Last week we had to say goodbye to our beloved Pugsley, and as sad as it was, it was made infinitely better by being able to plan ahead. I first met Pugsley when he was a young pug named Toby. I was at a Girl Scout event with my youngest daughter, and one of the other moms mentioned that she had a dog to give away. I asked her what kind? A pug, I said to myself, I don’t know anything about pugs, and I’ve never had more than one dog, so let me see what Jay thinks. I called Jay from the pool party. His thoughts were the same as mine. He didn’t know anything about pugs, and also had never had more than one dog.
Really, the only thing we knew about Pugsley specifically was his original owner had been deployed, he was taken in by a family member, and that family just decided he couldn’t stay. We knew we didn’t love the name Toby, but it took us two weeks to come up with Pugsley. Somehow, we ended up also getting Pugsley’s brother Moe temporarily, who was adopted by another Westminster family. In conversations with them, they had some of the same issues with training and behavior that we did. Now we know a lot about pugs.
Pugsley became the younger brother to our young yellow lab/golden retriever mix Ellie. He was very spunky back then and kept up with Ellie just fine. They would chase each other around our yard, with Pugsley having lots of energy anytime he came inside after being outside in the wet or cold. One time the dogs came inside and Pugsley was soaked and Ellie was dry. It was Thanksgiving night, and the house was busy–but my mother pointed out that something must have happened outside. The next morning we saw that the thin ice on our pool was broken, and Pugsley must have fallen in, and swam his way out. Close call.
Pugsley‘s iconic photo, seen on my real estate signs, cards, and marketing, was taken in a series of 100+ photos, by my youngest daughter who was about 10 at the time, when I was assistant practice manager at Wachusett Animal Hospital and Pet Retreat.
It wasn’t until I decided to make my move to Keller Williams that Pugsley became locally famous. My broker and I were discussing the types of people I’d like to work with, and I casually noted that I tend to get along with dog people. Fun fact, I get along with most people, but my thought was it would be a good indicator if I put a photo of Pugsley and I on my cards, I would know right away if the person was a dill pickle— if you scowl when you look at a picture of a dog, I don’t want to work with you either.
It wasn’t long before Pugsley was known around town as my sidekick. The funny part about that is his behavior was so questionable, that I’ve never once brought him into Petco or out in public, like many dog owners do. I could never even bring him in to the office. He was just a real territory marker, if you know what I mean.
The number of people who think I actually brought Pugsley around with me to appointments and open houses, is surprising. Also unexpected, was his ability to sell houses. In fact, whenever Jay would say “why you little…” I always retort with, “but he sells houses”.
I bet I have 5000 photos of Pugsley, throughout the course of his lifetime, doing all kinds of crazy things. When we first researched what we needed to know about pugs, it said they were very sensitive to the weather. They sounded pretty fragile, but not Pugsley. He would keep up with the other dogs, in our little pack of four, up until the past few years.
About a year ago, he developed a cough that was in addition to his seasonal allergies (seemingly every season). We learned that the cough was due to a collapsing trachea. He’s been on hydrocodone for a while, but the frequency of his discomfort got to the point that we’d be selfish to keep him alive for the sake of sentimentality. Also, I was afraid that he’d go into some sort of distress and it would be traumatic for both Pugsley and whoever was home with him.
We decided that we’d prefer in-home euthanasia over bringing him to the vet, a place that stressed him out. So the research began. I took a screenshot every time I saw multiple people recommend the same names for in-home pet euthanasia services, for someday.
Finally, we decided it was time. I reached out to Comfort Road Veterinary Hospice and Euthanasia because in doing my research, I recognized two names from way back at my Wachusett Animal Hospital days, Erin Lovett and Marjorie. Marjorie was so wonderful on my initial call to them.
Their level of care and compassion, from the intake call through to his passing, was exactly what we wanted for Pugsley. His last week was a geriatric pug’s Disney World. A nice warm bath, lots of treats and snuggles, and hanging out with his pack buddies, Scout, Layla and Shadow. Grandma gave him bacon treats all week, and Marshall grilled him a ribeye steak the night before.
Choosing in-home euthanasia allowed us to work around a time when we could have everyone home, and although very sad, it was very peaceful for Pugsley. Dr. Caralee Manley and the vet tech along with her made the whole process the best it could have been. I highly recommend Comfort Road.
Here are some of the in-home pet euthanasia services that came recommended.
Dr. Caralee Manley and Dr. Cynthia Cohen
Comfort Road Veterinary Hospice and Euthanasia
(978) 273-5821
Dr. Leslie Neville
Still River Home Euthanasia for Pets
(978) 855-1494
Dr. Christine Maxfield
In-Home Euthanasia of Massachusetts and Rhode Island
(508) 466-8201
Info@InHomeEuthanasia.net
A Gentle Passing
agentlepetpassing@gmail.com
(978) 870-3980
Contact Form
Fraser Veterinary Services
ClientCare@FraserVetServices.com
(508) 907-1168
Pet Loss at Home
(877) 219-4811