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PugHearts of Houston Blog

DON’T BUY PUPPIES! – Holiday PSA

Tuesday, 23 November 2010 15:42 by richardc

During the weeks before Christmas, more puppies are bought from pet stores than any other time of year—meanwhile, animal shelters are overcrowded with wonderful pets just waiting for loving homes. And the puppies in these stores almost invariably come from high-production facilities and puppy mills.

mill Click on the image to watch the video on YouTube

Puppy mills look forward to this all year long, but this year, lets educate consumers about puppy mills so they choose shelter pets instead of buying puppies in pet stores.

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A Time for Thanksgiving

Tuesday, 23 November 2010 09:22 by ChrissieP

Hello Pug World!

As Thanksgiving is fast approaching (loosen that belt buckle!), it is a great time to sit back, take time to reflect on the past year, especially for the people you are most thankful to have in your life. Always included in my list each year are my friends at PugHearts. My life was forever changed after adopting Lou & Andy in August 2007 (and subsequently Flip in April 2009) and as my relationship with PugHearts has developed from adopter to volunteer, my appreciation for this organization continues to grow. A day doesn't go by that I don't think of all the lives that have been saved and changed for the better due to the generosity and selflessness of all the PugHearts volunteers. Sure, I help with the fundraising and blogging (although I have admittedly slacked a little on that), but that doesn't compare to the people who are out there every day rescuing, transporting, and nursing these poor babies back to health. In 3 1/2 very short years, we are quickly approaching 700 dogs whose lives have forever been changed for the better. While it sickens me to think that there is such a need for just ONE breed in ONE city alone, I am still so thankful that those 650+ have been provided a new and better life.

From the bottom of my heart, a huge THANK YOU to all the PugHearts volunteers who work so hard to achieve the PugHearts goal: To never turn down any pug, at any age, in any condition.

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Looking Back

Monday, 1 November 2010 12:18 by richardc

Back in early 2007, we were just getting PugHearts started. A group of us got together with Cindy and started planning our first big event - PugNic. We had flyers printed to hand out and post anywhere we could to get the word out about our new rescue.

I remember stopping in a local pet boutique to ask about posting our flyer. The gentleman behind the counter said we were more than welcome to post it, but he couldn’t believe we actually needed a rescue for Pugs. After all, he said ‘that’s an expensive breed - why would they end up in rescue?’ As he asked me that question I was holding my beautiful rescue pug Alfie. I explained to him how even pedigreed dogs can end up in rescue. And the very fact that they are a desirable breed makes them a tempting target for unscrupulous breeders. But also, they are a special breed with special needs. Not everyone understands those needs when they fall in love with these squishy-faced babies.

It’s now been 3 years since PugHearts of Houston was born. And our numbers show that the need for a pug rescue in Houston was far greater than we had ever imagined. We have taken in well over 500 dogs in that time. I’m astounded by that.

I’m sad, because that’s a lot of dogs that have been in a bad situation. But I’m also happy because we have been able to make a difference to those 500+ dogs. Most of those dogs have gone on to live pampered, happy lives with their new families. Some are sadly no longer with us, but we know their last days were made more comfortable and filled with love thanks to our hard work.

The driving force behind PugHearts is the legion of volunteers that run it. PugHearts is not a shelter. We are not a brick-and-mortar building. We are a network of people who do incredible things for no pay or reward. Some volunteers help by picking up dogs from shelters or people who have called us. Some help by taking our dogs to and from the vet. Some open their homes to these dogs as foster parents until they find their forever home. A few even open their homes to dogs they know will never be adopted. Some help with fundraising. And some help by processing the adoption applications filled out by prospective ‘parents.’ And some people help by paying our vet bills through their generous donations. All of these people ARE PugHearts. Without them we would not exist.

On the eve of our 3rd anniversary, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all you have done for these sweet puggies. Thank you for helping to make PugHearts such a success in our mission to save every Pug we can - one pug at a time.

Robbi

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