Special Visitor Edition: LOUIE!!!!!!

In May we had a super special visitor.  Yes, even I, Vito, the pessimistic pug who doesn't like to share ANY ATTENTION, had to admit that this visitor was special.  It was... LOUIE!!!!!!!!!!

He's still tiny!  (Louie in our kitchen - he's gained 2 pounds since he left us, so now he's at 17!  But look how little the bugger is!)

Louie was my very first pug playmate and foster brother.  You might remember when he lived with us as a "foster" last year for almost 2 months.  While he lived here, I wasn't as keen on him as I am now in looking back.  Oh I am so much older and wiser now.  If only I knew then, what I know now.

Now I have a PERMANENT brother and, if given the choice, I'd take Louie back in a heartbeat!  Sure he was annoying.  He wanted to play all the time.  But he was also kind of a good snuggler - and my brother now?  Not so much.  He just wants to steal all of my Nylabones.

ANYWAY, Louie's Mom and my Mom have kept in touch and his Mom contacted my Mom to arrange a puggie playdate!  My Mom was so ridiculously excited I can't even tell you.  It was seriously embarrassing.  I knew Mom missed Louie.  She even occasionally told me about dreams she had about him - that she would see him again.  He was her first foster pug and he meant so much to her.  He was her "trial foster" - and after Louie left - it was so hard on both of us that Mom even told the Pug Rescue that she couldn't do it again - she didn't think she could take in another pug and cry that much again when they left.  But as you may remember, it only took less than a month before Mom changed her mind and took in Pippa.  Mom just realized there are too many pugs out there like me and Louie that need her.  Even though I'm spoiled rotten and am pretty possessive of my Mom - even I realize that fostering is a wonderful thing and I am okay with sharing my house with pugs on their way home to their forever homes.  (ALTHOUGH THAT WASN'T THE CASE WITH VINNY BECAUSE HE ENDED UP STAYING HERE FOREVER AND I WOULD JUST LIKE TO REMIND MOM OF THAT - NO MORE VINNYS PLEASE!)

So on a Saturday in May, Louie showed up at our house, with his Mom, Dad, and Human Brother Jonah!  WHAT A REUNION!

 Mom smothering Louie!

Mom had a whole prediction of how this would go.  She was wrong.  She imagined that Louie would run in to her arms, having missed her for a whole year. Instead - you know what he did?  He ran straight for ME!  Oh Louie - remember when I wanted you to go away?  Now I'm so happy to see you!!!

Little Louie Boy all up in my grill!  He had clearly missed me!  (That's Louie's dad and human brother Jonah - Jonah wants to be a PUG!  Who doesn't???)

Louie and his human brother Jonah are best friends!  That made Mom SO happy to see.
 

And Louie's brother Jonah also found SILENT GEORGE!  Grandpa would be proud.  :)

Vinny sniffing Silent George

Mom says the very best part of the visit, other than actually snuggling on Louie - was that she got the best gift EVER.  Louie's family gave Mom a photo book filled with Louie's entire journey as a foster pug, and now with his forever family.

\

Want to know what I think is the best part?  It also includes MY STORY with Mom!

Mom thought that Vinny would really love to play with Louie, since Vinny always tries to get me to play with him and I am NOT INTERESTED.  Wrong!  Vinny had no interest in Louie.  Vinny just wanted a nap.

 Or to chew on his big Nylabone.

Louie introducing himself to Vinny.  Vinny was unimpressed.

 

Louie tried hard.

 

Vinny on the left.

 Mom with "her boys" as she says.  Louie is on her lap.  I'm on her right (and look, I'm
  even okay with that!!!).  Vinny is on her left - I told you he was ready for a nap.

Louie with his Mom in our kitchen.  That's me harassing him.  I didn't want him to leave!!!!

Mom didn't want Louie to leave either.

Me, Louie and Louie's Best Friend!!!

It was a really great day.

Later friends!

Meet Ollie...and...Farewell Ollie!

So very much catching up to do!  Therefore, Vito is out of luck on writing this post (he is so incredibly slow at dictating this blog to me.)  I have lots of other posts to do but I needed to get this one out because I was feeling so guilty for my shoddy chronicle of our most recent houseguest.

Meet Ollie!

 Ollie on Day 1!

Ollie came to stay with us on June 1.  He was estimated to be three years old, and was found as a stray by some people in Illinois last fall.  He had heartworms, and they got him treated.  The story goes that they had too many pugs of their own, therefore surrendered him to SEPRA.  As always, we never know what the truth behind these pugs are, but that's what we were told.  Anyway - Ollie was a GEM!!!!

He needs to lose a few pounds!

He came in and fit right in our house, like he had always lived here.  It wasn't even that hard to have 3 pugs, like I thought it might be.  I'd had 3 before with Jax, but Jax wasn't an active guy due to his hip problems.  Vito, Vinny and Ollie were all active!

Waiting for guests to come and visit (Ollie Chunkalicious in the middle!)

What struck me the most about him, and probably why I got so attached to him so quickly - was how much he reminded me of Vito.  Their looks, their personalities, their habits (such as the way they lay down next to me in the same position for their belly rubs), and their need to be the center of attention - on my lap at all times!

Ollie beat Vito to my lap and Vito was NONE TOO HAPPY ABOUT IT!

 

Vito on the left, Ollie on the right

Ollie post-bath

Ollie loved to lay on my side on the sofa - very reminiscent of little Louie, but Ollie was significantly heavier!

Photo shoot for Ollie's adoption bio - this picture looks like a curmudgeonly old man!

SAY CHEEEEEEESE!

Love this smile!!

Ollie was looking at the neighbor in the next yard

The day after he arrived, June 2, was my birthday!  I had already planned a big birthday BBQ before I knew Ollie was arriving.  I felt guilty for him having just come in to my house and then throwing this big bash - but he had fit in so easily that I kept the party going.  And he had a great time and of course got lots of attention!

 Ollie begging for pasta salad

Ollie immediately took to Kyle - who along with Paul re-named Ollie "Sherman" for the night.  It took me 2 days after that to remember his name!  Ollie snoozed on Kyle's lap most of the day/night.

Ollie on Kyle's lap

They were dancing, probably to Britney Spears

Well, I knew that Ollie wouldn't be with us for long because he was too perfect.  He did have a few issues - very dirty & infected ears, and a bit of a cough.  But just a few days after being put on the SEPRA website, we got a PERFECT application for him.  Of course, I spent the next few days, while the references were being checked, snuggling on him to the point that I think he was sick of me.

 

Perfect shmooshie face!

Ollie's last night with us

On Saturday, June 23, just 3 weeks after he arrived with us, we went to do the home visit on Ollie's potential new family.  The wife had adopted her pug Wally from SEPRA in 2002, so the home visit was really just a formality at that point.  Unfortunately Wally passed away a year ago, and she grieved for so long.  She teared up several times talking about him, and I couldn't help but tear up too.  Their home was absolutely beautiful and I knew Ollie would be so very happy, loved and spoiled.  They loved him right away and he made himself right at home!!  We ended up doing the adoption on the spot, so I left Ollie there that day. 

  

Ollie's new family!

 He made himself right at home, and he got to be reunited with his alien that he came with.

 How perfect is this??

 

 

Ollie immediately took to his new dad!  Check out those windows - they overlook a lake - which Ollie loved looking out!

 Goodbye Ollie Chunkalicious!!  I love you and miss you!

No matter how short the time is that you have a pug in foster, or how perfect their new home is - it doesn't stop the tears when you leave them!  I always worry that they are confused and missing me.  That's the hardest part for me.  Ollie's mom emailed me Saturday night and said he was doing just great, and she remarked several times how impressed she was and what a good boy he is!  (Luckily Vito & Vinny's bad habits didn't rub off on him!)  :)

As I said, I know we have a lot of catching up to do!  Including Vito's 5th birthday, which was this past Friday June 22 - the day before Ollie left!  And Vinny's first Rescue Day - which was Saturday June 23 - the very day that Ollie left us!  So much happening around here!  We'll get back on this blogging horse one of these days!

Cheers to Our Friend, Hank

Last week we lost another friend.  Another friend who had been to our house!  Mom, Vinny and I are so sad.  Our buddy Hank went to the Bridge last week, in his sleep, where he was sleeping in between his mom & dad.  He had been diagnosed with Lymphoma recently, and he just got very tired very quickly, and he decided it was time to go.

Hank checking out our backyard

Hank telling me some dirty jokes.

When I first came to live with Mom at the end of 2009, she was pretty clueless about pugs.  So she spent a lot of time on the ol' "interwebs" reading about pugs, and she came across a whole bunch of pug blogs!  One of the very first, was Hank's.  It was also one of Mom's very favorites.  Hank was a very special, very funny guy and he made Mom & I chuckle all the time.  We were so excited when, last summer, Hank's mom Sarah contacted my mom and said she would be driving through St. Louis on her way from Indianapolis to Oklahoma.  You might remember some of this from my very recent post in memory of Sweet Payton.  Vinny had just come to live with us, and boy did we have a good time bossing Hank around! 

  

You see, Hank always claimed to have been a 'Nam vet (he and my Grandpa would have gotten along just great for a whole bunch of reasons).  Well I was suspicious of this story from the get-go (I may or may not have had Grandpa make some calls to some high-ranking officials to try to clear up this story...).  So I put him through the ringer (and was of course assisted by my soldier Vinny!) - making him do plyometric pushups, army crawls through the mud, and we were just about to send him up in a chopper to prove that he could really parachute, when Mom intervened and told us to give it a rest.

Watching with pride as Soldier Vinny questioned Hank

After that, we still weren't sure if we believed Hank's military past (sure he showed us some dog tags but you can buy those anywhere!), but he somehow won us over anyway. 

 

Even when my Mom started snuggling on him!

 Mom, can't you see how much he HATES that?  You should pick me up instead.

 

And when Payton's Mom gave him a massage that I would give my first-born to get! 

 

But that was Hank - he was a charmer and could even soften the heart of a skeptic like me.
 

  

And clearly, Vinny as well!

 

  

  

We were pretty bummed when Hank left that day, and we promised to see each other again - this time in Indianapolis.  We are all so sad that won't happen now.  But we will still go and see Hank's mom because we know she is missing Hanklin and I feel that Vinny & I would probably be the best medicine, dontchathink??

Me sitting with Hank's mom (and Vinny sitting on the floor where he belongs)

 Sarah and me

We just can't believe that the 2 puggers that came to visit us last summer, Payton and now Hank, are gone. 

  

Mom sure has been giving us lots of hugs and we let her most of the time.  Hank will be missed beyond words by his Mom & Dad.  He was such a special guy, and such a good friend.  Tonight, Vinny & I are going to get a little wild and crazy over a sixer of PBR (Hank's drink of choice) and remember our friend.  We love you Hank, and Sarah too.  There will never be another like you.  We hope that you are having such a great time at the Bridge. Now you can parachute out of that chopper without any interference from overprotective Moms! 

The magnet that Hank brought us on his visit.  PS We Love You, too.  :)

Hank, his dad, his mom, and his sister Molly O'Malley - who we know is outrunning Hank at the bridge right now!

Big hugs and lots of love,
Vito (and my mom & brother too)