Happy Pug-O-Ween!

The folks at Delaware Valley Pug Rescue  threw a Pug-O-Ween bash to benefit their worthy organization. Pablo RSVP’d at once, knowing here was a chance to mingle with other smushy-face members of his breed. And did he have a ball! K and I haven’t seen him dash around with such enthusiasm in a long while. Usually he’s happy but sedate when we bring him to our local dog park. On Sunday he was like a puppy again, as were the other pugs–all constantly on the move, looking for food and attention and sniffing each other’s butts. Safe to say, a good time was had by all and the money raised went to a good cause. Here are some photos of the attendees.

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A Cowardly Pug

I know many of you have been sitting on the edge of your seats wondering what Pablo’s Halloween costume will be. Well, fret no more. He’s the Cowardly Lion from my all-time favorite movie, The Wizard of Oz. The Cowardly Lion was always my favorite of Dorothy’s cohorts, so blustery on the outside yet a real mush at heart. Just like my Pablo.

Our Dead End Walk

Over the weekend K and I took Pablo on a long walk to take advantage of the glorious day. We ended up at a local cemetery and strolled among the headstones. I almost never let Pablo off leash but I did here and I’m pleased to say he mostly obeyed. My chief worry was he’d lift a leg to one of the headstones–or worse–but he didn’t.

Here are some more photos from our walk:

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Pugs, Then and Now

copyright © The Libby Hall Collection

Can you believe the canine is a pug? Wow, 100 or so years of breeding really has changed their appearance. Today’s pug looks as if it was compressed in a waste disposal unit. Everything is shorter and more compact–the snout, the torso, the legs. Of course, this is the reason pugs have the health problems they do. But I must confess, and yes, this so isn’t PC, pugs are much cuter now!

The above photo came from a collection owned by Libby Hall, an ex-pat living in London. Over the years she collected more than 5,000 photos of dogs from family photo albums and published four books highlighting them. My mother, who’s been busy researching dogs in Victorian England, found this site where you can see a bunch of photos from her collection. A few show famous people and their dogs–Queen Victoria, Charles Dickens–but most feature ordinary folks posing with their best friends. So click yourself over to Spitalfields Life and take a look.

Pug by a Pile of Pillows

Wow, it’s been a while–almost a month since my last post. My bad. Things have been more hectic than usual around here. K returned from a three-week plus business trip in which he circled the globe, traveling from South Africa to Australia to San Diego to home. Then I left for a much shorter trip to NYC , attending a blogging convention and visiting with friends and family.

With all this going on, Pablo didn’t know which way was up and became super clingy, even for a pug (which is saying a lot). Now that things are almost back to normal, he’s getting back to his routine. Above, he’s posing next to a set of pug pillows I received as a birthday present a few weeks ago. He blends right in, doesn’t he?