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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.
In July 2007 we received a call from a pug-loving couple in Worcester, Massachusetts. We will call this couple Mr. and Mrs. B in order to maintain their privacy. PRoNE worked with Mr. and Mrs. B in 2006 when they rescued a 12 year old pug named Otis from death row. Otis had been left at a vet’s office by his owners to be put to sleep because they were moving to Florida and tenant regulations prohibited them from owning a dog in their new home. Sadly, poor Otis was not important enough to his family so he was left to die. Mr. and Mrs. B could not let this happen so, undaunted by his medical needs, they took him home. They contacted PRoNE and asked if we could help. Otis turned out to be an incredibly warm and loving dog. PRoNE had his eye evaluated and eventually removed before Otis was ready to move into a new permanent home with a PRoNE volunteer where he remains to this day, living happily and in good health.
Unfortunately, the call from Mr. and Mrs. B this past August brought sad news. Mr. and Mrs. B were in dire straights because Mrs. B was diagnosed with a difficult to combat form of cancer and had been unable to work since January 2007. The financial strain on the family in combination with Mrs. B’s health was forcing them to move from their single family home with a large fenced in yard to an apartment. They were no longer able to care for all of their pets, which included eight pugs and two cats.
Mr. and Mrs. B were absolutely devastated by this turn of events but their first priority was to find stable, loving homes for their pets. They were able to place one of their pugs in a permanent home with a friend and a family member took one of their cats. Mr. and Mrs. B could keep two of their pugs but they had to make the difficult decision to surrender their other five pugs to PRoNE.
So, one early August afternoon a PRoNE volunteer picked up 5 pugs. There were 2 four year old pugs named Noelle and Clancy, 2 five year old pugs named Reilly and Molly, and a seven year old pug named Buddy. These pugs had led a sheltered life with Mr. and Mrs. B so they were very nervous and overwhelmed in their foster home. PRoNE knew they had to find permanent homes for these pugs as quickly as possible to prevent further trauma.
Noelle suffers from allergies and had been treated with various medical regimens. This medical condition, is addition to her seeming fear of just about everything, had her foster home worried about placement. However, Noelle was placed on PRoNE’s Petfinder website and very soon we received a call from a wonderful young couple, David and Shannon from Connecticut. Noelle was successfully adopted and David and Shannon report that she makes gains every day. Noelle even attended the pug social and took part in the fastest female race.
Clancy is a healthy pug but was the most fearful of the five pugs brought in. To this day he remains terrified of anyone outside of his foster parents and a few close friends of theirs. Clancy was recently adopted by his foster parents after a failed attempt to adopt him to a family. He is happy and comfortable in his home and they thought this was best to avoid traumatizing him any further.
Five year olds Molly and Reilly are healthy pugs but both are painfully shy. Both Molly and Reilly have a few little quirks, including Reilly’s fear of hard wood floors. This was quite a trick to work around in his foster home as their entire house, except the bathroom consists of all wood floors. Molly and Reilly were adopted together to a wonderful family of four in Greenfield, Massachusetts. Reilly is now best buddies with the two young sons of Dan and Michelle and Molly has become “Mom’s black pug”. Life is good for these two pugs!
Seven year old Buddy (previously rescued by Mr. and Mrs. B) was adopted by Ron from Turners Falls, Massachusetts. Ron was the owner of Reebok, a dog that came into PRoNE several years ago. Reebok passed away this year and Ron could not imagine her life without a pug. Since adopting Buddy, Ron has tried his hand at fostering for PRoNE. Ron reports that Buddy has adjusted to his new life wonderfully and that he could not be more pleased with his new pug.
Several weeks after the pugs were placed in their new homes, Mr. and Mrs. B called to thank PRoNE. During the course of the conversation they mentioned that they were considering the unbelievable prospect of having their remaining cat, Merlin, put to sleep because no shelters would take him. Mr. and Mrs. B were at their wit’s end and had no where to turn. PRoNE volunteers were able to step in and assist with finding a home for Merlin as well.
The placement of these five pugs and one cat are symbolic of what PRoNE is all about. We work as a team to save as many lives as possible. We do what needs to be done.
If you are interested in helping us continue to achieve our mission please don’t hesitate to contact Tammy Cooper at 617-549-9607 or bugpug@rcn.com for more information about volunteering with PRoNE.