PUGS

By Regina Palamar 

I have a confession to make.  I used to dislike pugs.  They never made sense to me.  They can’t breathe, their eyes point in different directions and they always look like they are about to tip over.  I just never understood how a dog that structurally unsound could be so popular.  This was until I began dogsitting Louis and Pablo, the loves of my life.  We met in late 2010 and ever since then I’ve been “all aboard” the pug bandwagon, ready and willing for the ride.  To prove that I am not a crazy pug lady ( …because that would be socially unacceptable), I have created a list of pros and cons to owning a pug that will shed some light on my obsession. 

The Eyes: 

 Pro: DESCRIPTIONS

The words used to describe a pug are as follows:

·      Loyal

·      Loveable

·      Playful

·      Outgoing

·      Friendly

·      Funny

Con: DESCRIPTIONS

The lists of words NOT used to describe a pug are as follows:

·      Majestic

·      Graceful

·      Intelligent

·      Agile

·      Quick

·      Beautiful

Many more words could be used to describe these magnificent beasts (flatulent, comes to mind)…but you get the idea. 

Wat: 

Con: WINTER

Pugs were not made to withstand the harsh Canadian winters (…and neither was I AMIRITE?).  For example:  a regular walk with Louis and Pablo consists of 3 stages.

STAGE 1: Pug wrangling.  Before each walk we play a game of “capture the pug”.  They absolutely love it.  I don’t.Time: 3 minutes. 

STAGE 2: Jackets and Boots.  Dressing a pug up for winter is akin to dressing up a 3 year old child who has no situational awareness.  They just flop around and are absolutely no help at all. Time: 15 minutes

STAGE 3: The walk.  These guys are socially, physically and mentally challenged, so walks can get a bit out of hand.  The boots fall off. The jackets fall off.  My hair turns grey.  Time: 
 20 minutes

I’m no mathematician, but even I can see that the amount of time spent walking the pugs is the almost the same as the amount of time it takes to winter-proof them.  

The results of 20min of winterproofing: 

Pro: SMILES

Feeling down?  Feeling like you need a little love?  Maybe a hug?  You should probably go out and buy a pug.  These guys will make you smile.  Firstly, they are ridiculous.  Just looking at them makes me laugh.  Secondly, they love to cuddle any time of the day.  And lets be honest, snuggling is the best part of ANY relationship…sooo just skip all the hassle of having a boyfriend or girlfriend and get a pug to snuggle with you.  

 Smiles and Snuggles:

I am confident that the next time you see a pug sauntering down the street you will think of me and know that, although I might be a little “pugsessed”, I have my reasons.