Love Dogs?

Love Dogs and happy endings (or beginnings)?

Our family and the team at Homeward Bound Rescue are celebrating this week. My husband finally gave the go ahead to adopt our little foster pug Kilo.

Our 2 dogs, rescue mix Isabelle (almost 16) and lab Cookie(13),  had both passed OTRB, so I decided to foster in August. My daughter wanted a Pug or Bulldog, but I was not sure about those breeds and we were moving houses before Christmas, so fostering seemed like the perfect option. My husband is not so keen on small lap dogs like Pugs.  He prefers bigger, obedient dogs he can run and hike off leash with (Kilo is a very fast sprinter and very athletic, but he can not do distances, especially in heat or cold, and he is totally unreliable except for food). However, my husband agreed to the foster plan.

We got 2 year old Kilo, a cute black pug, and quickly discovered that he has a few behavioural issues, but we adored him. My husband was reluctant to adopt Kilo, as he felt that Kilo’s socialization issues did not fit our lifestyle. He also finds Kilo a little annoying sometimes. However the ladies in the family all love Kilo in spite of his flaws, and we hope he his behaviour will continue to improve with positive training and behavioural therapy.

Basically we are bananas for the little guy and he seems bananas for us, although food plays a very big factor in his affection and obedience. He loves bananas which made taking a photo with one very tricky LOL.

Our love for Kilo is not entirely rational. There is definitely a chemical reaction and an instinctive desire to cuddle and nurture him. His size, appearance and personality all contribute. He is so cute with his exaggerated features, big head and eyes and little body.  He is bossy but incredibly loving and affectionate when he wants to be (which is most of the time with us). He is playful, mischievous and funny. He flatters us with attention and makes us feel good and loved. He melts our hearts when he looks up at us with total trust, he wiggles his whole body when we walk through the door, he follows us like velcro except when he is up to mischief. His coat his soft and silky and feels so lovely to pat. He also gets us up and moving as we have to walk him 5 times a day and do activities with him or he pees inside. He loves posing for photos and doing tricks if it gets him food and praise.

I did get Party Pug in our Dog Breed Quiz, so clearly he does suit my personality. While he often drives me crazy with his aggression or toilet training or badgering or theft or early morning wake up calls, he definitely makes me smile more and makes my life much richer.

If you are looking to get a puppy or dog, consider adopting and do your research on the different breeds before hand.

Does your dog suit your personality- try our Quiz and see? How does your dog make your life richer?