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WINSTON  4/13/05
#493

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Pug - Adopted 7/30/06

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Pertinent Information
 9 - 10 yr. old Male Pug
Owner Surrender
Tan and Black
Neutered and UTD
Being Fostered in Nassau Country, New York, LI
Adoption Donation $150

12/16/06 - Well, it's been a month now since the new members of the gang arrived. There has been a lot ofchanging and tweaking, but I think we've finally got our routine down.
 I have to carry all 4 outside to do their business. Winston and Lucy can't. I have to chase Goldie down and Linus does the old Bozley "roll on your side" when I try to pick him up.
Linus, who we've knicknamed "the peanut" is quite the character. He decided he was going to be the leader of the gang. He barks non stop whenever anyone comes to the house, and it wasn't till my friend Debbie (who has 4 pugs) came, that we figured out why. He wants you to pick him up to give you kisses. Although, my ex-wife dropped my daughter off a couple of weeks ago and he did the same with her. Twice she tried to pick him up & he snapped at her. I scolded him, but after she left, I gave him a big hug and an extra cookie.
He lit into Winston one night for no apparent reason, and I called Gary, the dog expert, for counseling. He assured me, I handled the situation correctly. The next day, he went after Lucy when I didn't get Winston's bowl up fast enough and they fought over it. He went after Winny again when he bumped into him. I corrected him each time, and I think he's finally gotten the message that the leader of the gang position has been filled. By me!
Lucy, who we call "big mama" is our mother hen. In addition to constantly grooming Linus, has taken it upon herself to take care of Winny as well. The problem is, Winston hates it! She's constantly licking his ears, face, and top of his head and he can't get away. The initial thought was Linus would always be by my side. But while all three new arrivals give kisses, Lucy is always by my side, inside and outside. They all follow me around, but she initiates it.
As for Goldie, she was very distant when she first got here. She slept on the love seat, then the other end of the couch, and now has to be pressed up against me, with lots of kisses. Our last 2 Friday night TV-a-thons, She even came down and snuggled on the floor with everybody else. Did I mention how tough these are on my back!
We had a food aggression issue developing as she would wander from bowl to bowl. One day, I pulled her away and three times she growled and snapped at me. The third time, she grabbed my hand.
We've since corrected this by eating in shifts, her and Linus ravenously first, and Lucy and Winston, much more relaxed, second. The only fitting nickname for her we've come up with so far is "let's eat".
Winston, who will forever be the "lovebug" certainly has taken to his new family. He still misses the Boz man, and this is a different pace for him, but he tries to keep up. His motor skills keep dwindling, but "that" heart is always there!
I want to thank Gary for all his advice and council, he is truly the patron saint for these babies. As for a "special" person in Binghamton, it's really my next door neighbor, Carol. She was here the moment Winny, Boz, and Lacey arrived and said she'd tend to them during the day the first week. But her heart dragged her in and she's been tending to them, cleaning up after them (and me), checking up on, them ever since.
As for me, I couldn't be happier! I don't have anybody waiting at the door for me these days with it being dark out, but I have a new challenge. I come home and see how close I can get to the light switch before Linus starts barking and sounds the alarm that Daddy's home. So far, Linus has won every time. Life is good! -the over the hill gang-

10/29/06 - I have to share an experience we had this morning with everyone. I was awoken @ 4 o'clock this morning by a horrible hacking noise which I knew immediately was Bozley.
I waited for 2-3 minutes to see if it would stop and it didn't, so I headed down the stairs to see what was wrong. About half way down, it stopped. When I got to the bottom of the steps, around the corner comes Winnie "haulin tail" (moving as fast as i've ever seen him) and he's grunting a mile a minute. My first thought is "Oh God, no"!
I turned the living room light on and Winston turned around and headed back to the dining room, still grunting away. When I got to the dining room where the boys sleep, Bozley is not on their pillow, but pressed up against the wall a few feet away. I start stroking him and softly calling his name, while Winnie is moving back and forth sniffing Boz. After about 5 or 6 strokes Boz wakes up, looks at me, then at Winnie with this "What's up?" look on his face. I sat with them for about ten minutes and when I felt sure everything was ok went into the kitchen to make coffee. When I returned, they were already fast asleep, curled up on their pillow.
It's as if Winston had told Bozley, "Hang on buddy, I'll go get help"! It shows just how tight the bond truly is between these two old fellows. As I was driving to work this morning I couldn't help but think that when it comes to loving your pets, it can't get any better than this!
-the over the hill gang-

10/16/06 - The boys are doing fine. I think they're completely comfortable that this is their home. Winnie has even quit barking at other dogs in the neighborhood (I guess he doesn't feel threatened anymore and knows this is his yard). He was quite taken back when Lacey passed and spent the better part of a week sitting at the back door staring out the window. I think he was waiting for her to come back.
   He's lost some mobility and some mornings when I take them out and he's sitting, he is unable to get his rear legs swung around, so I have to go over and stand him up, then he takes off. He can't snuggle on the couch with me and Boz because he's rolled and fallen off a couple of times. So he sits by my feet when we're watching TV or reading. Boz insists on being on the couch and will stand there and whine until I put him up, then he snuggles up.
   So in fairness to Winnie, we've created the Friday night TV-a-thon, where if Winnie can't come to us, we go to him. I spread a sleeping bag out in the middle of the living room floor with a blanket and pillow and we all snuggle up and stay up late watching ballgames or movies. Winnie snuggles on the blanket and pillow and Boz burrows down under the blanket.
   This is when I decided I'm glad these boys aren't kissers, as Boz has absolutely the worst breath I've ever been exposed to. I get concerned that he'll smother under the blanket so I lift it up to give him some fresh air and it's then that a blast of his breath escapes and can actually put tears in your eyes. Carol gave me a couple different kinds of breath biscuits but they appear to only help while he's eating them.
    Anyway, I usually wake up in the middle of the night with no covers, wedged against the sofa and find the boys snuggled up together in the middle of the blanket. I don't know how long we'll continue to do this as one of us tends to wake up with a stiff back!
    I did plan on sending some current photos, but in the meantime look at their earlier posts with the two curled up on their pillow @ Gary's house. The only difference here is the color of the pillow. These guys are certainly set in their ways! Well, that's it for now.-the over the hill gang-
 

8/23/06 - Hi everyone! Well, it's been about a month now and it no longer is the boys and Lacey, but truly the "gang".
   When she's not snoozin', "little sis" (Lacey) follows the boys around and while they don't let her sleep on their pillow, she does snuggle right up against it. Boz pays her the most attention. She takes the lead @ mealtime; getting a little bouncy and her tail curls up again. I do worry about her. She's very fragile and she seems to have lost some energy the last week or so, but she surely enjoys the peace and quiet.
    Winnie ("the love Bug") follows me everywhere and has developed a new habit, "barking". When we are out in the backyard and someone walks down the side street, Winnie takes off like a bolt of lightning barking at the top of his lungs. Unfortunately, Lacey, Bozley, and I are the only ones who hear him, and by the time he gets to the edge of the driveway, they're usually a couple of blocks away. He's working on it!
  As for Bozley; whom I fondly refer to as "the cantankerous old fart"; has certainly made himself at home. He walks around like he signs the mortgage check every month. In the morning when I'm showering, if he can't push the door open, he scratches 'til I open it. After dinner when we're all playing on the living room floor, Boz will play along for a couple of minutes, but then whines for me to put him up on the couch. I guess he likes to keep an eye on his domain. He's had a couple of rough days. Sunday night he started hacking real hard. Carol called me at noon on Monday and said he was still doing it so I made an appointment for Monday night at the animal hospital. They examined him but told me to drop him off Tuesday morning (yesterday)to do tests and xrays. They said he has congenital heart disease (enlarged heart) and had fluid in his lungs. In addition to his current med, they gave me 2 more; one to dry his lungs out and one to lower his blood pressure. He'll have to be on all three permanently. He had a quiet night and seemed better already this morning although they said it would take a couple days to clear up. While things are not going without incident,  everyone is being well cared for and given lots of love.
   As for me, the high point of my day is pulling into the driveway after work and seeing those three little "munchkins" waiting at the patio door for me. Like I said, we're all taking good care of each other!
- The over the hill gang -

7/31/06 - Just a quick note to let you know "the over-the-hill gang" is settling in nicely. While the boys are a little finicky with their food thus far (definitely eat all their people food), Lacey dives right in 'til her bowl is empty. Same @ potty time, Lacey & Winston get their business done quick, and Boz, well he's Boz. He's already marked every tree and bush in the yard. He had a marking accident in the house when he got here, but nothing since. Everyone is settling in nicely. Lacey keeps pretty much to herself and Winston will follow Boz around from time to time, but Boz is like my
shadow. I swear he's so close, if I pass wind, he'll cough. He insisted on sleeping with me last night. I tried to ignore him, but he stood there grunting and finally barked. So I gave in and he spent the night curled up on my legs. Well, that's all for now! Just wanted to let you know, everyone is doing fine.

7/30/06 - Winston and Bozley, "brothers" for over 3 yrs, have been together while in Boxer Angels, were adopted out together, and when a life changing even forced them to have to be returned together, came back and were fostered together for almost 1 1/2 yrs. They were very dependent on one another (well, actually Bozley more so on Winston, but none the less dependent) and the decision was long ago made that they would not be split apart. Over the last 1+ yrs, we have had applications for one or the other, but we were not going to entertain that.

It is not everyday that we get applications for a senior pug, we hardly ever get an app for a pair. All were resigned to the fact that Winston and Bozley would remain in foster care together for the remainder of their days, which, quite frankly, was just fine. These are 2 of the gentlest souls you will ever encounter. They ask for nothing, are content with anything and everything you give then.

Needless to say, it was a quite a pleasant surprise when we recently rec'd an app asking for Winston and Boz. As the application process proceeded, the results could not have been better. It slowly started to sink in that maybe, just maybe, these two "brothers" were going to get a home of their very own. While talking to Will, their prospective daddy, we mentioned that recently we "found" Lacey, who was also looking for a home, and Will said...sure, I would love to have her too.

Lacey had developed a cold, and was not responding to her antibiotics, so as we got closer to the end of the process, we were not totally sure she was going to be ready. A visit to the vet, a change of antibiotics and presto, Lacey's condition improved over the next day or so.

Their prospective home was in Binghamton, NY, and the trio was being fostered on Long Island. Normally a home visit, the last step in the process would be done by a local volunteer, and then, if approved, the adopter would come down and get their new babies. That was not going to be good enough for me in this case. So, Saturday, we packed up the convertible, got everyone comfortable, and took a 3 1/2 road trip to do our very own home visit and see if everyone was happy and sure that this was the perfect place for them. It was a beautiful drive, beautiful day, and a perfect trip. When we arrived, there was a sign out from welcoming the "over the hill gang", with pic's of all three. Neighbors were clearly waiting for our arrival. The home visit went very well, the guys all checked out the grounds, and all gave the thumbs up.

After fostering the boys for as long as I did, I obviously had some mixed emotions when it was sinking in that these boys, who I considered members of my household, would not be coming home with me, and that they did, in fact, have their very own new daddy. Even Lacey girl, who I have spent the last 2 months with, had her very special place in my heart. I was quite proud of myself, I did not cry in front of anyone.  I pulled myself together and left, knowing that my job was completed for these guys.  I had promised Winston and Bozley they will never be separated, and I kept that promise. I also promised Lacey girl that I would find her a perfect home for her, and I kept that promise.  I refer to this day as a "trifecta", and could not be happier for them. They all got exactly what they deserved.

I will look forward to their updates and wish them all a happy and healthy life together.
Take care guys, you were all very special to me, Love you guys.....your foster daddy, Gary

7/30/06 - Winston is pending adoption

3/8/06 - It's hard to believe that Winston and Bozley have been here for almost 1 year. They are such darling little old men.  They love to cuddle with each other and like to eat in the same area.  They also like to share their food.  Bozley likes to eat all the people food first, even if it means trying to steal some of Winston's as well. Winston doesn't mind, but I usually don't allow it to happen that often.

Winston moves around slowly due to the weakness in his hind legs, but gets around without assistance.  He picks up speed when he sees a pig ear on the floor. These past few days have been a little warmer, and Mr. Boz likes to walk up about 10 steps and hang out on our upper deck.  If he was a lazy boy he would hang out on the lower decks.  Bozley also likes my Sharpei.  My Sharpei doesn't like too many dogs, but she dances around Bozley when he pays attention to her.

Winston loves Bozley and humans over other animals.  He will sit right by the computer if anyone is on it.  Winston also loves his treats.  He doesn't always finish his food, but he never refuses a cookie.

These boys don't require much care.  All they need is love and attention, as much as you want to give. These 2 little guys are very happy here, but for the past year they have been waiting patiently for their forever home. Can we tell them that their wait is coming to an end?

4/27/05 - Winston is really doing great in his home. This guy is such a nice, sweet attention hog :o) If you sit down on the floor, Winny boy will be parked in your lap in no time flat. He loves to be spoken to, call his name, pet and massage him, and he is sooooo alert. His eyes are bright and clear. His personality is A++++++. He does walk on the slow side, he does has a bit of weakness in his hind
legs, but it does not stop him from getting around. He can do some steps, and hops to the different levels of decking I have in the back yard.
He is house trained, but does have an occasional poop accident now and again. Not a big deal, I think he doesn’t always realize it is coming out :o))
He hangs with his brother Boz, whom he has spent the last year together with. We are going to try to keep them together if we can.
He gets along with all the dogs, big and small, and is really such a pleasure. I love this guy and his personality!!
Do you think you are ready to make a commitment to this boy and give him the forever home he so deserves? Fill out our online app and ask for this little man ASAP. He's waiting!

4/13/05 - Several weeks ago, one of our previous adaptors had to make a decision that all of us hope NEVER to have to make. She had to give up here beloved dogs. Dramatic changes to her life including losing her home and being 7 months pregnant meant she had to go live with relatives, and no dogs were allowed.
This was a very special adopter, as she had adopted 3 pugs from Friends of BAR, 2 of which were Sr. boys. She loved these guys with all her heart, and that heart was clearly broken with this unfortunate event. We promised her that her babies would be fine, and have let them settle back in their original foster home.
Haley, the younger and more independent of the bunch has moved to a foster home who had just adopted Pugsley and wanted a chance to foster a pug.
The boys, Boz and Winston are doing great. Boz is approx 11 now, and Winston is estimated to be 9-10. We are going to try to place the 2 boys together, and they clearly enjoy each other’s company. They constantly sleep together, and hang together too.
All are eating great and settled beautifully.
So come back and see how these 3 pugs are making out, and if you always thought about getting a calm pug or pugs, we have your guys right here at BAR.

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