Harley
Since it is so many years and many pugs latter, I don't know if you will remember us, but we are the Schmidt family from Cadillac, Michigan. We adopted a black pug named Harley in April 2002 when he was 2 1/2 years old. He came with a toy frog that yelled "TOUCHDOWN" when it was thrown and a toy squirrel. His favorite treat was baby carrots. On our way home we stopped at the mall and bought him a Harley Davidson collar. We came to the pug picnic in 2002 and 2003, and he always remembered the man he was fostered with, I can't remember his name, but it may have been Jim. He came home to a cat sister and they got along well, until she died a year ago. Shortly after he turned 4 he had his first seizure and it freaked us out because we didn't know what was happening. The vet said it is fairly common for pugs. After that he only had a seizure maybe 3 or 4 times a year, there were times when it was 6 months between seizures and the vet said he couldn't see medicating him every day when the seizures were so infrequent, so we just dealt with them as they came along. According to the paperwork we got with him he was born Sept. 20, 1999, so in just a couple of weeks he would have been 14 years old. It has been just the last couple of years that he started to show his age and he recently got sick and last Thursday we had to put him to sleep. I had taken him to the vet 2 weeks before that because we knew he wasn't feeling well, but the medicine didn't help and we knew there was nothing else to do for him. It was a very sad day for all of us, but we had 11 1/2 great years with him and will miss him very much. He was a very special dog and he brought us much joy. We were told that when we came down to meet him if he liked us he could go home with us, but we found out after having him for a short time that it wasn't a very fair test because he liked everyone. He was great friends with all of our neighbors that we saw while taking him for a walk. I just wanted to say thank you for Harley. I can't imagine another dog like him, but maybe in the Spring we will think about adopting another pug. Denise Schmidt

Frannie
We adopted Frannie on December 19, 2012. I knew she was older when we adopted her. I even told the kids we may not have her more than two or three years, secretly I was hoping for six. Unfortunately we didn't make our one year anniversary, Frannie was diagnosed with cancer after a large softball sized tumor was removed from her spleen, and passed away on September 26th. She was the best dog I've ever had and I still think about her every day. People said we gave her the best nine months of her life, but somehow I think she gave us the best nine months we've had in a long time. We love you forever Frannie!

Lilly
Lilly was adopted in May, 2013. She was 9 years old and was the love of her foster moms life. Recently, she was diagnosed with Anemia and Pancreatitis. As a result of the Pancreatitis she has developed liver issues which include hepatitis. Her adopted mom spent a significant amount of money both at her vet and the emergency room with issues that continued to occur. "Pug Luv" was contacted when the adopted mom was unable to continue to incur additional expenses and asked if she could re-enter the program. The adopted mom stated she knew she was healthy when she was adopted and did not know what had occurred since then to result in these problems. Lilly is now back in the program and has under gone extensive blood work as well as an Ultrasound. The "Pug Luv" vet has explained that at times the body will begin to attack itself resulting in the anemia and then the Pancreatitis will affect the liver causing the hepatitis. In addition she was diagnosed with Diabetes and Liver disease. Lilly failed to respond to her meds and IV therapy. Her liver basically shut down and so that she would not continue to suffer and live without any quality of life she was sent over the Rainbow Bridge.

Bentley
Bentley came to "Pug Luv" from a shelter in western Michigan where he had been found as a stray and was not claimed. When the rescue picked him up he had 2 visible growths, one large growth on his foot and one on his elbow. When examined, several more growths were located. In addition his Calcium level was elevated (which often indicates Cancer). More testing was done to determine why the level was elevated. Bentley began to to be incapable of standing or walking. The MPR vet recommended he be seen by the Neurologist. The conclusion of the Neurologist was that it appeared that he was suffering from a growth on his neck or upper spine. The Neurologist and the MPR vet consulted and recommended Bentley be euthanized as he no longer had quality of life and it was unfair to allow him to suffer. Although he was not with "Pug Luv" for much time, he was cared for, loved and had people with him at the time of his passing.

Bear
Hi, my name is Bear Groves. I was adopted from Michigan Pug Rescue thirteen years ago when I was eight weeks old. I had the best “forever mom and dad”, and two big dogs for friends. One day my mom had to go to the hospital and one of my big dog friends got sick and when my mom came home from the hospital, one of my big dog friends went to the Rainbow Bridge. Then, my other big dog friend went to the Rainbow Bridge two months later and my mom and dad adopted Trixie and Otis so I would not be alone. I was two years old when Trixie and Otis came to my house to be with me and keep me company. Trixie and Otis were my best friends for eleven years, but they went to the Rainbow Bridge earlier this year and I was, again, left alone. My mom and dad were the best people, and they loved me very much. They made sure I went in to my doggie doctor every year for my yearly check-ups and they made sure I went to the doggie ophthalmologist once a year for my eye examinations. I required special food from the doggie doctor because of my skin allergies, and my mom and dad made sure I always had my food and my heartworm medicine. Recently, I had to use inhalers and mom would make sure I always had my inhalers and my eye gel every night. When I had trouble walking, my mom and dad took me to the acupuncture doctor for acupuncture treatments for over two years. I was doing pretty good but my dad got sick earlier this year with cancer and he had to have radiation and chemo treatments and my mom had to take care of him when he was not feeling well and was not able to get me to the doctor for my acupuncture treatments. My daddy was in and out of the hospital a lot, but mom made sure I was taken care of when she couldn’t be home. Our neighbors would come and feed me and let me out. They were the best neighbors and I really liked them. They had little dogs (not pugs), and they were very good to me. Mom and dad bought me a cart so I would be able to move around the driveway. I was just getting accustomed to the cart and could maneuver it pretty good. Mom would put me outdoors for about an hour when the weather was nice. Mom would put me in the shade because I couldn’t walk very well but I could be outdoors for a little while. I had the best mom. Mom would put diapers on me while I was in the house and make sure I was always fed and kept clean. My dad came home from the hospital for one month but he had to go back to the hospital. But, this time he did not come home; he went to the Rainbow Bridge to see Otis and Trixie. I was not feeling well and the doggie doctor put me on an antibiotic indefinitely for a urinary tract infection. I was a handful for my mom with everything she had been through and I did not want my mom to have to worry about me so I decided it was my time to go to the Rainbow Bridge. I know my mom will miss me very much and I will miss her more, but I know I will be in a better place with no more pain and I will be able to breathe better and I will be able to use my legs to run around. I will forever be in my mom’s heart and she will never forget me. I love her very much.