Four years ago this week, my husband and I drove up to the high desert and adopted this adorable creature our daughter named Waffles. At the time, she was going through anxiety and we felt this puppy’s unconditional love and enjoyment would benefit her. Some questioned whether a college student could handle a pup, but we did our best to train him for a few months before she took him to school. We did our research and learned that pugs are the perfect “apartment dogs” because they sleep all day when their owners are gone at work or school.
Waffles, our 12-week old pug.
I think we bit off more than we can chew! We thought it would be nice for our daughter to have a companion in the form of an animal. She’s out of state in college and busy with academics plus D1 swimming, and we thought a puppy would bring a lot of joy and fun into her daily life.
She asked permission of her landlord, and even though her lease says “no pets,” he agreed to a small dog. We decided the puppy would be a present for Christmas.
Waffles turns into a pancake when I try to walk him.
Our daughter wanted a pug and thinks they are so cute. They are. I’ll agree to that. We looked into suitable breeds, and besides the two negatives of snoring and shedding, pugs appear to be an easy going breed requiring very little care.
But the puppy thing. I’m on day five and I think puppy is winning the battle. It’s like having an infant again. I have to watch him constantly. He doesn’t sleep through the night, and when he’s crawling on his belly through the yard, I never know what is going to end up in his mouth. I knew we were in for trouble when we drove Waffles home for an hour and a half drive. He was squirming all the way, nipping and licking my neck and fingers. Finally, as we drove into town he fell asleep. That’s what my son would do in his car seat during long drives.
I’m crate training, potty training and my daily life suddenly got very busy and tiring. Why we think our daughter can handle this is beyond me. Of course, she does have youth on her side. And Waffles is so darn cute!
Olive the cat is not sure about any of this. What did we do???
Waffles became a media star on @dogrates and the University of Utah Swim and Dive team.
We have a pug named Iago. He adopted us and came to our home one day unplanned. The owner could not keep him and gave him to us with his papers. Wonderful company especially for the husband!
How wonderful! I love pugs. I’d think of getting one now, but our kitty Olive is not a fan. Also, our new home isn’t ideal with a bobcat, coyotes, mountain lions, hawks and owls.
Yes, he sleeps the entire time we are gone. When we had our cupcakerie and were gone from 6-7, he was very lonely but now we are home more often and he is content. He has a strong attachment with my husband as if he senses his illness. He is very protective. When he passes away, we might get another.