When I went to Joan Foster's house 14 years ago to buy my pug Vader a whole new world opened up to me. While I had already fallen in love with the breed after adopting my brother's pug Buffy I had had little exposure beyond her. When I entered Joan's house, I entered "Pugdom," a kingdom ruled by these foreign, curly-tailed creatures. They were everywhere. I relished learning their names and how to tell them apart. I loved hearing their stories and pedigrees and most of all I loved seeing them born.
Joan calls the little ones "peeps" and last night Griffles, the sister to Waffles (the pug I plan to adopt) had a litter of six. One of them died and we are left with five -- four boys and one female. The little runt (pictured above) reminds me of a tiny bat, so I've been calling him Batman. Naming the litters is an important job at Pugdom. Each litter has a name: the Umps, for example-Lady Lorelei Lump, Countess Connie Crump, Baroness Bonnie Bump and Dr. Poohbah Gump. In the last litter born two years ago we had Waffles, Truffles and Griffles. This litter does not have a name yet, but it is already becoming part of Pugdom. We have called our friends, others who own Pugdom Pugs, and sent out word, heralding their birth. Now we watch them grow. In the days ahead, they will open their eyes, learn to walk. They grow quickly and we will pick out new homes, but we name them first before sending them on their way because once you enter Pugdom, soon you belong.