The "Other" Baby

For the last 4 years Winnie has definitely been the baby in the family. I knew I wanted a pug named Winston ever since I was a little girl, so when we moved to Houston and bought a house, it was time for Winston to join the family. We went to see a pug breeder in the Woodlands in October 2007 and it was of course love at first sight. The breeder brought out 3 male pug puppies, who were a little nervous and shy at first. Winston was the first one in the bunch to approach us and give us a few licks- he definitely chose us! We hadn't planned on going home with a puppy that day; we knew we had to go out of town the next weekend and perhaps it would be better to get a puppy after our trip. Needless to say, we went home with a puppy that day.

Raising a puppy was good parenting practice I think. We had to re-arrange our schedules to meet his potty break needs and walk needs and eating needs. We developed a good routine where Bill would walk him in the morning, I'd come home at lunch to take him outside and feed him, I'd do the afternoon after work walk, and Bill would take him out right before bedtime. Potty training meant cleaning his crate 3 times a day while he was getting the hang of learning what 'go potty outside' meant. Eventually he caught on and learned to ring a bell tied to the front door whenever he needs a potty break. 

Daddy got tired of driving, so Winnie drove us home!

Once he was potty trained and adjusted to our schedules it was good times! We'd take him to the park, Petsmart, festivals and fairs, obedience school (he was a C- student), and lots of road trips back to Louisiana. We loved learning his quirky little personality, and probably doted on him a bit too much. But who can resist such a face?? Here's a glimpse into our crazy dog:

• He loves bathtime, but hates swimming. When we get home from a long walk, all I have to do is say 'you want to go take a bath?' and he will run jump into the bathtub by himself. One time he even jumped in my bath while I was in it! But as we learned when we let him get in Kristen and Justin's pool, swimming is not his strong suit. We put him in a doggie life jacket and held on to him while he took his first swim, and what ensued was the SADDEST form of a dog paddle one has ever seen. If not for the life jacket he would've sank like a rock. He much prefers floating on a raft or lounging on the shallow first step.
• He's very social and loves playing with other dogs. When Bill and I were both working he went to doggie daycare at Deogi twice a week to play with his 'friends' and not be cooped up in the house all day alone. His 'teacher' is also a talented photographer and somehow gets him to dress up and pose rather nicely for photos!
• Likes: soft serve ice cream, chest rubs rather than belly rubs, licking anything fabric after getting a big drink of water (including the couch, the carpet, throw pillows, bedspread). Dislikes:  vacuum cleaners, his bumblebee Halloween costume, random objects that appear in places when they didn't used to be there (i.e. placing Poinsettias on either side of the fireplace at Christmas time. Freaks him out.)

not a fan of the bumblebee getup

perfect size for pugs!

 I'm afraid our little pug is in for a shock when the baby arrives. I foresee many weeks of a jealous pouting pug. I think eventually he'll learn to co-exist with his rival, and maybe one day when the baby starts dropping food on the floor he'll even learn that this small person is his friend! I hope one day they will be best buds....looking forward to many happy memories as our family grows! Until that day comes I have to figure out how to teach Winnie that the small comfy-looking  apparatus set up all over our house are actually not for him....