Curly’s Story as told by his foster mom, Jeanne

Curly is a 10-year-old pug. He was surrendered to Pug Rescue of New England because his owners got a new puppy and the new puppy was bothering him. Why Curly was the one who "had to go" or why the owners couldn't have separated or trained the puppy, I really don't know. Ours is not to wonder why...

I met Curly's former owner in a parking lot. While I was getting Curly settled in a travel crate, his former owner told me, "He's a really loyal dog! He follows my wife around everywhere. When she mowed the grass, he used to follow behind her, up and down every row."

With remarkable restraint, I managed to not wonder aloud, "Why can't owners be as loyal as their dogs?"

When Curly and I got home, I noticed that he had some scabs and crusty areas on his face. Examining him further, I discovered he had several patches of missing fur and that his ears were also crusty and lumpy feeling. Concerned, I packed him back into the car and we headed for the vets.

After examining Curly and reading his old records, Dr. Johnson concluded that Curly had sarcoptic mange and that he had had it since last year, the last time he went to the vets. Poor Curly! Sarcoptic mange is an extremely itchy condition caused by small mites that burrow under the skin. The bad news was that sarcoptic mange is highly contagious - Curly would have to be separated from the rest of my zoo for a month and a half. The good news was that it is easily treatable.

Back home, I prepared my guest bedroom for my little four-legged guest. Anything that was not washable was removed. I gathered up some old comforters for Curly's bed, filled him a water dish, and installed him in his home for the next 6 weeks.

We all felt terrible for Curly during his quarantine period. The poor guy, not only had his family left him and he was in a new home, but he was all by himself most of the time. Sometimes I would read a book in there just to keep him company. My husband started bringing his computer into Curly's room to work in the evenings. My son would drop in to visit Curly for a while after school and sing to him "Doncha wish your Curl-friend was a freak like me" to the tune of "Doncha" by the Pussycat Dolls (yeah, we're weird, but our whole family has a repertoire of "pug altered" songs).

As the weeks went by, Curly's fur started to grow back. The crusts on his face and ears healed and disappeared. We got to know Curly better and discovered what a sweet-tempered little dog he was. He was a calm, quiet little fellow who considered a belly rub to be nirvana.

At last, Curly's quarantine was over! He left that room wagging his little behind and joined our "pack". He was a very loyal dog. He would follow me everywhere in the house, constantly making sure I was in his sight line. When I went into my basement to do the laundry, Curly would keep an eye on me through the cat door. He tried to squeeze through to get to me, but he was just a little bit too cobby to fit.

Finally, the day came when Curly's new family came to meet him and to take him home if they liked him. His new family was a little girl, her dad, and her grandmother. They were so excited to meet Curly and they instantly fell in love with him. The little girl showed me the lovely matching leash and harness set that she had picked out for Curly and told me all about the new bowls that were waiting for him at home.

Curly has been living with his new family for about a year and a half now. He has settled in nicely and they think he is a wonderful dog. And they told me he follows them from room to room, as loyal as ever.