park.
She still loves treats and belly rubs, and her ducky of course! She's also taken to playing hockey with her bones (or empty food dish) on the wood floors.
There is never a dull moment with Poppy - even when she's sleeping, she's a riot! She has so many adorable habits she's starting to show -- like how she tilts her head side to side when she's trying to figure something out; when she yawns her tongue comes out and curls back in a circle... She wakes me up in the morning with some nice face licking and wants lots of pats and snuggles before starting the day. She loves going for walks in the local park and chasing squirrels and taking advantage of all the new city smells. She also loves digging, and will probably get a sandbox for her first birthday!
Poppy has been adopted. Stay tuned for a Happy Tails.
We have received a good number of applications for Poppy and are currently closing the application process while we go through all the applications we have received. More info will be posted soon.
Poppy is a 7-month-old pug mix. She is a sassy, sweet, and loving girl with her family and foster brother and sister. She loves to run in the backyard and chase squirrels and rabbits. Poppy has a soft, thick, and glossy black coat with only a tiny white spot on her chest.
Poppy loves belly rubs and treats. She enjoys bones or antlers and is happy to trade a "stolen shoe or sock" for a couple pieces of her kibble. She is very food driven and will do almost anything for a treat.
Poppy would do best in a home that will have patience with her puppy ways and continue to work with her on her barking and give her lots of new experiences. She is quite adaptable.
Poppy can be bossy with the other dogs and will bark loudly at them if she thinks they are getting too much attention. She is not mean, and does not ever fight. Poppy would do well with another easy going young dog to play with. She also likes older kids who can play fetch with her or gentle tugging games. Poppy has a favourite ducky toy she loves to work her mouth on.
Poppy will tell you she needs to go outside. She will bark to let you know she needs out and stays clean in her x-pen both at night and during the day. Accidents tend to be the person's fault as they miss her cues rather than Poppy not trying.
Poppy travels very well, she loves to go in the car and wears her seatbelt happily. She will sit quietly or sleep. Poppy is very smart and will learn things quickly. If someone wanted to do training with her she would do well.
She is a love sponge... giving great big kisses. A total character, Poppy is wonderful and whacky, crashing and sleeping deeply after causing as much chaos as she can. She deserves a loving, kind and playful family who will get her brand of fun.
Poppy is doing very well post surgery. She was both spayed and had her cherry eyes fixed all at the Toronto eye clinic by Dr Wolfer and Dr. Hewitt. She became cone free just a couple of days ago.
Poppy, with her big ears and big personality, is quite the character. She loves to torment the resident dogs in attempts to get them to play. She loves toys, chewies and of course treats. Poppy is very food driven, but she is gentle when taking treats. She also loves to give kisses and to cuddle next to you. I suspect this overt affection is how she has managed to make friends everywhere she goes - that and her beautiful, soft and glossy black fur. Everyone loves her fur!
Although small, Poppy is sturdy and loves to walk. She is also quite the barker and when excited, she has a loud voice.
Poppy is young and thus still gets a bit nervous when meeting new people or dogs, however she gets over it quickly and soon becomes their best friend.
Poppy continues to need patience with housebreaking as she is just 6 months old, but she does very well. She will bark to let you know she needs out and stays clean in her x-pen both at night and during the day. Accidents tend to be the person's fault as they miss her cues rather than Poppy not trying.
As a well-travelled pug, Poppy has learned proper car manners and was wonderful on our road trip to Nova Scotia. She enjoyed passing the time by looking out the (closed) windows or chewing on a bone. She also loved the various kids that she met while in Nova Scotia.
Poppy greets us with enthusiasm each morning or when we return from work. She loves to play with you, run in the yard and generally just enjoy life - with some vocal accompaniment. All in all, Poppy is a loving and happy little girl who loves her people, belly rubs and socks and shoes - we keep those last two put up though. Haha!
Poppy turned 5 months old on September 4th and has had quite a growth spurt. She now weighs in at 14 lbs and is having more trouble fitting under the dining room chairs on her zoomie runs.
Recently, Poppy returned from a car trip to Nova Scotia where she charmed everyone she met. Both my parents and sister would have kept her in a heart beat. She is just so lovable! Poppy travels very well in the car, even over those long distances. She loved to sleep in the car next to her people, have little treats in the car to keep her busy and was just a dream companion. She loved to play with her foster cousin in NS as well. I'm sure he will be very disappointed to find her gone.
Like all pups her age, Poppy is full of fun and silliness, which she will sometimes express with a rather piercing bark. She is definitely not suited for apartment life, or even townhouses as she can get quite loud when playing - and Poppy LOVES to play. Unless she is sleeping, Poppy is essentially in constant motion. Her favourite thing is to toss things in the air and then chase them down as they roll away. We are teaching her to play fetch with us as well and she picked it up quite quickly. She comes running right back with the toy and wants us to throw it again - she just doesn't want to give it up temporarily so we can!
Poppy has the biggest, softest and most adorable ears. So much so that most people think that she is an all black Frenchie. She is a smart little girl too. She has learned to sit and wait patiently when given a treat, taking it ever so gently. Poppy also loves to give kisses and will happily roll on her back for belly rubs.
In the next month or two, Poppy will have her cherry eyes fixed and get spayed. Once all of that is done, she will be available for adoption. Given her constant motion, capturing a clear picture has proven quite tricky, but we've included the best ones below.
Poppy is now 4 months old and seems to grow every day, both in size and personality. She is so funny and such a character! Her ears now stand up, which could be the boston terrier part; however, more and more we are seeing French Bulldog in her. Specifically, she has short legs, much shorter than a pug or boston would have, and her body is taking on more of a Frenchie-look. Poppy is still young though so who knows what might come through as she continues to grow.
She is still being fed in her x-pen to allow her to relax while eating. In fact, Poppy becomes so excited when she sees her bowl that she jumps up onto the couch (next to pen) and then leaps down into the pen for her meal. She is like a little flying monkey! Tonight she decided she was tired so she did the same thing - leaped into her pen - but this time she promptly curled up in her bed. It's quite hysterical to watch!
Healthwise, Poppy's cherry eyes are holding their own with no signs of discharge. She will see the specialist again in next few months. Behaviourally, she is getting better about nipping, but is still at the stage where everything goes in her mouth so it's a bit of an uphill battle. We'll keep on it though! She is also obsessed with licking feet and enjoys giving everyone in the house a good foot bath! Although us humans are enjoying her company, Poppy has yet to win the affection of the resident dogs and is happy to torment them in true puppy fashion. They are trying to be good sports about it and we were working with Poppy on her doggie manners.
Overall, Poppy is a busy girl with a zest for life. She has a sweet personality that she shows with the constant wagging of her stubby tail.
Meet Pugalug's newest baby... 12 week old Poppy!
Poppy is a beautiful black pug mix with a fabulous personality - a combination of adorable sweetheart and tiny terror. She plays hard, sleeps hard, gives great kisses (still has puppy breath too) and has the most adorable "flying nun" ears - or gremlin depending on your frame of reference! Poppy is still learning not to nip, but it is hard to do when you're a puppy. She loves to torment her foster brother and sister by barking at them and leaping about. Initially, she was shy with them, but then decided that they were great and has attempted to drive them crazy ever since. Poppy is doing very well with her housebreaking, going to a puppy pad if she can't get out in time. However, we can usually tell by her mood if she needs to go out or is hungry. She also has an x-pen in the living room if we are not able to watch her.
Days after she came into the rescue, Poppy developed a cherry eye, meaning that she had a prolapse of her third eye lid. Cherry eyes can develop suddenly, often overnight as happened in Poppy's case. Initially, only her right eye was affected, but the condition is usually bilateral and Poppy was no different. Only a couple days after the first cherry eye developed, Poppy's left eye developed one as well. Of course she is still beautiful, but will require surgery to fix the problem. We have an appointment scheduled with a specialist to evaluate her eyes and get her surgery on the books.
Due to her cherry eye - developed to frighten her poor foster mom, I'm sure - Poppy had her first vet appointment this week. Other than the eye, she is healthy and weighs about 7.9 lbs. She had her second puppy shot at this visit as well.
Undoubtedly, Poppy will be a popular one when she becomes available for adoption. However, she will be in rescue for a number of months as she will need both the eye surgery and to be spayed. As always though, we will be sure to keep everyone in the loop with online updates!
