So often most of what happens at PugHearts happens behind the scenes. There are so many stories, so many dramas that unfold that nobody ever hears about. There are heart-wrenching decisions that have to be made and not every story gets a happy ending. But there is always hope. Because sometimes we do see a happy ending. That is what keeps us going, trying to save one pug at a time.
In the past month we have lost two very special little guys. Unfortunately they were not the first pugs that we have lost and we know they will not be the last. That is the nature of what we do. Sometimes we get these guys far too late to “fix” them. And so they live out their last days with us as a hospice care pug. People will see them on the Our Dogs page with a note that says they are not available for adoption but are in hospice care. Then one day their picture and bio are quietly removed from the page. We could not pass up this opportunity to tell you about two of these such dogs.
Albert
Albert was a beautiful senior boy. He came to us with a severe case of heartworms. He had numerous other issues that made aggressive treatment of the heartworms impossible. As we could not rid him of these, we knew he would not make it. However, we wanted to make sure that he lived out his last days in a loving, comforting environment. He got just that.
He learned what unconditional love and pure compassion were. He lived his last few months as a very happy, spoiled little guy.
Samson
Samson was a sweet little guy, just over 10 years old. He came to us with a brain stem tumor and severe pneumonia. We treated the pneumonia but as it was a result of an impaired swallowing ability (due to the tumor) we knew it would never clear completely. And we knew the tumor would grow. The neurologist we took him to gave him just weeks to live. That was in January 2008.
Samson had a happy life in his last several months. He learned what it was like to be part of a loving family who accepted him as he was. He was loved and able to love in return.
As is always the case in rescue, there is no time to grieve as you would like. The calls keep coming, the emails don’t stop. There is always another pug who needs help. Last week we took in two very special boys who need us badly.
Bobby
Bobby is an adorable little 6 month old puppy. He is more than likely a cast-off from a local backyard breeder. He was found wandering the streets, left to fend for himself. He weighs 6 lbs, though he should weigh around 10. His eyes never fully developed, leaving him blind. He is also a hermaphrodite. We are referring to him as a boy. Once he is spayed/neutered it really won’t matter anyway but for some reason people have a hard time dealing with his condition. A breeder certainly would not be able to make a profit off of him. And so he was cast out and left to die. We know he deserves a chance and will make sure that he gets it. Somewhere out there is the perfect family for him and we will help them find him.
Nicholas
Nicky is a sweet fawn male that was picked up by a local animal control authority. Thankfully they called us, as they are a kill shelter and nobody would’ve adopted Nicky. He’s an adult – we’re not sure of the age but we think around 4-6 yrs old. He is covered with fleas and sarcoptic mange. His left eye has an old injury to it. And he is heartworm positive. Quite frankly, he looks horrible. But we’ve seen this before and we know the mange can be easily cured. Soon he will be clear and his fur will grow back and he will be a beautiful boy. Unfortunately, few people can look past his cosmetic appearance right now and see that. But we know better.
And so it goes. The calls and emails continue and the pugs just keep coming. We will be here for whatever they need, whether we can “fix” them or not.