Frank and Beans Pug Dog Adoption Story

I blog about my two pugs Frank & Beans all the time. Those of you who have been reading for a while will remember that I’ve only had them since this summer but they are older dogs. Everyone who hears that they were 8 and 9 when we got them asks what their story is…

A couple of years ago Ryan was online and he showed me a photo of a human “selfie” with a cross-eyed pug photobombing in the background. We laughed and one of us jokingly said that we should get a pug to photobomb our pictures. We were completely kidding at the time but a couple of weeks later I somehow stumbled upon an article that talked about pugs and their temperament. Characteristics like being lapdogs, good with kids, and requiring little exercise (making them ideal for apartment dwellers like us) made me think they would be a good fit for us. After that, photos of pugs or stories about pugs would always catch my eye and the more I read about the breed, the more I wanted one of my own.

At the time, we were living in an apartment complex with a roommate so it wasn’t really a very ideal time to get a puppy or dog that would likely have accidents while transitioning to living with us. For a while, I would check Craigslist and Petfinder.com for pugs at least a couple of times a week even though I knew we weren’t ready, I just liked looking and day dreaming about it. We kind of decided that we’d wait until we had a place completely to ourselves, without roommates before getting a dog. At some point along the way, I had mentioned to my mom that I wanted to get a pug someday. One day, my mom saw two pugs posted on a buy/sell/trade type facebook group for our local area and tagged me to ask if I were interested. I just happened to sit down to my laptop when her notification came in, I said I was interested and within 5 minutes two other people commented below me saying that if I changed my mind, they were interested. I was SO thankful that I happened to get online at the perfect time.

Beans the pug

We made arrangements to see the dogs. We asked why they were getting rid of the dogs and she said that she was moving and wouldn’t have as much space for the dogs. She said she used to have a big dog that she had recently gotten rid of also. I responded that perhaps we weren’t a very good fit then, because we just had a small apartment. To that she replied that they don’t take up much space. So, it was pretty clear that her lack of space wasn’t her true reason for getting rid of them, but to this day I don’t know what the real reason was.

FrankBeansHappy

In the online ad that she posted, she said she was looking for “homes” for the dogs so I asked if they were attached to each other or if they would be fine with being separated. She said she had them both since they were puppies and that they had always been together so she wanted them to stay together. We had never had a dog of our own before (though we both had dogs in our households when we were kids) so the idea of taking on two dogs at once seemed risky. We asked for 24 hours to think it over, but it felt like the offer had landed in our laps and we decided to run with it.

Frank Pug Bully Stick

The previous owner gave us a storage container with their old dog food, two leashes, a collar and a large kennel that she said they both slept in together.  As we put the stuff in our truck, the dogs were walking around at our feet breathing really heavily. She told us the brand of dog food they were on and said that they had been bathed that day. With that, she said goodbye so we each picked up one dog and drove home. Ryan & I had to shout at each other as we talked on the way home because they were breathing SO loudly. We laughed so hard that we cried because we really thought we would never sleep again because of how loud they were.

FrankBeansCollars

Looking back, I can’t believe that I didn’t ask a million more questions than I did. I had thought up questions to ask prior to going to pick them up, but I felt nervous and awkward while there and other than asking about their food brand and type, I couldn’t even remember what I wanted to ask. All that I knew was they liked cheese, were sensitive to changes in food, that they ate walmart brand dog food, they were 8 and 9 years old, had been together since puppies and that they slept in a kennel together. That’s all I knew about them. I’m surprised that she didn’t have more that she wanted to tell me, but perhaps she did and she just got emotional and “went blank” as well.

Two Pugs Family Picture

We went home and got them food and water set up, and sat petting and holding them for a long time. They were still breathing really heavily but they didn’t bark or whine so I assumed they weren’t too upset. It was a couple of hours later when they finally stopped the heavy breathing for a few seconds and Ryan & I both looked at each other “Oh! So they don’t ALWAYS breathe that way!”. Then, it started right back up.

Beanscoat2

Seems how we had their kennel from their old house, we set it up that night for them to sleep in. I thought it might give them some comfort and help them sleep. When I opened the door and pointed in, they both went in right away. They breathed heavily that whole night and we barely slept. Thankfully, that next morning they started to go hours at a time without the noisy breathing.

pug wearing dress

Over the next two days, they started breathing normally more and more throughout the day but would still breathe heavily at night. At that point, I thought it was their version of snoring or something. By day three, they would only breathe heavily while outside and then for a couple of minutes after returning inside. It became clear that their heavy breathing that first day was probably because of the extreme weather that we were having.  The day that we got them was extremely humid – it felt like we were walking through a cloud and the temperature was in the 90s, so I think that was a huge factor. On the third night, they had both fallen asleep before I was ready for bed and I noticed they were breathing normally. “Maybe they’ve just been getting overheated at night, and won’t always breathe like that all night long!” I hoped. When I was ready to go to sleep, I opened the kennel door and pointed inside when we were getting ready for bed, and they started breathing heavily right away, but walked into the kennel.

frank the adorable pug

That’s when it hit me. Their nighttime breathing wasn’t about the temperature – they were upset. They didn’t want to be alone in their kennel. I called them back out and they began breathing normally again. I looked at Ryan and we mutually agreed that we’d try letting them sleep with us that night. I was exhausted from barely sleeping the previous two nights because of the noisy breathing, so it felt great to fall asleep quickly in my silent bedroom. I woke up the next morning with Frank & Beans still cuddled against me, breathing calmly and still asleep.

pug wearing coat

While I had started falling in love with them when I first saw them, that was when I really became aware of how bonded I already was to them. These were my dogs. Just letting them be near me brought them comfort and knowing that felt amazing.

Blogging with Two Pugsfrank and beans the pugs

Click the link below to read the second half of the story which is hosted on my other blog, Frank Loves Beans.

Frank And Beans The Pugs – Our Dog Adoption Story (part 2)

 

 

 

This post currently has 13 responses.

  • Emily Wells

    My mom has had pugs for many years. Her first one, Scooter, lived to the rip old age of 14 (that’s *ancient* for a pug, plus he had cushing’s disease). When he was just too tired and it was time to let go, my mom realllllly thought long and hard about getting another one. Wait, or not wait? She ended up getting another one about six weeks after Scooter passed away, and now she has Odie. He is a scream. Where Scooter was very mild mannered, laid back, etc. Odie is the exact opposite. My mom got him when he was a puppy, and he just turned 5. The dog is NUTS (but in a good way!!) So sweet, and he loves my three boys. He snorts and snores and barks. They really don’t do well in extreme temperatures and humidity (we live in GA). It’s because of their mashed in face and short sinus passages. In the heat of the summer, my mom can’t even walk Odie…he runs to the yard, does his business, and runs right back in to sit on the floor in front of the a/c vent. 😀

    • emmy

      My two pugs are the first ones I’ve been around so I’ve been curious if their personalities/behaviors are typical of all pugs or not. I’ve heard people say that young pugs can be SUPER high energy which is hilarious because mine are couch potatoes (Though they do love to run and play, I have to “get them going” by rough housing or running with them first). It sounds like your moms dogs were very different. I wonder if they just slow down later than other dog breeds or if Odie will stay high energy even in old age. I think if I were ever to get another pug, I would try to go with one that has a longer nose – frank has a longer snout than Beans does -her face is REALLY flat and she breathes heavily much more often than he does. She will breath hard while laying on the couch if its like 75 degrees. I am planning to get her a cooling mat to lay on this summer which I hope will help some.

  • They’re adorable! I don’t understand how anyone could get rid of a family pet, but I guess that’s just me. We have 7 animals and I can’t imagine life without any of them. They’re part of the family. I’m glad you kept them together. They sound like they’re quite happy!

    • emmy

      Thanks :). I have really struggled with trying to understand her decision. I try not to judge too much because I have no idea what the real reason was, but it is really hard. At the same time, it makes me really sad to know that she had posted them online as looking for a new home 15 months before I took them – so she kept them without really wanting them all that time? Sad.

  • Pingback: Frank & Beans Pug Adoption Story (part 2)

  • kelly

    Great story love these dogs are you familiar with the website emilypugshome she had pugs for sale on there wondering now if IT is for real

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  • Deb E

    I hadn’t know their story until I read it here. I don’t know that much about pugs but good to know about the heavy breathing and being upset. My Yorkie just shook when he was upset or anxious and I had him for 18 years. Just a nervous type I guess.

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