Check out this hysterical video. Judith tried the same technique out on Puggo, who responded with a quizzical look and, sometimes, a head tilt.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uuqXXT7VYo
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Alpha Pug
A herd of pugs, dressed in colorful harnesses and circling around each other at the dog park, stopping in front of a watching human for a pat or a drink of water, seem far removed from the ancestral wolf pack. Most will never mate and if they do, the bitches need Caesarian sections. The hunting instinct has been reduced to barking at absent-minded owners to refill the food bowls. But the drive to dominate other dogs remains.
When Puggo was about 18 months old, he attempted to hump a 10-year-old male German shepherd, who punished the pup’s audacity by biting his ear hard enough to draw blood. Although Puggo continued to run with the big dogs, he never tried that particular trick again. When he met other dogs at the park, they would sniff each other and sometimes one or the other would lay down in what seemed to be a gesture of submission. But it wasn’t until this past year that younger dogs have tried to dominate him by lifting a back leg over his rear end. Unlike the German Shepherd, Puggo hasn’t bit the upstarts. At 12, he just sits down and tries to ignore them, seemingly resigned to no longer being a top dog.
Except at home, where he remains, if not the leader of the pack, at least the center of attention.
When Puggo was about 18 months old, he attempted to hump a 10-year-old male German shepherd, who punished the pup’s audacity by biting his ear hard enough to draw blood. Although Puggo continued to run with the big dogs, he never tried that particular trick again. When he met other dogs at the park, they would sniff each other and sometimes one or the other would lay down in what seemed to be a gesture of submission. But it wasn’t until this past year that younger dogs have tried to dominate him by lifting a back leg over his rear end. Unlike the German Shepherd, Puggo hasn’t bit the upstarts. At 12, he just sits down and tries to ignore them, seemingly resigned to no longer being a top dog.
Except at home, where he remains, if not the leader of the pack, at least the center of attention.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Pugs and Costumes
For some reason, pugs and costumes go together. Few owners seem able to resist the temptation to dress up their lap dogs like a Muffy Bear or baby doll. For example, a photo of two unhappy-looking pugs, each wearing a hot dog bun, one topped with mustard, the other with ketchup, made the Internet rounds a while back with the caption, "Why Dogs Kill Their Owners." Then there was the gruff pug wearing the "I (heart) New York" T-shirt in the movie "Men in Black." At our local Pug Meet-up's Halloween party, there were pugs in Hawaiian shirts, frilly skirts, a miniature Jedi knight costume and two pugs in yellow and back stripes, who kept circling Puggo and the giant artificial rose tied to the back of his halter as though they were real bees and he a real flower. A month later, a girl pug wearing a lobster costume attracted Puggo's attention, although I doubt he's ever tasted crustacean.
Not that Judith is immune to the temptation to doll up her dog. In addition to the flower, Puggo has had to endure a cowboy hat (with holes cut for his ears), a Superman cape, and booties designed to protect his feet from the snow and ice. As a tiny puppy in Boston, he was dressed in a cut-off sweatshirt sleeve, which at least kept him warm. But as a mature male, he strongly feels that wearing clothing is beneath his dignity. Judith, however, does insist that he wear his red harness around his chest, not only while on the leash but off it as well; her rather flimsy excuse is that it's easier to grab him by the harness when he wanders into the neighbors' yards than it is to catch him bare naked.
Oh well, at least she doesn't make him wear a bonnet-- or a hot dog bun.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)