Pugs Were Made to be Loved

I’ve always been a big dog person. My siblings and I grew up with a black lab we named “Sister.” (It’s ok, everyone go ahead and awwwww in unison.) But when I hit 29 a couple years ago and baby fever hit an epic level I knew something had to give. I needed to add a dog to my two-cat home, lest I start sleepwalking in the middle of the night and flushing my birth control down the toilet. And because I am a condo dweller I was going to have to find a small dog to hug and kiss and love and spoil.

Oxford sleeping in my lap as I write this blog post.

I did my research about personalities and such and it was obvious pretty earlier on that a pug was going to be the small dog fit for me.

Oxford is now a year and a half old and I couldn’t be more in love with him. He is a completely ridiculous creature. He sleeps on my face and he cries when he’s overwhelmed (let me tell you, the first time I made a dog cry I felt like the biggest ass on earth). He plays with the cats and doesn’t care to notice that they aren’t playing back. He hides everything ever in my bed – it’s his sacred place. He still smells like puppy. When the lawn servicemen come he barks at them in a cadence that sounds like Wonder Dog – Bow wow wow WOW wow WOW!

He also eats toilet paper, napkins, and anything like it. I don’t know how he gets into things. He eats tampons. I’ve tried to explain to him that I’m not dying and that this is the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen, but he just keeps on keepin’ on.

He is stubborn as all heck. He knows what no means, what sit means, go, outside, chewy, mommy, bed…. but he only acknowledges knowing them when it is convenient for him. Someone once told me having a pug is like having a 2 year old and it is so true. I can’t tell you how often the words, “Why did you do THAT?” come out of my mouth. And of course he looks at me with complete innocence even though I know he knows what he’s done. And that’s a pug for you.

And worse, once you become a pug owner there is certain behavior you will be unable to avoid. You will go nuts for every other pug you see. You will talk to any pug owner like you’ve known them for years. You will introduce yourselves by the names of your dogs rather than your own names. And worst of all, you will purchase obnoxious pug crap that you do not need. Because anything that reminds you of your pug and how much you love him and he loves you calls out to you.

Angel/Devil Pug Salt and Pepper Shaker

You are part of an elite club that talks to your dog in different pitches so you can laugh while he nods his head back and forth. You vacuum every day and are still willing to leave the house covered in dog hair without feeling completely defeated, because eventually it’s just a badge of pug ownership. You don’t know when to break it to the new person you’re dating that the dog does in fact always get to sleep in the bed. You show off pictures of your pug like someone showing off baby pictures. In fact, you show them to the guy showing his baby pictures because you are certain your pug is way cuter than his baby anyways, and you’re just as proud of your little monster as he is of his. You have no idea why he is offended by this.

And someday you decide to have a kid so your pug has a friend to play with.