May 11, 2008 at 9:04 pm · Show more about: Pug
Last thursday, I finished finals. I’m taking a week off before clerking this summer, so we’re spending the week in Hilton Head, SC to visit Tricia’s dad (and hang out at the beach!)
At any rate, here is a close up photo of Martine and Gizmo I took before we left for vacation. Martine does not mind letting her brother use her head as a chin rest. We think this picture is really cute, and we really want to get some fun comments on this one. So, everyone, here’s a question for you to answer — “What do you think Gizmo is saying in this picture?”
I think he’s saying, “I’m totally the cute one in this picture!!!” Post what you think in the comments.
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April 29, 2008 at 11:26 pm · Show more about: bed, martine, sleep
This afternoon, Tricia put Martine down for a nap. A little while later, Gizmo made his way into his spot. After both were asleep, Tricia noticed this, and called me into the room to get a quick picture of brother and sister napping together in their “bunk bassinet.”
Do you see Gizmo in there, with his head poking out? He’s actually doing the pug-classic “chin rest” on the side bar of the bassinet.
Oh, and they’re both sound asleep in this picture. How cute!
Show more about: bed, martine, sleep
April 26, 2008 at 4:42 pm · Show more about: Pug, collar
Seersucker is a fabric that’s commonly worn in the South between Easter and Labor Day. Generally, you see older men wearing Seersucker suits in the summer. It’s also common to make children’s clothing from seersucker. Indeed, we have several small dresses for Martine that are made of the fabric. However, I couldn’t find anything for Gizmo and Gadget.
I looked all around, and I couldn’t find anything out there. So, I eventually made my way over to Etsy.com, which is a site that’s all about hand made crafts. I used their “Alchemy” feature, which allows you to request custom items to be made, and various craft makers bid on what you want created. I used this, and eventually found someone who had a track record of making good dog collars to make one using Seersucker for me.
Everything was fine, except for the fact that the seller lives outside of the South, and there was no seersucker to be found! We really wanted these collars, so I went to a local store and found some fabric, bought a small amount, and sent it to the maker. Don’t worry, though, we arranged it so that the price was fair in light of my providing some of the materials.
The whole process of looking for Seersucker collars took a while, but once I got the materials to the maker, making them was very fast. So after a while of working on this project (but only a little time waiting for the collars to be made), I finally got them, and they look great! Really cute, and we like the way they look on G&G.
We had a green and white collar made for Gizmo and a blue and white one made for Gadget. Now, we’ll be able to take a picture of Gizmo, Gadget, and Martine all in their seersucker outfits!
The seller is Nomorenekkiddogs on Etsy.com. If you have a special fabric or design, you can get a custom collar too! I highly recommend using Etsy.com for this kind of thing, AND they have all sorts of really well-made crafts that make great gifts.
Show more about: Pug, collar
April 19, 2008 at 4:55 pm · Show more about: Pug, gadget, lick, martine
Martine is 11 weeks old, and she’s becoming more aware of the world every day. Those in the world, specifically her brothers, are also becoming more and more aware of her every day. Gadget is really shy, but he’s also extremely loving, and licking is one of his ways of expressing that. He’s started to want to snuggle more with Martine, and he’s started licking her feet whenever he gets the chance! He’s learning more about her, and he’s showing that he treats her just like he treats his parents.
Gizmo, on the other hand, does not lick. He’s a bit more possessive than Gadget, as he thinks he’s higher up on the totem pole. He knows that I’m number one, but he’s right up there in the #2 spot, with everyone else in the house below him.
When we go places, sometimes, he will “mark” Tricia, signalling that she is his, and those other pugs best be stepping away from her. Well, when we got home last night, Gizmo “marked” Martine. Ack!
Well, it actually wasn’t that bad. She was in her car seat still, and nothing got on that, just on the floor. We’ll be a bit more careful next time.
Show more about: Pug, gadget, lick, martine
April 17, 2008 at 10:33 pm · Show more about: Pug, sofa
We’ve had bad luck with sofas. In fact, I have a whole website that spawned from my misfortune at having acquired a Microfiber Sofa. You see, the problem with microfiber is that while it looks great, it has a really hard time holding up to spills and dogs. Some microfiber sofas are better than others, but the one we got is especially difficult to care for.
We also “inherited” a sofa when Tricia’s dad moved to Hilton Head. Unfortunately, that sofa had lived in a house with lots of pugs — and their smell. Gizmo and Gadget got into the habit of marking the corner of that sofa, and even with repeated cleanings, we couldn’t break the habit. Making it worse is that cleaning the fabric on an upholstered sofa is especially difficult, so I don’t think we ever got the smell out, entirely.
So, our solution was to get a leather sofa. There’s no fabric to soak up smells or spills, and it can be cleaned with a washcloth. So far, it seems to be holding up fairly well, but only time will tell.
Pictured is Gizmo on the new sofa, next to one of our Pug Pillows featuring Lt. Otto Von Puglish. I can’t remember where Tricia’s mom got them, but I did find a few on amazon click here, here, and here.
Doesn’t he look so regal?
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April 15, 2008 at 10:10 pm · Show more about: Pug
We’ve had excellent cool spring weather this week, and Gizmo and Gadget have been enjoying spending some time lounging in the yard outside. It won’t be long before summer comes along and the heat is way too much for them to handle outside for very long. So, they’re getting their fill of the really nice weather while they still can.
This picture is of Gadget (with Gizmo in the background) just chillin in the grass.
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April 12, 2008 at 10:30 am · Show more about: Pugs, guides, puppy
Are you looking for a free Pug puppy? Or, are you just looking for a cheap pug? Either way, you need to read the rest of this post.
First, you are incredibly unlikely to get a free pug. Like it or not, there are expenses involved in breeding healthy puppies. Unless you happen to get about as lucky as winning the lottery, you’re not going to find someone who will just “give” you a free pug. However, there are people who want to sell you a pug, for cheap — but should you buy a Pug from a “cheap” breeder?
First, you must understand that all Pugs are not created equally. Getting a good price on a Pug is not the same thing as getting a better price on a new camera, TV, or new car. Different breeders are selling you different things — from one, you might get a Lexus and from another you might get a Yugo. What makes it a little bit more complicated is that price does not always indicate whether you are getting a good dog. You could find a disreputable breeder who sells their puppies for as much as possible. On the other hand, you may find a very good breeder who is only trying to cover her costs and would be willing to sell their dog for less than it is worth. You might also find a good breeder who charges a fee only to make sure that they give their dogs to good homes, on the theory that people who are interested in a free pug do not have the dedication or resources to take proper care of a dog. However, you are more likely to find a breeder who is selling you a cheap dog because the breeder is set up to produce a large number of puppies without regard for the health and quality of those puppies.
They are running a fast food joint. Just as burger places serve cheap food that will cause you health problems, breeders selling large numbers of cheap pugs will sell you dogs with health problems.
You will get very attached to your puppy, I promise you. Pugs, especially those from puppy mills, are prone to health problems, and it can be very painful to lose a pug early because of this. Also, health problems are EXPENSIVE. While it might save you a small amount of money now, getting a cheap pug will cost you a lot more if you end up with one that has serious health issues. Finally, in the long run, the difference in price between a pug from a reasonably priced reputable breeder and from a puppy mill will not be that much, relative to the cost of regular vet visits, heart worm pills, dog food, and dog toys you will buy.
Also, you should definitely consider a rescue pug. They are definitely not free most of the time, but they are a good way to get a dog. I will talk more about rescue pugs in a future post.
To learn how to tell a good from bad breeders and for more about why it is so important, you absolutely need to read my earlier article on pug breeders.
P.S., If you agree with what I’ve said here and you have your own blog, please link to this post.
Show more about: Pugs, guides, puppy
April 9, 2008 at 11:13 pm · Show more about: food, tripe, tripett
I think you can guess who eats what.
Also, G&G are still getting along well with the Tripett Dog Food that I reviewed a while ago. We have a bunch of cans of wellness, so they still get that sometimes, but they very much prefer the tripe. We mix a small amount of the tripe with some dry food, sometimes mixing in a little bit of water. The water makes the tripe into a kind of “gravy” for the dry food. The boys really seem to like it.
As for the dry food, we rotate between different flavors of wellness dry food. The rotation is to keep things interesting. I find that if we stick to the same food every day, they get tired of the same thing over and over.
Also, I used to do a Pugs Around The World feature on Urban Pug, posting pictures of other pugs along with who they are and where they’re from. I’d like to start doing that sometimes. So, if you’d like to be featured as a “Pug from around the world” — Please go to the Urban Pug Pictures - Public Albums Section, then “register” for an account there, and then upload some pictures of your Pug. Then, if you send me an email with your details, I will try to post as many “pugs from around the world” as I can.
Show more about: food, tripe, tripett
April 6, 2008 at 9:17 pm · Show more about: Pug, martine
Whenever we arrive home after leaving Gizmo and Gadget alone, they get very excited and act a certain way. They also act the same way whenever one of us arrives home. For example, whenever I get home from school, the dogs get excited, they run and will act happy / excited for a little while. They run up to me and essentially are saying, “Hello! I missed you! Pet me!”
Well, I’ve noticed that they now will also say “hi” to martine when we get home. Our arriving home generally consists of me putting her carseat on the floor while I go outside and get other things from the car. While her carseat is on the floor, Gizmo and Gadget can hop right up, sniff her feet, and say hello.
I think it’s interesting because it’s another example of how they’re treating her just like they treat any other member of the family.
Show more about: Pug, martine
March 31, 2008 at 8:53 pm · Show more about: Pug, breeders, guides, martine, puppies, puppy
If you are looking for a local pug puppy breeder or if you’re trying to figure out if the one you’re talking to is reputable, you need to read this post. It’s extremely important to get your Pug puppy from a reputable breeder. Pugs, like many other pure bred dogs, are susceptible to certain disorders. Good breeders will be less likely to sell you a dog that has problems common to the breed. Therefore, you need to find a reputable breeder.
Why do certain breeders produce better Pug puppies than others?
From the Pug Dog Club of America’s Code of Ethics:
Breeders shall exercise great care when selecting stud dogs or brood bitches. Breeders shall use stock of characteristic type, exhibit soundness, stable temperament, be in good health and condition and be free of communicable diseases and serious genetic defects. Breeders do not breed just for the pet market and believe the only justifiable reason to breed is to improve the breed.
Reputable breeders generally show their Pugs in dog shows, and they are interested in winning the shows by producing better dogs. Because they’re interested in winning shows and improving the breed more than making money, they want to produce the best looking dog possible. Their stated goal is to improve the breed by selecting high quality dogs to breed. They also want to build a reputation in the dog show community for producing high quality dogs. Part of the way they improve their “line” is to work with other breeders, selectively choosing the dogs they wish to breed. If their “line” develops genetic problems, the other breeders won’t want to work with them. Nobody wants their line to develop problems.
Their picky nature benefits you. Many times, they produce more dogs than they wish to show. When this happens, they pick the best looking ones for themselves, and sell the others as ‘pets.’ Most of the time, the dogs sold as pets could easily be considered “show dogs,” but the breeder has chosen to show only one. Other times, a dog might be sold as a pet because he has a teeny-tiny problem that nobody will ever notice except the judges. For example, the puppy’s legs might be a little bit too short, or her body might be a little bit too long. She might have a splotch of white fur on her paw, while the breeders and judges want a solid color coat. Dog show standards can be very strict, and even the slightest fault can cause a dog to be ill suited for showing, but absolutely perfect for being a pet. Therefore, getting a dog as a “pet” from a “show” breeder is the best way to be sure to get a higher quality pug puppy. For more about the pug dog standard, see the Pug Dog Club of America’s Standards Page.
How to find a good pug puppy breeder?
First, you should try to find a member of the Pug Dog Club of America in your area. The PDCA has a breeder referral list. If there is not a member of the PDCA in your area, the breeder should at least be a member of the AKC. Second, your breeder should show pugs competitively in dog shows, for the reasons listed above and because breeders who show dogs will, through competition, improve their line.
What should I expect from a breeder?
- You should be allowed to have your puppy examined by a vet.
- You should be given instructions for care.
- You should receive medical records.
- Your breeder should be willing to accept the pug back should you be unable to care for the dog or should the dog have serious medical problems.
- Your breeder should ask YOU questions. Do not be offended. Your breeder wants her puppies to go to a good home. She knows she is a good breeder, but she doesn’t know about you. Expect a lot of questions about your ability to take care of your puppy. If you are not asked questions, consider this a sign that the breeder is more interested in money than breeding quality dogs.
- You should be allowed to visit the dogs free of charge. It is inappropriate to require a deposit in order to visit with the puppies. Breeders who do this are attempting to “hook” you into a purchase, sight-unseen. This is unethical.
- Your breeder’s premises should be clean.
- Your breeder should be willing to provide references.
- Your breeder should provide legal documentation for the sale.
- Your breeder should provide AKC registration papers and a copy of your pug’s pedigree.
- Your breeder should require you to spay or neuter your dog. The Pug Dog Club of America’s code of ethics requires that pugs sold as “pets” be sold on the condition that the dog be spayed or neutered.
- Your breeder should not sell pug hybrids. While Puggles, Brugs, and Pugapoos are certainly cute, you are more likely to get a higher quality dog from a breeder that does not engage in such practices, as reputable breeders are dedicated to improving the breed. Puggles, Brugs, and Pugapoos are not a breed. Creating a new breed takes decades of work. Without that work, mixing breeds can create all kinds of problems. You don’t know what you’re getting. If your breeder creates hybrid pugs, this is an indication that he is interested more in money than producing a high quality dog.
Please feel free to ask questions in the comments.
Show more about: Pug, breeders, guides, martine, puppies, puppy
March 26, 2008 at 8:54 pm · Show more about: Pug, birthday, lexy
Today, Lexy is six years old! Happy birthday, Lexy.
This picture is of Lexy sitting in the swing my parents got for Martine when she’s over at their house. She was pawing on it to figure out what exactly it was the other day, and my mom put her in there and took this picture.
Lexy’s still adjusting to Martine, as she doesn’t get to see her that often, and my parents don’t see Martine every day, so they pay a little bit more attention to her, of course. So, lexy’s just not used to sharing the stage, just yet. She’ll get there.
Show more about: Pug, birthday, lexy
March 23, 2008 at 1:38 am · Show more about: Pug, bunny, easter
Pugs in bunny ears herald in the arrival of Spring!
It took a while, but we finally got pictures with Gadget AND the little stuffed bunny, because he just kept attacking it! Normally, Gadget doesn’t like to play with toys, but for some reason, sometimes when a toy looks like a little tiny animal, he’ll play with it. That’s exactly what he did this afternoon when we took the pictures in the front yard.
I hesitate to think what all the cars driving by thought when they saw me taking pictures of my dog in a bunny outfit while my daughter and wife watched…
Anyway, Gadget made an appearance as the easter pug last year, but this year is totally cuter. I’m not sure what we will do next year, but I’m sure it will involve pugs and toddlers dressed like bunnies. I actually put the bunny ears on Martine, and she really gives Gadget a run for his money cuteness-wise. If I can get things together next year, there’s going to be some real cute overload going on.
Show more about: Pug, bunny, easter
March 22, 2008 at 12:28 am · Show more about: gadget, green, martine
For St. Patrick’s day, we had Martine wearing green. However, green does not signal “girl,” and she doesn’t have long hair or anything else to identify her as a little girl, so we put a little green headband bow on her. You know, “bow” means “girl.” That’s about the best we can do at this age without putting on a dress, which isn’t really your everyday practical wear as an infant. So, “bow” it was.
Anyway, this is the headband you see on Gadget. You see, Gadget is very cute, and putting cute things on him amplifies his natural cuteness. It’s just so to resist doing it. He usually doesn’t mind, although I suppose I could be persuaded to give him extra treats for putting up with letting me put stuff on him. (Don’t tell him that, though!)
Anyway, I’m finishing up my spring break now, although it’s more like a spring “catch up” than a “break.” Also, we will be going over to my parents’ house for Easter, so Gizmo and Gadget will get to hang out with Lexy. Speaking of Lexy, she simultaneously adores and is jealous of Martine. Lexy’s used to getting ALL the attention, and when Martine is there, my mother pays a little bit less attention to Lexy. She’s not quite as adjusted to Martine as Gizmo and Gadget are, so given a little time, she’ll adjust.
Oh, one more thing. I picked up a few Easter things for Urban Pug today, and we’re planning on another visit from the Easter Pug!!! I can’t wait!
Show more about: gadget, green, martine
March 17, 2008 at 11:49 pm · Show more about: Pug, chin, martine
Martine’s been around for 6 weeks now, and it’s hard to tell exactly how the boys really feel about her. For sure, they aren’t hostile. However, they definitely get a little bit less attention. This has caused them to, ahem, act out. Acting out, for them, involves peeing on things when we’re not looking. They’re very passive aggressive dogs, they are. As a result, I’ve been breaking out the mop more often.
Back to what they think. Here’s what I see. Gadget, when he gets close enough, will lick Martine just like he’d lick me. He sees her as another little creature. He doesn’t consider himself anything close to the alpha dog, so in his mind she’s either on his level or above, so no big deal. Gizmo, on the other hand, sees himself as one pack-step higher than Gadget. Also, Gizmo doesn’t really show all that much excitement or affection. He snuggles, he gets excited when you get home, but that’s it. He can’t really get excited and run up to Martine when we get home, because she’s still in a car seat. So, I don’t really know where Gizmo stands, except for the fact that he has snuggled up with her.
He even used her as a chin rest, something he does as often as he can to the rest of his humans.
That’s what the picture above is of — Gizmo using Martine as a chin rest
Show more about: Pug, chin, martine
March 9, 2008 at 9:56 pm · Show more about: Pug
This weekend, Tricia’s parents came in town. That in itself is enough to cause lots of not-ordinarily-scheduled activities to happen around the house. However, they came in town for Martine’s baptism. So, adding getting THAT done on top of having relatives in from out of town is even more of a change in our normal routine.
We’re still working on the whole “parenting” thing, so adding in getting dressed up in a fancy christening gown and going to a party afterwards throws lots of extra stress into the weekend. However, everything worked out well. Good ceremony (she was good), good party afterwards (she was good for the most party).
I don’t really have any pug related baptism photos, but I do have a new one of G&G with their sister. Enjoy!
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