From the time I first lifted her from the arms of her transport volunteer, there was magic. I resisted those bum wiggles and liquid loving eyes, but it was to no avail. With her chin and little paw resting on my thigh as I watched television, we both knew that she was going to stay.

When Raisin came that first day, her eyes were encrusted and she had zero tear production. She did not want to take the drops and I had to lay her on her back to get her to stay still. Now she quietly sits as I administer the drops, then sing "A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down" as I give her a treat. It did not take long to get over that little hump, but it was a bonding that convinced me she was staying.

So a big thank you to the person who pulled her out of that high-kill shelter in the U.S. and a big thank you to the many transport volunteers who carried this gem along the Underground Pug Railway. And finally, Raisin and I send a big thanks to Pugalug for allowing me to adopt my sweet sultana.

Sweet little Raisin is recovering very well from her spay surgery. The operation was not as complicated as anticipated. Dr. Usher could find no part of the ovary or uterus attached to another organ as was reported by the shelter vet. So the spay was a normal procedure. He had made a larger incision in case he did encounter something that needed the extra room. Raisin will be going back on Nov 26 to have the stitches removed.

Dr. Usher said she was good as gold, charming everyone. At one point he led her out into the reception for a little walk. When he took her back, she went straight for her crate, laid down and fell asleep.

She had 3 teeth that were loose so they were removed - 2 incisors and a back molar. She had the tartar removed, some scaling and now her pearly whites shine.

Her tear production has greatly improved. She will most likely need to continue with the drops for the rest of her life. I'm continuing with giving her the medication drops and her eyes will be rechecked when she goes in to have her stitches removed.

Her weight is up to 6.8 kgs. I was going to bring her back home in the doggy stroller, but she was not having that - she wanted to walk and explore the new neighbourhood. She trotted happily through the leaves sniffing and watching the activity. Later that night, she had her pain medication, which knocked her right out. She quietly slept the whole night next to me. When she woke the next morning, she rolled on her back, inviting me to give her some gently belly rubs.

Before the surgery, she loved going to the park and would try to steer me in that direction on the walks. That's because she knows that is where the other dogs are playing. She is a very social dog. Now with the stitches, she has to stay on leash - so she does these little whimpers as she stares at the dogs running around.

I'll have another update in a couple of weeks after she has had the stitches out.

Raisin loved her walk to Usher Animal Hospital. We left early so that she could visit the local park. She has a lovely little waddle that I'll have to record and put on Youtube. I've nicknamed her the Sultana of Swing.

Upon arrival at the vet, she was up on the scale. The mighty Raisin weighs in at 6.2 kg. Don't let her tiny frame fool you - she is bursting with love and affection. We will get her to up to 7 kg. and then try to maintain that weight. Overall, she is in good health. She does have dry eye syndrome along with keratitis (the inflammation of the cornea), which is causing some limited vision. She will need to take artificial tear drops for the next while. She is resistant to having eye drops, but we are working on that. Once she is comfortable with having eye drops, we will start the medication for the keratitis. The vet is hoping that her vision will improve once we begin treating the keratitis. Currently, her peripheral vision seems to be better than her straight on vision, but once we've had a chance for the eye medication to take effect, we will do another eye test.

Raisin does have a few other relatively minor issues. In particular, the vet discovered that her back leg muscles are weak, which is most likely due to not getting enough exercise while in the puppy mill. Fortunately, she has the motor control necessary to build up her strength and her love of walks will help greatly. She also has no problem going up and down the stairs, which will also help to exercise her legs. Raisin also has some skin issues, namely hair loss and flaky dander on her underside. We will be using nutrition to bring that under control and hopefully it will be resolved soon. Her teeth are in relatively good shape with a medium level of tartar build up. Given their current state, the vet estimates her age to be about about 4-6 years. Finally, Raisin’s blood tests came back with some different readings than expected so they will be run again in order to evaluate things further.

Now for the major surgery - when Raisin was at the shelter, the vet went in to do the spaying and discovered that part of her uterus had attached or adhered to the kidneys. They did not have the facilities to perform the additional surgery. The vet reasoned that this adhesion may have been the result of a number of C-sections. Fortunately, the current vet will be able do the additional surgery when she goes in for her spaying.

As you can see, there is a bit of work to be done for this wee one, but her behaviour is very happy and joyful so I'm sure her recuperation will be short and her health will build in the coming months. As always, any and all donations would help Raisin immensely and are always greatly appreciated!

In general, Raisin has settled comfortably into the foster home. She attempted to initiate play with her older foster siblings, but they didn't respond. We had a couple of female pugs about her age come to visit and Raisin was the one to initiate play with them and they had a fun time together. There was easy going play wrestling going on behind me on the couch as I watched TV.

She has her favourite bed, which is next to my desk, but as soon as I get up, she is up and wanting to see what I'm doing. Overall, life is good for this wee girl, who is showing her appreciation through kisses and tail wags.

Meet Raisin - a sweet little girl who is estimated to be between 3 and 5 years old (although she may be older). She was rescued from a puppymill and is now in the good care of Pugalug. Raisin has settled in very well, loving the walks around the neighbourhood. She gets happily excited when I take the harness off the hook.

She appears to be well socialized with other dogs that she meets and is getting along fine with the resident canines.

For the first couple of days, she slept on the floor, but I am training her on how to use the dog bed. She does not cry or get anxious when I leave, but walks around in circles to greet me when I come back through the door.

She knows to go to the door when she needs to do her business. We are going to work on her SIT and COME commands over the coming weeks.

Her vet appointment is after Thanksgiving where she will get an overall checkup with particular attention to her eyes.