Monday, October 19, 2015

Ask OBP #13

Welcome back to ASK OBP. We have received a few good questions. One from Sue VDB asking about the use of our fridge now that we are down to only one if we were able to reclaim people space. Sandra B asked about the photo in the Pug Love video where the boys are tending goal at an ice hockey rink. And Sleighbelle asked about getting more pugs when your pack starts to dwindle.

First, yes, Sue! We have indeed claimed some people space in the fridge. Although we have more fridge space it is not often that we fill the fridge with people stuff, though. It comes in handy when g'ma and g'pa come down, though. They can sure fill a fridge when they stay! So, for that reason alone, it is nice to reclaim our fridge (even though we'd rather have a full fridge instead of less pugs).

Sandra B, the story behind the boys in the hockey net is a short but humorous one. This was taken at the first pug only event we ever attended. It was indeed at a skating rink in Maryland. It wasn't actually ice at the time. It was a roller rink during summer months. This is where the event was held, was on the rink. There were probably 50-100 pugs there. This is the first and last time we ever lost our pugs in a sea of pugs! Once they were all mingling we could not find our sweet Benny or Henry among the group! When the boys were young, people would always ask us how we could tell them apart. We were miffed by this question since to us they look nothing alike! I mean they had common pug features, but beyond that did not even resemble one another! But after this event, we could see why someone would ask us that. When you had an over flow of fawn pugs then even your own beloved pug begins to melt into the pile of beige. It was some craziness. With all that aside, since the goalie nets were still up, we thought it would be funny to pose them there and take a snapshot. We wanted to have them dress in hockey attire and make it look like Benny was taking a shot against the defending Henry but that was a bit much even for us to pull off. Good question, Sandra! Sorry there is not really a better story behind that photo, but that's what it was.

Last question goes to Sleighbelle. And thanks to others for chiming in on this since Sleighbelle put it out there. We are answering it, too, but yet not answering at the same time. No one can say if getting a dog (pug or not pug) is right for you. So, you will have to go with your gut and insert some logic, too. I will follow this by thanking everyone by not asking us what will happen when Henry goes. We get this question so often that while it is no longer literally every day, it sure feels like it is every day. Even days after Benny and Luna passed, we would hear, "so, are you going to get more?" as though "more" would replace the ones we lost. I have my own rant about that but keeping it positive, I will leave it with a thank you to you all for not asking that question. We do not know what we will do when that day comes. We cannot predict what we will do when we ultimately do lose Henry, the last pug standing. We can only say that that day and the days (and maybe weeks and months to follow) will be impossibly hard. And we honestly are not sure if we will ever be ready to go down the sad road of loss like that again no matter how much joy they brought us before that. It is something we talk about often and dread regularly. And only the person looking to get a dog can say if he/she is ready, willing and able to undertake such an important feat of giving a fur baby a forever home.

Sidenote: the other question that we hate to hear when we are on our walks, is "what's the matter with him?" as though Henry is broken. He may be slow, but hey, at least he's out here giving it his all and that we, as his people, are still celebrating him and giving him opportunities to enjoy life. So, really, the question we want to ask the asker is "nothing, what is the matter with YOU?" HA! Other than those 2 questions, we are good. If someone is genuinely wondering about him, they ask "why did he lose an eye?" or "why does he have that shaved spot" or some other question expressing actual wonderment or concern. I guess the "what's the matter with him?" could be asked from a loving heart but given the tone it is typically asked in, it does not convey a message of concern but often an expression of disgust or disdain. So, again, with much appreciation that no one has asked our 2 most dreaded questions. Keep asking and we will keep answering!

Stay tuned and next week will answer Christie's question about our favorite Halloween costumes. We typically recap Halloweens of past when it gets a tad closer to Halloween. But I have sensed that there are some folks out there who are as excited for Halloween! Very funny! We are excited, too, though. It is just around the corner!