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New Beginnings
Finding a Forever Home
Pugs are surrendered to PRoNE for many reasons--from financial hardship and foreclosures to owners who don't understand their special needs. These lovely dogs go on to make great companions for those who can look beyond having a "second-hand dog".
Whether a puppy or a senior, rescued pugs continually show their new families how grateful they are for the love and attention they receive. Check out their stories.
Picture this… the day after Christmas, December 26, 2008, PRoNE volunteers Linda and Tammy each receive calls from a Rehoboth, Massachusetts woman claiming she has to immediately surrender four pugs to PRoNE. The woman gives a number of reasons for wishing to give up her pugs, none of which turn out to be anywhere near the truth.
That evening we travel to Rehoboth to meet the woman’s husband. There we discover four pugs; two tiny little girls named Mea and Rosie, and two small boys named Mugsy and Gizmo, being kept in an outdoor pen with only a cheap plastic kennel for cover. The kennel is not large enough for all four pugs to get inside at one time and there are no blankets or even a bit of hay to keep them warm. The outdoor pen the pugs are kept in is filthy and garbage is strewn on the rock covered ground. A pizza box lies nearby and the man tells us this is what the dogs eat from. It is hard to believe the pugs are getting any food because their ribs are sticking out and they don’t look like they have had a decent meal in a long time. There is no water in the pen and the man tells us the dogs get drinks of water when he and his wife bring them inside a couple of times a day for an hour or so to “warm up”. The man also tells us the dogs are so thin because they are always fighting over food. It is all we can do to keep quiet while surrender paperwork is completed and we can load these poor pugs into the car to bring them to safety, and perhaps to the first place they will ever receive proper care and compassion.
Mugsy and Gizmo travel to a New Hampshire foster home and Mea and Rosie stay in a Massachusetts foster home. Because the pug’s owner claims to have lost the vet records we have to start from scratch with veterinary care for the pugs. Both Mugsy and Rosie test positive for heartworm disease and this is devastating news as we all know how dangerous heartworm infestation is and how easily it can be prevented with monthly heartworm preventative medication.* A few days later Rosie becomes ill and is rushed to the vet only to discover that she has apparently eaten rocks, most likely out of desperation for something to eat, and she has a rock lodged in her stomach. Emergency surgery is performed to remove the rock and she is spayed at the same time. The same day the rock in Rosie’s stomach is discovered, Mugsy passes away due to complications of heartworm infestation. We are so discouraged by Mugsy’s death and this only fuels our desire to see Gizmo, Rosie, and Mea get their health back. The work to help these pugs get healthy and to thrive begins.
Fast forward four months to April 2009. Gizmo was neutered and he has gained weight and he has been adopted by a wonderful lady in New Hampshire. Little Mea has also gained some weight and after a terrible bout with whipworm she has been adopted to the Saritelli’s of Rhode Island. We are not yet sure of little Rosie’s fate. She is still frail and thin and is undergoing heartworm treatment. We are hopeful for her future but nothing is certain yet.
Note: We later discovered that the couple who surrendered Rosie, Mea, Gizmo, and Mugsy were back yard breeders. A family member turned them into the local dog officer on Christmas Day. When the dog officer visited the premises they discovered a dead pug in the pen with our the other dogs and the dog officer gave them 24 hours to find homes for all four pugs. Thank goodness for the compassionate family member of the cold hearted back yard breeders.
*Please remember to have your pugs tested for heartworm once a year and to use monthly heartworm preventative year round. Heartworm preventative medication is affordable and can mean the difference between your pug’s full happy life and difficult and painful treatment for heartworm infestation or even worse, death.