Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog TALES

I am a total and complete dog freak.  Always have been, always will be.  For nearly 22 years, I was a breeder of pugs and find them to be fascinating and hilarious animals who love you no matter what.

My gang range in age from 4 - nearly 10 years.  I have 3 males and 2 females. Samson is the oldest and he is a sturdy, black pug who is gaining more salt than pepper in his coat.  He has lost most of his bottom teeth, but that doesn't stop him from eating,drinking or attempting to smile occasionally. He moves a bit slower than the rest of the gang, but he gets where he needs to go in his own sweet time.  Sweetie is next in line and she is the matriarch of the bunch.  She rules the roost and the other 4 know it!  She is a pretty little thing, and her sweet face is only interrupted by a tongue that is about an inch too long for her mouth, so she simply lets it hang out. Quite fetching really and oddly enough she has no clue it hangs out all the time.

Sherman is next in line and he is an offspring of Samson and Sweetie.  He's rather high strung and gets jealous quickly if any of the others take up residence in my lap.  Jewels is the doll-baby of the troop.  She is a sleek black pug that has a face that resembles a baby seal.  She is quiet and very calm, probably as a result of being deaf.  And while being deaf may seem sad, she's the happiest pug ever - nothing disturbs her!  She can lay down next to a running vacuum cleaner and fall instantly asleep because her world is Q-U-I-E-T! Trust me, there are days that I envy her! She and Sherman were mates when I was breeding pugs and their offspring is Tug, my fifth pug.

Tug is the real character of the lot.  At some point in his puppy days, he must have dreamed of being a kangaroo because I gotta tell you, this pug has "ups".  He can jump straight from the floor to the center of the kitchen counter with no problem.  He often greets me with a jump into my arms at shoulder height, always trusting that I'll catch him.  Sometimes he's right!  And like any baby in a family, he expects to get his way in every situation.

Together, they are a creative little group and I imagine two of them standing by the garage door and three of them standing in the window watching me pull away each day.  Then, likely, one of them yells, "All clear, she's gone!"  And that, my friends is the signal to Tug to check out the counter tops to see what's there to be investigated!  In my mind's eye, I can see him jumping up and down and reporting to the others, who are on the floor, "Ok, we've got a loaf of bread." Jumping again, "And I see a bag of something, hold on." Lands and jumps up again, "Yep, it's the jackpot - Cheetos!" At this pronouncement the others are probably drooling and barking and running circles around each other.   Tug knows his job - get the Cheetos - although loaves of bread are his personal favorite!

Now, I happen to know Cheetos are the favorite pick, because I have returned from work to find a bag on the floor with only the hind end of a pug sticking out.  No pug head is visible - it is deep in the bag.  With a slight cough or exclamation, the bag is quickly shed and the front half of the pug emerges.  And where a black muzzle and mask would usually be - two bug eyes protrude from a very orange face. Now, with Tug, he thinks that he can get away with this whole shenanigan simply by avoiding meeting my eyes.  He is completely clueless that he has orange Cheeto fuzz all over his face. So he looks quickly away, peering ever so slowly out of the corner of his eye to see if I'm still looking at him. This happens two or three times before he relents, lowers his curly tail and slinks over for my forgiveness. He alone is taking the blame - the others have totally fled the scene, leaving Tug holding the bag (so to speak).

Over the years, I have discovered pugs with their noses stuck in peanut butter jars, sleeping on a large pile of individual shoes from various pairs, investigating the bottom shelf of my pantry and once - sitting IN the refrigerator as I was disposing of some fuzzy green food!  Right now, as I write, they are all piled up together snoring for all their worth.  It's a bit noisy, but there is a rhythm to the breathing and I can identify each one by their own pattern.  And while they may seem self-centered and totally ornery,  they are generous in their affection and they willingly share. On one business trip, I opened my suitcase to find a small stack of dog biscuits.  Apparently they were worried I wouldn't eat while I was away.  No reason to worry there!

Of course, my family and many friends think I've lost my mind having 5 pugs.  Maybe I have, who knows?  But I can say this - my life is never dull and if I choose to diet, they'll help me ... all I have to do is leave the junk food close to the edge of the counter!