Our Canary

Coal miners once carried caged canaries down into the tunnels. If methane or carbon monoxide leaked into the shafts, the gases would kill the bird and alert the miners to get the hell out.

Pablo functions as our little canary. Each night we lug him upstairs (And I do mean lug! Pablo will not climb stairs.), plop him on the bed, and observe him. If he’s panting after a few minutes, we know it’s too hot and switch on the AC. If he settles down, breathing easy, we know we’re okay just with the fan.

 

Giddy-up, Little Puggie!

And you thought pugs were bred just to be lap dogs!

This photo is courtesy of Tastefully Offensive. Many thanks to E for sending it along.

Steampug

I first saw this intrepid pug on Neatorama and traced it back to Geeky & Gory. Don’t know who the artist is, but kudos!

The Color of Pug

THE COLOR OF is a website designed to find out the color of anything. By using an averaging algorithm, it searches Flickr for images that contain the term. According to the site: “Taking the assumption that random images will average out to become grey, we can attribute any color bias which deviates from grey to the term searched.”

As a service to the Pugophile community, I searched the term “pug” and the shade above is the result. A cheerful orangey color, if I do say. Much like pugs.

No More Flying Pugs!

from Flying Pug Canvas Tote on Etsy

This just in! Pugs and other flat-faced canines such as bulldogs, Boston terriers, and boxers will no longer be allowed to fly on carrier Cathay Pacific. Not to discriminate, short snouted felines (Himalayans and Persians, etc.) will also be banned.

Cathay Pacific follows Singapore Airlines, as well as several American carriers that no longer admit brachycephalic breeds in their cargo holds. Studies have shown that these animals face higher odds of dying in flight due to their their inability to cool down. I, for one, applaud the airlines for taking this step. Many travelers–who would never lock their pug in a car with the windows rolled up–think nothing of putting their beloved pets in the dreaded cargo hold.

Of course, sometimes air flight travel is unavoidable. Animal specialists are voicing concerns that people might abandon or even euthanize their pets if they are unable to transport them. While there is truth to this, the statistics behind the ban are sobering. For instance, English bulldogs accounted for almost half (25) of the deaths of known breeds (108). Yikes!

Why, Grandma, What a Red Tongue You Have!

 

 

A Pensive Pug

 

June was a busy month for me, and I just now got around to reading the May/June issue of Pug Talk magazine. I’m glad I did because there was an article about Peter Clark, a collage artist whose work often features dogs. “Pensive Pug,” above, is just one of his amazing collages. Each piece is created of assemblages of found paper objects: old postage stamps, postcards, maps, labels, playing cards, cancelled tickets, and what have you. There are clever touches. A bulldog’s nose is made from a photo of that old bulldog Winston Churchill. A Scottish terrier is crafted from vintage maps of Scotland. For a peek at more of his dog portfolio, click here. And his book, Paperwork: Peter Clark is due out in late August.

With Apologies to A. A. Milne

Pablo’s recent struggles with his weight inspired me to amend the last stanza of A. A. Milne’s wonderful “Teddy Bear.” In honor of portly pugs everywhere, I give you:

Puggy Poo

A pug, however hard he tries,

Grows pudgy without exercise.

Our Puggy Poo is short and fat,

Which is not to be wondered at.

But do you think it worries him

To know that he is far from slim?

No, just the other way about–

He’s proud of being short and stout.

Pablo’s Checkup

We took Pablo to get his twice yearly checkup last night. Aside from a flare-up of his old skin problems due to allergies (he has to go back on steroids for the next few weeks), he passed with flying colors. However, he tipped the scales at 25 pounds, and the vet very nicely suggested that we cut back on his food consumption. Pablo did not like the sound of that! But 25 pounds really is too much pug. And with the weather so hot, there’s no way we can increase his exercise, so a diet it will have to be. Sorry, Pablo!

Happy 4th of July!

As you can see, Pablo is all set to enjoy Independence Day. A lot of dogs are bothered by fireworks, but he seems to take it in stride. I’ve even taken him to see firework displays and he’s been fine. I guess any holiday that includes hot dogs on the grill is A-one in his book.

However, some dogs are totally freaked out by the noise. So much so that many pups do anything to escape it. In fact, more dogs run away on the Fourth of July than on any other day of the year. To help your dog get through the holiday, check out these tips from The Love of Dogs Blog.