Oscar and Ollie
We knew we'd eventually get another dog, but first we needed to take some time to lick our wounds. In the months that followed Pugsly's death, we slowly put our lives back together and got used to living in a dog-less house. It was lonely, but it was necessary.
From time to time we'd discuss getting another dog; first we'd both say we weren't ready, followed by the inevitable "but when we are..." There were three things we were certain of: we were staying with pugs, we wanted another pair, and most importantly, they had to be young.
I will say that it feels a bit weird to admit to that last part; since I adopted P&P when they were in their senior years, I will always hold the geriatrics close to my heart. Case in point: I was at a shelter a few years ago that had just taken in two twelve-year-old Westie Terrier sisters; their owner had just died, one of them was blind, and the other had a baseball sized tumor sticking out of her side. I almost took them both home, literally - I was texting Kevin and snapping photos and videos with my cell phone. And this was a breed I know absolutely nothing about.
So it's without question that I'll eventually adopt another pair of old guys, but I have to be honest with myself; I just don't have the emotional stamina to do it again right away. We loved P&P with all our hearts and it killed us to lose them after such a short period of time; we know people who have gotten to spend 15 years or more with their dogs, and oh, how we longed for that.
Not long into our search, we learned about four two-day-old pug puppies who were rescued from a North Carolina puppy mill by The Humane Society of the United States. Following their rescue in March, the puppies and their momma were all placed into foster care and were made available for adoption at the end of May.
3/14/2012: Photo by Kathy Milani/The Humane Society of the United States
Of course, our interest was piqued. Kevin and I hadn't talked about getting puppies; we knew we wanted young dogs, but that young? Were we completely out of our minds for considering it? Quite possibly, but we also knew what a very rare opportunity this was. We watched P&P suffer with so many medical issues for so long, many of which were caused by the improper care they had received for most of their lives.
Adopting puppies would give us the chance to care for them the right way from the very beginning, and maybe, just maybe, we'd get a decent number of healthy happy years with them before they start getting old and sick. Because let's be honest; they all do eventually.
So that was it, we decided to take the plunge. Off to North Carolina we went to adopt our new family members, Oscar and Ollie.
6/1/2012: Foster parents Brian and Tracie (left). Adoptive parents Kevin and Michelle (right).