Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Announcement: Baby Puggles Born

I am happy to announce that Daisy gave birth to five beautiful baby Puggles. They are now two weeks old and doing wonderful. I have been spoiling them like crazy. My kids and I have showed them so much love already. I am becoming attached to all of them. I am also excited to find families that want to adopt them. :)

Introducing My Baby Puggles-Born September 26th:




http://www.pugglehugs.com

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Puggle Video-The Funniest One Ever!!

I would like to share this Puggle video with you. It is the most funniest video I have ever watched. It will make you laugh!!!! Guaranteed.

Click Here to Check it out!



http://www.pugglehugs.com

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Springtime is Fun Time for You and Your Puggle

FINALLY, the cold weather is behind us, and spring is here! This is a time for opening up the windows and getting outside for some fresh air!

Not only are my kids ready for the outdoors, my dogs are too! They have been cooped up all winter long and their favorite thing to do in the entire world is play with the kids outside. At least Reece and Daisy want to play. The other two, which are older Shitzu’s, are content to just be outside and not be bothered!

We went out in the backyard for some family time and brought the entire clan, dogs and kids! My almost two year old daughter was playing out there without me hanging on her for the first time. She was having the time of her life.

Reece, my Puggle, loves to play games. We have come up with so many fun things to do with him that sometimes it is hard to decide which game we are going to play. The kids love to play hide and seek with Reece and Daisy. They love it because the dogs are always “it” and they always get to hide. And, Reece and Daisy are pretty good at finding!

Some other back yard games we have come up with are flag football, follow the leader (running style), fetch and Frisbee. Their favorite game is playing in the hose. They love to chase the water hose.

Last year, we packed everyone up and went out to the lake. They love running around and even love swimming even more! We invested in life jackets, so we would not have to worry if they fell in while we were not watching.

We have plans on going back out to the lake this year. I would highly suggest that if you plan on taking your Puggle to the lake that you invest in a life jacket. It is a stress saver and possibly could save the life of your “best friend”. Don’t take any chances. It is always better safe than sorry.

We have plans on going to the park in a couple of weeks. The important thing to remember is to make sure your dog has had enough training that he will listen to your commands. It is great to get your dog out into the world for new experiences, however, it is important for the safety of your dog that he has been trained to listen to you.

Dogs love to play, especially those energetic Puggles. They do not have to be stuck indoors, while the rest of the family is enjoying the outdoors. Let them join in your family fun and you will be surprised at how much fun they can contribute to your family time outdoors!

Just remember to watch them at all times and make sure they have plenty of water. They will be doing a lot of running and will need to be hydrated. Plus, be sure if it is pretty hot out, that you limit their playtime.
After that “fun time” outside, they will be ready for a long nap, inside!

Friday, April 4, 2008

OPRAH TO DO A SHOW ON INVESTIGATING PUPPY MILLS! WATCH THIS FRIDAY!

Oprah Winfrey’s dog of 13 years, Sophie, died of kidney failure last month. Because of this, she has dedicated an entire show to her dog. Although her dog was not adopted from a puppy mill, this show has completely changed her outlook on puppy mills and she says that she will adopt her next dog from a shelter.

I just wanted to let you all know to watch this as I just told you about my Puggle Peanut, which we adopted from a puppy mill. I truly am shocked at what I learned about puppy mills, and I wish I had known this before I brought Peanut into our lives.

After watching this show, I believe we will all have an even better understanding of why we need to stay away from these places and make it our responsibility not to contribute to the income of these places.

Lisa Ling has investigated puppy mills, and she tells us her findings, which are shocking and disgusting.

Please take some time to watch this show and find it in your heart to pass this information on. And, whatever you do don't purchase a Puggle from a pet store or over the internet, because these Puggles are most likely from a puppy mill and we don't want to help with puppy mills profit!

Monday, March 31, 2008

The Life of My Puppy Mill Puggle

During my research, I found out a lot about puppy mill puppies. I wish I had known this information BEFORE I drove six hours to another state to pick up my cute little 6 month old Puggle and six hours back the next morning with my four kids, my sister and her two kids.

I was shocked at what I saw when I got to the puppy mill. I had never actually seen one, and I didn’t realize that is where I was heading to. I just knew I was going to a farm in the middle of the night, but I just wasn’t aware that it was an actual dog farm.

The lady was nice and seemed to care for the dogs. The fact of the matter is that these dogs were all born in cages. Their lives began in these cages and probably have never even seen the outdoors, let alone grass.

We picked her up and went to a hotel. She was extremely shy and literally did not move the entire night from that one spot. She was literally terrified.
We got her home, and she was very shy for a few days. She finally warmed up to the other dogs. She even started to like me a little and tolerated the kids. However, she never warmed up to my husband, and it really bothered him. But, we kept her and assumed she would finally get used to the chaos of our family life with six people and four other dogs.

Technically, we decided to on getting another puggle so that we could breed her. We had Daisy, but she was not supposed to breed for another year or two. Seeing as we care and love our dogs, we did not want to put Daisy through another pregnancy too soon, so we got our new Puggle Peanut.

Peanut just did not ever warm up to my husband, and we just could not get her house trained. No matter what we did, she would walk outside and then come back in and do her “business” in the cage. It was such a frustrating thing to have to deal with all day long, every day.

Not only was she scared of my husband, she was terrified of anyone new who walked through that door. And, it was so sad to see her want to trust people so badly, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it.

Unfortunately, we had to finally make a decision to find a new home for her. She went to live with my sister’s family, which consisted of a mom, dad, little three year old girl and a very big dog. Peanut warmed up to the mom and big dog. She tolerated the three year old, even dressing her up and dragging her around, but she could not adjust to the dad. Sadly, the dad is the one who wanted a new dog to begin with.

They really tried to help her fit in, and they were even making headway with housetraining. However, when their other dog passed away, Peanut withdrew and became a little more aggressive with the dad. He couldn’t even give her a treat without being nipped at and growled at.

They finally had to make the decision to find her a new home. They tried to find her a new home with someone who did not have a man in the house. However, that is something that is not so easy to do! So, she finally had to take her to an adoption agency that would match her with a family that she could be comfortable with.
The sad thing is that Peanut was such a sweet dog; however, because of what happened to her in that dog farm, she was terrified of men.

As I said, I did some research for my e-book and found out some really interesting information about puppy mill farms. A lot of what I learned really made sense for what some of what was happening with Peanut, especially because she was six months old.

Her potty training problems were because she HAD never seen grass. She kept being punished for going in her cage, which really confused her, because that is all she knew. Puppies born on a puppy mill are not accustomed to the life of a home environment, like a puppy born in a home environment. Imagine coming from a small cage of only dogs and those who fed them to a home with six people and four dogs. Therefore, Peanut was probably terrified at what she was thrown into.

The most disturbing thing I found out about puppy mills and dog farms is how they treat the parents of these cute little puppies. In order to make a profit, they have to only put out as much time and money as it takes to keep the dogs alive and able to produce puggles. And, then after these dogs have produced these adorable puppies, the puppies are taken away from their mother too soon, so that they can be distributed out to pet shops, store, etc. while they are in their “cute” stage of puppyhood.

This disgusted me and I wanted to make you aware of these dog farms, and what they are doing to gain a profit. Your best bet it to find a puggle from a home breeder. Generally a home breeder is not in it for the profit. My entire idea of breeding Puggles was to share in the joy of bringing a new family member to a home.
Please remember the next time you want to purchase a puppy, think long and hard before you go to a puppy mill. Sure, you can think of it as saving a puppy from that life. However, in reality you are contributing to the vicious cycle of this inhumane treatment of innocent animals.

http://www.pugglehugs.com

Monday, March 10, 2008

Don’t Trust Your Dog Food – It Could Be What Actually Kills Your Dog

Last year something came out that was very scary for millions of pet owners. Many different dog foods were tainted with poison. Although this is scary, it is not that often that something in the news actually hits home.

No, it was not my puggles that were actually affected by this. However, a very close family friend of ours, who is very much a dog lover received the horrible news that her dog was dying of kidney failure. It was a shock. But what she found out that day was sickening and simply sad. Her vet told her that her dog was one of the dogs that were affected by the tainted dog food. Her dog still had at least five more years to be around with the family.

It is one thing to lose your dog from a sickness or an accident. But, this was cruel and even worse, her baby died by her hand. In her mind, she was the one that kept feeding her dog the food, and she was the one who kept trying to force it down her because she was worried that she quit eating.

Because this happened, I decided to get on the internet and look into more information. As I was surfing the web, I came across something that completely shocked and disgusted me, and I wanted to share it with all of you. I went ahead and ordered this e-book, “Dog Food SECRETS™.

Basically, what I found out was absolutely horrifying. Dog food is made from six deadly chemicals and even worse, euthanized animals. I don’t want to go into too much detail, as it was quite disgusting. However, “Dog Food SECRETS™” really opened my eyes to the dog food conspiracies that were out there. I was quite shocked. These six chemicals were actually banned from human food, but kept in the dog food. They were banned from human food because they caused the following. This is only a few.

Kidney, bladder, skin, stomach, and spleen CANCER
Leukemia
Liver dysfunction
Major organ failure
Severe allergic reactions
Blindness
And much more

I was relieved to know that not only was I being told that dog food is horrible for my dogs, but they gave me alternatives to dog food. These alternatives were pretty simple and weren’t completely out of my price range. And, with having four dogs, I had to watch what I spent on feeding them. However, my dogs are just like children to me and I want to be sure they are healthy and happy. The e-book, “Dog Food SECRETS™” inspired me to find even more “recipes” for my dogs. So, I came across this e-book called “Healthy Food for Dogs: Homemade Recipes”. It was amazing all of the recipes that I could make up for my dogs that were so healthy and did not cost an arm and a leg!

So, I decided to give this new food thing a try. So, I pulled out my new cookbook for dogs “Healthy Food for Dogs: Homemade Recipes” and found some really quick and easy recipes. I also learned what foods to watch for, because some foods can actually be toxic to a dog. I know that grapes, onions and chocolate are toxic for dogs. This e-book “Healthy Food for Dogs: Homemade Recipes” really helped me to understand how to make food that was healthy and safe for my dogs.

My dogs were extremely excited, and now they eat their food the way they are supposed to, right when I set it down, rather than just when they feel like it. And, I can just tell they are so much happier. Imagine if you had to eat the same exact thing every single day for your entire life. Pretty boring!
I just wanted to share this information with you, as I was completely shocked what “Dog Food SECRETS™” had shared with me. There are some people I have told that have heard this before. But, most of the time, I am shocking people, too. But, they ask me what are you supposed to do? You have to feed your dog. And, now I have an answer. It is not easy preparing meals everyday for your dog. But, I have found several books, especially my favorite “Healthy Food for Dogs: Homemade Recipes”, with many quick and easy recipes that make it so easy, and it really makes me feel so much better knowing that they are getting the same quality of food that my own children are getting.

I love my dogs so much, and I want the best for them. I tried to purchase the “good” food that was supposed to be healthier for my pets, however, I was so angry to find out that what I thought was good was actually the worst thing for them. Now, at least I know what goes into their bodies and that I am doing the best that I can for them.

Monday, March 3, 2008

Bad News About Daisy and her Baby Puggles

Unfortunately, I have some really bad news. During the day last Wednesday, Daisy, my beagle, went into labor. She was panting all day and I could tell she was about to give birth to her baby Puggles. Well, nighttime had come around and about 1:30 in the morning, I was going to bed and checked on her. I noticed she had the feet of one of her baby puggles hanging outside of her. I ran and woke my husband up and we began to cheer Daisy on and encourage her to start pushing. Well after about twenty minutes of doing this, we were getting worried. Daisy just wouldn’t push and was more interested in running around then on accomplishing her task at hand.

I called the Veterinarian Emergency Room and asked what to do. We were prepared for her to give birth. We had the rubber gloves, the syringe, and the vaseline. The veterinarian told us to wait ten more minutes and if nothing, start to assist her in the process. In other words, we had to pull the baby Puggle out. Once we did, we realized that the baby had already passed on. Daisy had given birth to a still birth. The veterinarian had warned us that this might be the case, but at that point we were hoping for the best.

Time had passed, an hour, and then Daisy was ready to have her next Puggle. We were again prepared, encouraging Daisy, and praying to ourselves that all would be alright this time. The baby Puggles feet were coming out and they were moving! However, again, Daisy wouldn’t push. We waited for not very long and then decided to assist her again in the process. As we tried to very gently pull the baby out, Daisy was getting restless and upset. We finally got the baby out and thought the puppy would be alive, because its feet were moving. As soon as it came out, one last breath, and sadly the baby was gone.

At this point, my husband and I were in utmost shock and disbelief. We couldn’t believe this was happening and would never have expected it. I left the room crying as my husband, Jed, held the baby Puggle in his hands, for about a good hour. Nothing! I went and held the puppy and was hoping maybe that it was just weak. My eyes kept tricking me, because I kept thinking that I saw the puppy’s belly move up and down. I held the baby, prayed it was just weak, but it was too late. The second puppy was gone as well.

After this, Daisy had no more puppies. I was so relieved that there were only two that she had in her litter. I didn’t want Daisy or us to have to go through this again. The puppies were buried and Daisy rested.

In the morning, my four children woke up and my husband and I had to explain to them what had happened. I was actually amazed that my children handled the horrible news so good. Yes, they were upset and disappointed, we all were, but they understood.
I don’t understand what happened. Last time, Daisy had baby Puggles she did so well. I am not sure why she wouldn’t push and why they passed on like they did. It will be QUITE a while, if ever, before I would let Daisy have babies again. She is such a good mother and I think she is in shock. She has been running around the house looking for her babies. I let her lick her babies after they were born. I don’t think she understands and I think she thinks I did something with her baby Puggles. The reason I say this is because she doesn’t normally pee on my furniture and she peed on my chair, not the couch and not my husbands, three times in a row. How can you punish her for this? I am hoping this will improve. However, in the meantime, I am letting her rest and heal.

I will keep you all updated about her healing process. The baby Puggles were so ADORABLE. They looked just like Reece and actually like twins. They were both brindle and one had a white paw. I have had a lot of people ask how the puppies were doing and so I thought I better post what happened on the blog.
Thanks for all of your prayers and concerns. It is a pleasure to know that my family and Daisy are in your thoughts.