Pugs: A Lot of Personality in a Little Package

My husband and I are parents to two grown men and four pugs. The pugs live in our home and range in age from 11 years to 4 years old. The pugs are a source of constant amusement, and we spend a considerable amount of time herding them around, acting as their lounge chairs and berating them for trying to kill our neighbors, birds, and shadows.  

After having two pugs, we adopted the ideology of “what’s one more dog”? That resulted in us adopting a rescue pug and making an impulse puppy purchase while in Billings. That is how we ended up with a grumble (true name for a pack of pugs).  My husband and I travel a lot and until recently, we boarded the pugs at their veterinarian’s office.  It made me feel good to know that if there was a medical emergency, the pugs were in good hands.  Our veterinarian stopped boarding dogs several months ago and our pugs were some of the last dogs boarded there.  I have yet to figure out if that was a happy coincidence or if the pugs finally pushed the boarding employees over the edge and they decided to do away with the boarding service. 

The good news is that we have found an individual in town who will either stay at our house or make several trips over to the house during the day to care for the pugs. I met with this lady yesterday to give her a rundown and introduce her to the grumble. She is an extremely sweet individual, and I could tell that my dogs will all be alive when my husband and I return from a short trip this week. I took the time to write out an instruction sheet for her on the pugs and through this process, I was faced with accepting that the pugs are a handful, and nightmares of our own creation. Here are some excerpts from my instructional sheet: 

Louie – He is the oldest pug – black with lots of grey.  He is a good boy but deaf and his eyesight is going. You may have to carry him up and down the stairs. He likes being in the backyard but will not hear you calling him.  You will have to track him down – the yard is fenced so it is not difficult to find him. Lou does not wear a diaper in the house. You can trust Lou. 

 Linus – He is the brindle (gray/black) colored pug. He does wear a diaper when he is inside the house, and he cannot be trusted. Linus is sketchy and he is an escape artist when it comes to his belly band so cinch it up good. He loves to lay on top of the couch back and survey his surroundings. 

 JJ – Black pug with white markings. He also wears a diaper and is the second most trustworthy of the pugs. He is a sweet boy but you might have to tell him to stop licking everything. 

 Murphy – Fawn colored pug. Murphy is not trustworthy.  He wears a diaper and is a thug. He goes crazy if an animal appears on TV (or the Geico commercial, depending on his mood) and he likes to try and boss the other pugs. The other pugs are used to Murphy and his nonsense, and they will put him in his place so just let them sort their issues out. 

The pugs have been known to wrestle, bite and attack each other – do not worry about it. It is off putting but they sort their stuff out and normally go about their business of sleeping and mooching what they want. 

Food: Each pug gets a scoop worth of food, 2x per day. Morning and around 5:00 p.m. Louie likes some grated cheese on his chow, and you will have to stand guard over him while he eats because the other three pugs will steal his food if Louie wanders off. The pugs are a little “off” and they will be puzzled if you do not give them their assigned feeding dish. I will put the dishes on the counter for you. 

Inside the house: The pugs do not do too well outside if it is hot. They like to sleep and lounge around the house. Just be sure that Linus, JJ (both size XL) and Murphy (size L) have their diapers/belly bands on if they are staying in the house. Their water container will be full, and you will not have to refill that before we get home. If anything disturbing happens in their belly bands, just toss the belly bands in the laundry room and I will deal with them when I get home. There will be a fresh stack of bands on the counter. 

Nighttime: The pugs each sleep in their own kennels. When you bring them inside from going potty before they go to bed, tell them to kennel up. They may try to run up the stairs and avoid going to bed, but they are usually fairly good about going into their kennels. The order for the kennels (from the basement door going right) is: JJ, Murphy, Linus and Lou. JJ will bark most of the night in his kennel – he likes to sleep on the bed. That situation is up to you. 

Since we live this scenario daily, it was a little shocking and enlightening to write the instruction sheet out let an outsider know the quirks and routines of the pugs (and us). Again, this is a nightmare of our own creation. Luckily, the pugs are dashing little creatures with the cutest, smooched up faces. Their looks are what routinely save them from consequences for their actions. If you happen to think about it this week, please send up a positive thought or prayer for the new dog sitter.