Growing Up

Batman's siblings are growing up and beginning to reveal their personalities. Now that Batman is gone, Trump has taken his place as the little guy. His expression differs from his siblings. His head is smaller, more wrinkled. It gives him a peculiar appearance in contrast to the others' fluffy puppiness. He is not Batman, but he helps to fill a hole in our hearts. We all reach out to him for his uniqueness, a desire to embrace and protect the runt. He is more sullen, quiet. He is not a total loner, but he does hang back and watch his more active siblings, still they embrace him in a way they did not Batman, who was always too weak, too small to join in.

Margot, the girl, is going to New Jersey where she is to be renamed Katrinka. Joan sent another big girl there years ago, who bore that name. But, the owner changed the name of that girl to Scarlett. Scarlett lived a long pug life and bore several puppies before finally giving up the ghost. Our friend Bonnie now wants to honor her and Margot by giving her Scarlet's original name. Margot seems the perfect pup. She is adorable and playful. She jumps in to play, but is respectful of the other pups. She barks and nips, rolls and tumbles, but is not aggressive. When confronted by an elder, she backs down, but she shows no fear and comes back for more. She will make Bonnie a good dog.

Argo Kensington is the quintessential middle child. He is handsome and becoming more so every day, although not as big as his big brother or as distinct as his little brother. He is always part of the pack and I'm sure he will blossom when on his own. Each day his little white toes become less white. One day it may be hard to remember that we first called him Twinkletoes because of those tiny splashes of white.

Gryffindoor is a big, fat, baby. He rolls on his back for a belly rub, runs and hides under the table to avoid a conflict. He's a lover not a fighter, but oh what a big, pretty boy.

It's hard to believe that in a few more weeks, most will be gone to new homes. We will keep track of them. I send Christmas letters out to each family, but they will get new names, new families. That is a good thing. It is nice to know that each will be given this gift, but a house without puppies is significantly more quiet, more empty than one with them.

Each litter always leaves an imprint, memories of the time when they belonged solely to Pugdom. Because of the impact Batman made on all of us, this litter will haunt us long after they leave. The ghost of his memory lives alongside his healthy, happy siblings. It is not a shadow that lingers, but a warm glow. The remaining puppies play and grow big -- alive, they are part of this world. And, we laugh and enjoy them and begin our happy goodbyes as we find them new homes. Batman belongs to another world -- we hold him in our hearts and we smile when we think of him and we laugh at the joy each puppy brings for however long they are among us.

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Waffles

Pug lore says that female's are more high-strung than males and that black pug females are the biggest divas of all. I'm not sure if I would describe Waffles as high-strung or a diva, but she is different. She is my first black female. Vader, was my only other black pug and he was a male and a very laid-back, gentleman. Buffy, my first fawn female, was high-strung, Mira, my next fawn was a floppy, happy-go-lucky girl, and Alfie is outwardly confident, inwardly nervous. Waffles, well, Joan, her breeder says, "she is her own person." And, that about covers it.

 
Waffles has a bit of an independent streak, but not in a standoffish way. She actually stays pretty close to me, but you can see her mind working and there seems to be a lot going on in there. I'm just not sure what it is. Alfie, I can read better -- she thinks of food and attention. Waffles likes attention, but she seems to be in search of something that I can't discern.

There is something almost catlike about her. Again, she is not aloof, but she has the alien allure of a feline. She is her own person, but she is beginning to fit in. I think she is making herself at home.

Angels & Animal Expo

The name should have said it all "Angels & Animals" Expo. But I have to admit I didn't pay much attention to what it was called. I simply read the sign outside my vet's and saw that there was an event this Saturday that I could attend with the dogs.

It was at a local assisted-living facility, so I loaded the pugs in the car this afternoon and headed off. When we got to the facility the parking was well marked but the entrance was not, so I circled and circled, looking for a door. When I found one it turned out it was the main entrance to the facility and not the site of the expo, which was downstairs. I met a lot of seniors who seemed to delight in the pugs. Many shared stories of pugs they had known or asked to pet them and all commented on how dressed up they were in their fancy harnesses.

Wow, it might be fun to try therapy dog work I thought, but my two would have to pass the canine good citizen's test and I've never been sure we could do that. Still, all three of us relished the excitement of the residents. We made it downstairs and upon exiting the elevator found ourselves smack dab in the strangest array of silent auction items. I say strange because few had to actually do with animals. We walked down the hall where the police were doing a demonstration with their drug detecting K-9 dog, so I kept the pugs away from the activity to not detract from the demonstration. This was easier said then done as everyone kept coming over to pet the pugs. They seemed more nervous and excited than usual, like they weren't sure what we were doing there and kept barking at passersby. A woman came over and warned us that there was some concern about the police dog with other dogs, so I brought my two back outside. I was wondering if I should return. I hadn't seen any other dogs downstairs and I really  hadn't seen much happening. My brother is a police officer so I have seen the K-9 demonstration on more than one occasion, but then I figured we had come all that way so we might as well go back in and check things out.

This time when we returned, the police were gone but the room across the fall was filled with people watching a raptor demonstration. It seems the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) was on-hand and as we passed by we were warned again "No dogs in this room." I wasn't planning on bringing my pugs into the bird demonstration so we continued to the vendor display. One room was filled with pamphlets and brochures on subjects ranging from vegetarianism to aromatherapy for dogs and horses. In the center of the room sat a woman from Dog Chapel with a few Stephen Huneck items, the only truly doggie items I saw. This was the one display that caught Alfie and Waffles attention as there was a life-sized "angel pug" on the floor. Alfie barked at it and looked ready to attack before stopping to take a sniff. Everyone laughed when they realized she thought this was a friend.

Next to the Huneck display was a table of vegan cupcakes. Afraid the dogs might seize on those next and we might receive yet a third warning, I led them to the next room where there was a woman drumming, another doing animal Reiki and a third, doing pet and human readings from the medicine wheel. I suddenly grasped the "Angels and Animals" theme. This was not simply a dog-centered expo, but one with holistic, New Age concerns and focused on all animals. That was cool, it just wasn't what I was expecting and explained the lack of dogs. It did, however, make us the focus of attention by many and what was really interesting was how many people I recognized. I just couldn't place them or they me. Suddenly, it dawned on us. I had written articles about the Reiki woman and another on the new defunct Angels Among Us Pet Hostel. I was sad to hear that they had closed, I had only written the article a year before.

I thought of getting a pet reading for the pugs, but it cost $20 for 15 minutes and I figured both would have a lot to say, so instead I watched one woman getting hers done. When the drummer started up again I decided to leave as it seemed Alfie was ready to sing along. We went back up on the elevator and headed for the door, but were stopped again by a number of seniors wanting to pet the pugs again.

"I bet you're happy to see them," one woman remarked to another. "She reminds me of my Ginger," the woman said, looking at Alfie lovingly. It seemed my pugs unknowingly became a part of the expo, becoming angels to these people so happy to see them.

Pug Crazy at the Pug Social

Very excited to announce that my article "Pug Crazy at the Pug Social" has just been printed in Rutland Magazine http://www.rutlandmagazineonline.com. It is an article about Green Mountain Pug Rescue's http://www.greenmtnpugrescue.com upcoming 10th Anniversary Pug Social in Killington, VT. https://www.facebook.com/events/331032716982220/?ref=ts

If you love pugs you should pick up the article and come for the day! Hope to see you there.

Named

My friend Joan loves to have themes for her litters. In the past we have had the "Umps" -- Lady Lorelei Lump, Baroness Bonnie Bump, Dr. Poohbah Gump, and Countess Connie Crump; Heffalump and Woozle, the Magicians-- Copperfield, Gandalf, Dumbledoor, Hocus Pocus, and Merlin, etc. etc.

This litter though, I picked up little Batman, fell in love with his wolfy head and batlike ears and dubbed him Batman. The biggest boy looked like his Mommy, Griffles, so I started calling him Gryffindoor. Joan's friend, Jane, dubbed the girl Margot and suddenly we had a litter without a theme. The other two boys got called a variety of things from Slugo -- for his constant movement, to Twinkletoes -- for his little white-tipped feet to No-Name, which is self-explanatory. The other day we decided the two remaining, unnamed boys needed names. Joan started to go through her dog book of names and came up with a few she liked, so while this litter has no theme, all the puppies have names and each will have a home.

So I'd like to introduce the puppies again by name.

Gryffindoor-We are pretty sure that Joan will be keeping this big boy to show.

Margot Katrinka-She is supposed to go to a pug-loving friend of ours in New Jersey.

Argo Kensington-One of these two boys will go to a gay couple that our friend in New Jersey knows, the other is supposed to go to a famiy in Massachusetts, who is a client of our veterinarian friend and fellow pug-owner.

Waltham's Little Trump

Waffles: The Movie

My brother and sister-in-law visited over Labor Day with my 7 month-old niece, Ellie. Waffles, who has an avid fascination with diapers, among other things, went crazy trying to find new ways to get into Ellie's diaper bag. While my brother nicely but firmly tried to scold her, repeatedly saying, "No, Waffles," I found myself just shrugging and saying, "Sorry, guys, there's nothing I can do." I said this while Waffles discovered and mutilated diaper after diaper.
When my brother began looking at me imploringly, I shrugged again, warning. "She cannot be controlled. She will not be contained."
"Sounds like a horror movie slogan," he said, while zipping the diaper bag shut and moving it to an even higher location. A few minutes later, Waffles flew by with yet another diaper.
"She cannot be controlled. She will not be contained," I repeated my mantra, nonchalantly producing the accompanying shrug.
What sounds like the latest horror movie slogan has become a fundamental truth in my life. It seems I am learning to accept it.
What is Waffles learning? Stay tuned. I'll give you an update soon!

Funny Faces

A Revolution

Photo by John Greenwood

I believe I may have started a revolution. They say sometimes it only takes one person to make a difference and I am witnessing this first-hand in our small writers' group at Hubbard Hall. I have already written about how a woman in my group joined the world of pug stalkers by snapping a picture of a car bearing a "pug" license plate because she thought of me. I had shared with our group that pug people are quick to jump out and chase each other down when they see someone walking down the street with a pug and shortly thereafter she was on her way to joining our ranks.
Well, it seems the fire has spread. Last night another member of our writers' project emailed me the above photo. He took the stalking to the next level by literally waiting in a store parking lot for the owner to be out of eyeshot in fear that he would be arrested -- a strange man photographing her car! Notice, however, this fear did not deter him. The Pug Stalking Revolution has only just begun and I am only too proud to have done my part!

Sacred Practice

Every culture has its own sacred practices especially when it comes to death. Some of these rituals and practices may seem strange, scary or gruesome to outsiders, but to those within the group these are holy rituals, infused with purpose -- they help make sense of life and death, give it order and allow us a way to explain or at least deal with the inexplicable.

Such is the case with Pugdom. Some of the rituals I did not understand 14 years ago when I first arrived to buy my pug Vader and later returned to visit as a friend. If you had told me then that I would be participating in them now, I'm not sure what I would have thought. Perhaps I would have been repulsed or thought it strange. Today, I take part in these understanding that in doing so I am partaking in something holy.

I refer to the death rituals surrounding the pugs. My friend Joan lives on top of a mountain in rural Vermont. Often the pugs die at inconvenient times -- nights, holidays, weekends. So, their bodies must be cared for until they can be taken to the vet. This often means wrapping them in blankets or towels, then plastic Ziploc or garbage bags and placing them in the freezer until they can be buried or taken to the vet. Often times, the bodies are kept until the rest of us -- the friends who have played a role in the pugs' lives -- can arrive to see them. Thus, I got to see Batman's diminutive form this weekend.

I know it may sound peculiar to those who do not love dogs and those removed from rural life, but there is also the practical side to death and the freezer is a place to protect their bodies from decomposition and other animals until a hole can be dug or they can be cremated. And, there is something beautiful in the care Joan takes with these tiny corpses. She has special blue blankets -- "I love  blue," she says, specifically for the deceased. Batman, she had wrapped, in a washcloth-slice of such a blanket. He looked peaceful, untouched, his long black-fur still shiny. He had grown in the time between I last saw him and his death and it seems a cruel joke that he could have been growing and thriving even while his body was betraying him. Lying there in his baby-blue blanket, he was precious as was our love for him.

I will bring a picture of him to Joan -- the last picture taken while he was alive -- like I have been doing for all the dying pugs since I became a part of Pugdom and she will place in the house. This time she will include the name tag Norma created for him nearby. She plans to bury him alongside his sibling that died at childbirth, down the drive near her new house, which we call 3C.

The viewings and the photos help us cope, to honor the pugs that pass. We talk about their lives, which whether they were 14 years or 14 weeks old, all seem incredibly too short. We are bound by love and ritual and respect for powers greater than ourselves. These are profound moments and I no longer find anything unusual in wrapping the body up and placing it in the freezer until we each have seen, until there is a place to bring it. It is after all, this ritual that helps bring new life to the deceased pug -- carrying its spirit from this world and cementing it in our collective heart forever.

Labor Day Dog Days

My friend Joan brought her pug Mister Egg to the gathering on Prickly Mountain yesterday. There we met a couple of dachshunds -- long haired AJ, who was not very cooperative in getting his photo taken, though I managed to sneak a few, and short-haired Hailey. All the dogs gathered around as we ate hotdogs, sausages, fruit, dip and guacamole and enjoyed good conversation and the waning dog days of summer.

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