Pug Picnic Party

By Tonia Evans:

On Memorial Day weekend my mom and I went down to the Cape for a Pug Party. A group of about 50 or more pug enthusiasts from around the New England area gathered for a cookout with their dogs. Pug lovers benefit from these events because they get to hang out with other people who feel as excited about pugs as they do, and the dogs get to play off-leash with each other in a secure fenced in yard.

In the past I’ve known a few pug friends, but I’ve never seen so many pugs in one place-on the loose. Most dog owners would have keep their dogs on a leash just in case their dogs didn’t get along with one another-to thwart any scuffles if you will, but the pugs at this cookout behaved beautifully!

In fact, the dogs seemed focused on socializing with each other and on investigating what might have fallen under the food table. In that way, pugs are like other dogs-they’re lovable, snug-able, friendly, snoopy,gentle and they like food!

Mostly the dogs could be found running from one side of the yard to the other in a delightful exploration. A handful of dogs ran right up to me to say hello and welcome me with kisses. Sadly, some of the dogs were legally blind, or had some eye issues, but you’d never guess which ones. Meet Helen Of Troy, recently adopted by Joan Downey. Joan Says “She’s genetically blind in one eye and the other eye was ulcerated, but she runs around like you’d never know it!” Helen of Troy a.k.a. Missy for short was the fastest socialite in the bunch-she let her nose lead the way, and her lack of vision didn’t seem to cramp her style.

What readers should know is that most of these dogs have been adopted from Green Mountain Pug Rescue (GMPR), a non-profit group of volunteers that rescue dogs from puppy mills among other places, provide them with medical care, socialize them and try to find them loving homes.

Puppy mills are cruel and in-humane, and many of the dogs have severe medical issues because the condition that they live in is so disgusting, and they don’t receive proper medical care-because the breeders think of them as a product, and proper veterinary care is an expense the breeders don’t want to pay for, because they sell the dogs, in poor condition, for a cheap price.

Puppy mills are allowed by law in this country and I hope someday they’ll be outlawed. This isn’t a rant about puppy mills-believe me I could write an entire post or more protesting them, my point is that the pugs I met at the picnic have overcome amazing medical odds, have found homes with wonderful, loving people-all because of organizations like GMPR.

My mother and I had a nice chat with the representatives from GMPR at their fundraising and outreach table. Karen Powers, the President, and her assistants were from Vermont and they travel all around the New England area educating people about Pugs and how to get involved helping them. We left with a GMPR cookbook, and some pug magnets!

If you’re looking for a wonderful new friend, I can certainly suggest you look into adopting a pug. Thanks for having us Karen!

Green Mountain Pug Rescue-Learn More

Curly Tails Pug rescue-Learn More

Please enjoy some of our pictures from the day!

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