Spotlight on Seniors

Why Adopt A Senior?

 

Who better to answer this question than the loving folks who are currently sharing their heart and home with a senior canine companion?

I came across your senior pug page and thought I’d contribute, since I am the proud owner of a senior pug. I adopted “Belly” from the Maryland Pug Rescue approximately 5 years ago. She was 9 yrs old at the time. I saw her face on petfinder, and just knew that she’d be perfect for our family. She took awhile to warm up to us, as she had been owned by the same family for her entire life. However, once she decided that we weren’t giving up on her, she became the most loveable and special pug ever. She has a strong personality, and likes to take care of her brother (our other pug, “Cosmo”). She is now 14 yrs old, and incredibly fit and active. I sometimes forget that she is an older pug! To anyone out there considering adopting an adult pug, please consider a senior. They are forever grateful and will pay you back 100x over in pug kisses. We could not imagine life without her.

- Tricia

“In November, 2008 I was ready to add a 3rd pug to our home. Bella was introduced to me by the wonderful lady that was fostering her,  Lisa-Ann.  I saw her picture and fell in love instantly.  She is guessed to be 12 years old.   She immediately took over our home and our hearts.  She claimed her spot on the bed the first night and has kept it now for the last year.  She is smart, obedient, a little hard of hearing and just the most beautiful pug ever.  She follows me everywhere I go and if I happen to get out of her sight, she barks until she finds me.

The first month we had her spayed.  Thoughts were that she had been in a puppy mill :(   The vet said her ovaries were larger than any she had seen and were cancerous.  She also had mammary gland cancer.  Our hearts ached for her but the vet felt she had gotten all of it.  We then took her to a holistic vet for more special care.  13 months later and our sweet Bella is still going strong. She loves to go for walks, but because our 5 year old pug can walk so much faster and longer, Bella has a stroller so when she is tired she jumps in and rides.

I cannot possibly tell you the benefits of adopting a senior.  She loves to snuggle up next to us anytime we sit down.  She loves riding in the car.  She loves sleeping in her bed in the warm sunshine with her two pug sisters nearby but her favorite thing is when her daddy gets home from work and gives them all a treat. Our first two pugs were adopted through the Maryland Pug Rescue.  Our first pug, Krissy we have had for almost 4 1/2 years, she is 5.  We adopted Layla 3 years ago and she is 8.  Layla has liver failure and is on 4 different meds twice a day.

Neither my husband nor I wanted a puppy again–just too much energy for our household.   A senior fits right in without all the commotion a puppy causes and appreciates their home so much. Just look at that beautiful face!!  We love her more than I can say.” Ann C.

 

 

 

 

 

The Pumpkin Patch

Gracie & Pappy
“Pebble and Pappy made a perfect addition for my schnauzer and poodle.  They are fast bedtime pals and get along really well. Seniors are the  perfect companion for those of us who work and want a low key companion.  They are willing to do as much or as little as you want, and they are  perfect snugglers! There is so little training to do with them because
like us they have been around the block a time or two! You cannot go  wrong with a senior who will be eternally grateful to have a forever  home until they cross the rainbow bridge!”  Sue L.

Tasha Tuder

 

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Ginger has been a perfect addition to our family.  I’ve owned my pug Bella for several years, but decided that I wanted a companion for Bella while I was at work during the day.  I knew I wanted to adopt a rescue, and I decided that, because Bella is young and full of energy, I would ideally like to adopt a senior who had less energy.  I was hoping that they would sort of balance each other out.  That’s the reason I started looking for a senior pug, but after I found Ginger, she made it abundantly clear why she found me.

Ginger is one of the sweetest dogs I have ever known.  She came into our house wanting nothing more than to love and be loved in return.  She is affectionate, undemanding, sweet, well-trained, and all-around adorable.  She is a couch-potato at heart, but has as much pep and enthusiasm on walks as my four year old pug!  Ginger has adopted Bella as her little sister, and is patiently showing Bella that it’s alright to be low-key sometimes!  They snuggle together frequently, and Ginger has made a perfect companion, just as I hoped.  But I really feel that Ginger picked us just as much as I picked her.  She has bonded to me, and is my shadow throughout the day.  She wants nothing more than to cuddle on my lap and kiss my face to her heart’s content.  Adopting a senior has permanently changed my life for the better, and I now can’t imagine my life without my little old lady.
Melissa
 
Ellie If I were writing a classified ad, it would say “Single, working woman with three cats and no-longer-boundless energy yearns to add a canine to her household.”  A puppy?  Housetraining, leash training, shoe chewing, cat chasing, etc. – no thank you!  A young dog with lots of energy — too exhausting.  What about an older dog who’s character traits are settled, who doesn’t have endless energy, who is already housetrained and leash trained, who needs exercise but also loves just to snooze some hours away on couch beside me while I watch TV — perfect!  Ellie, who may be as much as 10 years old, came to MAPR after her breeding days were over.  She became a part of my family in July 2007, and what a joy the last year has been!  Perfectly house-trained, a great eater (what pug isn’t?), calm, walks well on a leash, gets along with my cats, gives great nose licks, does a happy dance (with toy in mouth) every time I come in the door, sings along when I play music.  Laughing with and loving this wonderful pug is a blessing every day.   Susan L.
Bear After rescuing Bear and telling those who asked how old he is, many would then ask, how long do pugs live? My response was that it did not matter because what I have been able to give Bear since rescuing him is more than he has ever known.
In March 2007, I decided that I wanted to expand my pug family but that my schedule did not allow me the opportunity to train a puppy. So, I did some research and found Maryland Pug Rescue, which has since merged with Mid-Atlantic Pug Rescue. After browsing their website, I was intrigued by Bear’s adorable picture and amazing story. He was blind and roughly 12 years old. That didn’t matter to me. I proceeded and completed the adoption application. I had multiple phone conversations with Bear’s foster mom and we arranged for my pugs and I to meet Bear.
On the day that Mugzee, Pudge, and I met Bear – it was love at first sight (no pun intended). At the dog park, I kneeled down and Bear came right to me and loved me right back. I knew at that moment that he was perfect. Did I have some reservation about his age? Minimally yes, but realized quickly that it did not matter. If I had him for a week, a month, a year, or many years, I knew that I could give him more than he ever had. I could provide him with a loving home after living outside for over 11 years.
Former president of the Maryland Pug Rescue Susan Bauer commented to me that, “it is just mind boggling to me that this wonderful dog was treated like garbage for a decade, yet he is so precious to all of us. I will never understand it. I can only be really happy for him that although the first part of his life was utter tragedy, the rest of his life will be spent like a prince. Thank you, thank you, for loving Bear.”
Love is all he knows now. Since rescuing Bear a year and a half ago, I continue to show him the world. He has been on many, many walks, has been honored at a Pug Walk, has gone for a hike at Great Falls, has been fishing and camping (overnight in a tent), has gone to many Pug meet-ups and parties, enjoyed Christmas with presents, has traveled to Oklahoma and back, and even participated in a photo shoot that I won with Lee Anderson! He loves his life. I truly believe he is reliving his youth and the life he never had and therefore, he is nowhere ready to leave this amazing “new” world.
I am honored to be Bear’s owner – to love him everyday and show him what life should be like. And if my love isn’t enough, Mugzee, Pudge, and my latest rescue, Orson, Bear’s grandson, show him more. And yes, his grandson – I was thrilled this past February when given the opportunity to rescue Bear’s grandson so that they could be reunited and Bear now gets to spend the better part of his life with his own family. Bear has touched my heart and soul in a way that I never knew possible and I know I have done the same for him.
LACIE Happiness is certainly the soft, grey furry face of a senior pug.  We adopted Lacie through a small rescue group.  I just responded to the small rescue group inquiring about her and they said “She is 10 years old.  Will that be a problem?”  That broke my heart and I just immediatly said “No, that is not a problem.  When can I meet her?”  The first time we saw her face the rescue lady came up our walkway holding Lacie.  I loved her the first time I saw her face.   After several years of loving this gal, Lacie has since passed over to the Rainbow Bridge.  I can only say this, she was my canine soulmate, if you’ve experienced this, then you know exactly what I mean.  Lacie, thank you for the love, companionship and for capturing a part of my soul that we connected into such a tight bond.  Until we meet again my precious one.  Love, Holly and family