I too have dreamed of a pug–his name would be Pembleton, Buddy for short. But then I think about how I have never had a pet, and I think the shedding and smell would get to me. And vet bills and anal glands–oh my! And potential breathing and hip issues.
I wouldn’t ever want to be someone who gave the dog away again after rescuing it so I don’t want to take the chance. But I know what he means about wanting one!
All pugs shed something fierce (I sometimes imagine that there is an honor roll at Pug Central, with stenciled vacuum cleaners next to the dogs’ names like flags on a WWII fighter). The main difference is that a fawn is more likely to be double-coated, which just makes it worse.
According to our vet, one thing you should avoid with a pug is a leash attached to a standard neck collar. Not only does it interfere with its breathing, but a sudden jerk could result in the ocular avulsion alluded to by CrazyCatLady above. Use a body harness instead: they’re more of a pain, but a lot safer all around.
Not to mention their necks are bigger than their heads, so attaching a leash to a collar is completely ineffective. The collar slips right off over their cute lil’ noggins.
On the other hand, they look VERY cute in these Bella Paris harnesses. My black boy has the “rocker” one pictured, and my fawn girl has a cute pink one with bows on it.
Any thoughts on letting the dog sleep in bed with you?
He always talks about letting the dog sleep in bed with us when it is a puppy, and then “weaning” him off of the habit as he gets older. (I assume then it goes to a crate, but I’m not sure) That just strikes me as odd for a few reasons. He says that it is comforting for the puppy to be close to a heartbeat, to soothe it while it is young and crying. It just seems slightly mean to let it spend the night with people early on, and then stop at some point.
That being said, I’m not sure how well I’d cope with having a dog in our bed all the time. I mean, it’s hard enough dealing with one bed-hog. I can’t imagine trying to cope with two…
Calatin - I’m still concerned about the amount of “crate time” this dog will be subject to. 9-10 hours a day when you’re at work and 7-8 hours per day while you sleep. That means, out of 24 hours, this animal will be in a position where it can’t walk for 16-18 hours out of 24. Realistically, for most people this means he’ll be out of his crate for less than an hour in the morning while you’re trying to get ready for work, and maybe 3 hours in the evening when you’re trying to cook, eat, straighten up, watch TV and everything else.
If you work in a cubicle at your job, imagine that you’d spend all but 3-4 waking hours in that one place, without co-workers to talk to, an computer to while away the time, without being able to run to the drinking fountain and the vending machine, or outside for a breath of fresh air, not even work to stimulate your mind. Now imagine you’re a 5 year-old child being forced to do the same thing. That’s what it’s like for a solitary dog in a crate all day.
I believe in crate training, to an extent. But crate living is no way to be. And to use my zoo analogy, if you saw a cheetah in a large dog crate, you’d be filled with pity. But people do it to their dogs all the time.
StG
StGermain, I completely understand what you are saying. I’m merely relaying things I’ve heard from him, and how other people I’ve talked to have dealt with situations. In no way am I advocating such treatment. Hell, when I was a kid, I felt bad about shutting our two cats off into the utility room and hallway during the night, until I realized that it was done so that they wouldn’t wander around the house and set off the motion detectors while we slept.
Honestly, part of my “game plan” was to have a house before getting a dog, because I was always of the mind that they should have a yard where they could have free reign. When I’d mentioned my apprehension to the idea of keeping the animal “cooped” up during the day during weekdays, he’d reply that my current job allows me to work from home. That’s why I’d mentioned the “job” situation in earlier posts, and how I told him that just because I was able to work from home with this job, that was no guarantee that I would have that arrangement forever.
You raise a LOT of good points - things that more dog-owners should think of before they acquire a pet. If the issues you raise can be addressed, then you’ll both feel better about actually being ready to get a dog.
Re the loneliness:
I’ve always loved Pugs, and I think I’ll probably get one when I retire.
I already know what his name will be:
“Dug”