Sebastian's Foster Buddies:

• Graham McLeod
• John Hart: In memory of Sniffles 1998-2010

Dear Pug Aficionados,

So I have safely arrived in downtown Toronto and I am settling in nicely at my forever home with my new dads and my new pug sisters, Sophie and Mildred.

I had a thoroughly enjoyable summer with my wonderful foster family. They were truly loving and took such good care of me, they have my eternal gratitude for that. The same goes for the Pugalug Pug Rescue. To think that I have met so many new friends, both the 2 and 4 legged varieties, over the past few tumultuous months... it's amazing. Needless to say, come bonus time next year, I will be reminding my new forever dads that it's time to shell out so more pugs in need can be assured of finding good homes!

As for my new home, well I mentioned my new forever dads, Tim and Graham. I took to those handsome devils immediately (I mean, what's not to love?!?). You might not know this, but I'm a huge fan of "Modern Family", so who would have thought that I'd be living the dream in a modern family of my very own!

I have been ever so slightly more cautious with my new pug sisters. I confess that the three of us do make a strikingly gorgeous group, with all those wrinkles, curly tails and extra skin, and I am starting to show more signs of affection towards my pug sisters as they show more signs of accepting me into the pack. We're all playing a little hard-to-get I suppose, and I totally get it: from their perspective it's not every day that a new pug shows up at their doorstep - let alone one who is almost twice their size! But it has only been a week, so I am confident we are on course to becoming the best of friends. Millie, the younger of my new sisters, has been thrilled to find someone who will give her a good chase around the kitchen. (I'm not sure what the point of that game is really, but I will try not to over-analyze since it's fun.) And Sophie? Well, she is used to being the queen bee around there, but I've already learned that she's a good cuddler so I just need to melt a little more ice with her and we'll be great.

Thank you all for tuning in to my odyssey of Summer 2010. I love a happy ending...

Sebastian

The only medical issue that Sebastian has is his weight. He has lost quite a bit of weight while with us but needs to lose another 2 pounds to be at his best weight. This would be best accomplished with his diet and regular exercise. With this as well, his weight will need to be monitored for the rest of his life. Sebastian is very wrinkly and any extra pounds have a direct impact on how well he breathes.

Sebastian is a big sweetheart but he does have a tendency to guard resources (sometimes food and sometimes toys) that he is particularly fond of. He has made big strides in this regard in the last few months but it is somewhat difficult to predict with him what he will guard at first. The resource guarding that he does is with both people and other dogs. He hasn't done it in a long time but I also know how to predict it. He doesn't hurt anyone just makes a lot of noise when he does it. All you need to do is say "drop it" in a stern voice and he does. It is easy to correct when he is doing it but he may regress a bit in a new home.

Sebastian is very good with children. In our house we have a 2 and 5 year old and he has always been very good with them. Kids would however need to be respectful of him as he will get his feelings hurt. It is a lot like having a third child as he prefers to play with his people instead of other dogs.

The first few days that Sebastian was with us he cried for the first few minutes after we left but it only lasted for a couple of days. The best possible home situation for Sebastian is a home with a fenced yard as he likes to spend a lot of time outdoors but he could thrive in just about any situation. The one thing that he is not that fond of is a house with a lot of stairs but he can navigate them just fine.

Sebastian is like a lab in a pug's body. He is constantly on the move (but is not hyper). He enjoys having his people around but is not cuddly. He likes to be near but not on top of his people. He does not jump up on the furniture or on beds but rather prefers his dog beds on the floor. He likes to be a part of whatever activity is going on in the house and outside. He will walk for miles and miles but he needs to be watched to ensure that he is not overdoing it.

Sebastian does not like to be restained or locked up in crates or other rooms. He is always appropriate so there would be no real need to keep him locked up. He is a dominant dog so if he is going to a home with another dog it would be best if the other dog was submissive. He is also a championship swimmer — he loves the water and loves to swim.

Sebastian is a black lab in a black pug's body. He is not aware of the fact that he should be a couch potato. He is in constant motion at my house. He enjoys playing with my kids...whatever game they might be doing at the time.

He is always well mannered and is very gentle with my kids and any people that come in to his life.

When I leave the house and come back he always greets me at the door with something. His personal preference is any shoe he can find. He doesn't chew them just picks them up and brings them to you.

He also enjoyed his summer vacation at the lake this summer. He loves to play in the water and swim around. I am attaching some pictures from the lake.

Also just for fun last night I brought him to soccer to see how he would do in a large crowd and boy oh boy did he ever enjoy all of the people and the multitude of soccer balls being kicked around.

He is here to lose some weight and it's coming along but not that quickly. His harness is much looser than when he arrived but due to the extremely hot weather this summer he isn't getting a whole lot of walks....he does however enjoy power runs in the backyard.

He does however have a tendency (on occasion) to guard his favourite toy or a special bit of food. He is a dominant dog and whatever lucky person is able to adopt Sebastian will need to keep that in mind.

He has been here for quite some time now and he has never had an accident in the house. He is also very good with our resident dogs.

All in all he is a character and a riot to have in the house.

Sebastian has been to the vet and is perfectly healthy. The only thing that he needs to work on is weight loss. As of 2 weeks ago he had lost 1/2 lb but needs to lose 2 more pounds to be at his ideal weight.

He has adjusted very well to my dogs and to my kids (he loves them - it's like having another child in the house). He will play and chase a ball in the yard for a long time.

He is a joy to have around and is quite a little character. He doesn't jump up on beds or furniture and he loves to play with toys.

Sebastian spent the day at home today (I had to go to the office today). He was a perfect gentleman. He is fully house-trained. He also knows how to sit and stay.

His previous people reported that he was difficult to take food and toys away...we haven't found that at all yet. He loves my dogs and does not seem to be aggressive at all.

He is constantly in motion and behaves much younger than any other dog his age.

He is a real little character and is very fun to have around. Even my new little dog Martin is enjoying having him here.

Sebastian arrived early this morning and hasn't stopped playing and cuddling all day. We haven't taken him for a walk today because of the heat but he did spend some time running through the sprinklers with my friends dog.

He is very well mannered and is really enjoying the little people in the house. He just finished helping me to sort through the stuffed animals.

So far, he is doing really well...no accidents and plays well with my kids (both fur and people)

You can tell that he has been well loved as he is not traumatized today at all.

So far the only thing that the wee man needs to work on is his weight...he is a bit fluffy!