Howdy Pawwdners and all pug lovers!!

PugHearts is pleased to announce the date for our 2nd annual "Pugs at Blanco's" event! Drum roll please.......

Saturday, September 25th, 6 pm - 11 pm
3406 West Alabama Street
Houston, Texas

This year we are shifting our festivities to the evening and plan on having a grand ol' time! Expect the same delicious BBQ meal as last year (included with entry price), as well as the same fantastic silent auction with so many good items up for grabs! We will also be once again auctioning off a 50 inch Plasma TV for $5 a ticket.

You won't want to miss the live music by The Norman Number!

Last year's event was such a hit and we are so excited to be doing this again. We expect lots of fun and pug kisses to be had! Tickets are $20 until September 1st, and $25 after that.

Also, don't forget to pre-order your brisket which will be available for pick up at the event, pre-cooked and ready to eat. Supplies will be limited and we expect them to go fast since last year they were such a big hit. $40 gets you a brisket large enough to feed roughly 13 people. MMMMM, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!

We currently have more fosters in our care than ever before and the vet bills just keep climbing! Between paying to board some of these poor guys (have we mentioned we always need more FOSTER HOMES??), and the illnesses that often come along with these neglected babies, we are finding it tough to keep up. What better way to support the cause than to enjoy yourself at the same time?

We can not say it enough: thank you to all our supporters for everything you do. Whether the donations be money, time, or support, we could not do it with out you!

If you are interested in making a donation (whether it be to sponsor a portion of the event, donate items for the silent auction, or just make a monetary donation), use the contact form at this link: http://www.pughearts.com/ph_contact.aspx

To purchase your entry tickets, click here:http://www.pughearts.com/ph_blancostickets.aspx

To purchase brisket vouchers, click here: http://www.pughearts.com/ph_briskettickets.aspx

See y'all there!

-The PugHearts “Howdy Pawwdners!” event committee

Here are a few photos from last year to get a taste of the fun to be had! 

Hello all pug-lovers! We hope that everyone is having a great start to the New Year.
 
One topic we would like to discuss is....PUPPIES!! Yes - irresistible, adorable, snuggly little puppies. However, as cute as they are, we all know they take a certain level of work and dedication. Since a higher number of puppies tend to be purchased around the holiday season, we would like to take this time to remind everyone of the many needs of a new puppy.
 
First of all, there are many immunizations a new puppy will need. Don't forget to get them into your vet so they can get their shots and be protected from the various diseases out there. Also, please please please get your puppy spayed or neutered! This is usually done when they are about 6 months old. We also highly recommend getting your puppy microchipped. Even the most responsible dog owners can't always avoid accidents such as your puppy slipping out of his/her collar during a walk. With a microchip, his/her chances of getting returned home are much higher.
 
Second, a puppy is going to take a lot of time and patience. In the beginning, there are going to be a lot of behavioral hurdles such as chewing, housebreaking, and general puppy energy. We encourage everyone to stay patient and focused on providing your puppy the necessary training and discipline. There are a lot of great training programs out there, but it is also possible to do it at home. Just make sure to do your research!
 
And last, and this goes with out saying, love your puppy! At times you may get frustrated, but enjoy their youthfulness while it lasts. Before you know it, you will have a well-behaved companion who will dedicate their entire life to making you happy.

First off, from everyone at PugHearts, we would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas! 

Now, as it is the holiday season and we are fast approaching Christmas week with lots of traveling involved, unfortunately, our four-legged puggy friends seem to be abandoned at an even higher rate than normal. And here we are, to take these babies in and provide them a home when they are no longer wanted (through no fault of their own).

However, we can not continue our intake without the help of all our wonderful volunteers. And right now, we need you more than ever. There are many different ways to help. We REALLY need fosters and we REALLY need funds. As always, the medical bills continue to accumulate. As we bring in new pugs, not only do we have the medical bills, we have boarding bills that will continue until they can be placed in foster homes. As you can see, both foster homes and monetary donations are the key to our continued success. The last thing we ever want to do is to have to discontinue intake, but we are not far from this if we do not get some extra help this holiday season.

Even if you can not become a permanent foster home, please consider this for the holiday season. What better way to spread the holiday cheer than to provide a warm, loving home for one of our babies. If you would like to help, please use the contact form provided on our website.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Hello everyone!

I wanted to take a minute to talk about our Pugs at Blanco's fundraiser this past Sunday. We are happy to report that it was a great success! We raised a significant amount of funds which will put Pughearts much closer to paying off the vet bills. This means that we can continue to accept, treat, and place the needy pugs in the Houston area. Thank you so much to everyone who attended and graciously donated to our cause.

We had a great cooking team in place who worked around the clock to cook 100 briskets starting Friday evening until the event started on Sunday. A big thank you goes out to the cooks as well as the Holy Cow Cookers cooking team who let us borrow their competition-sized smoker for the weekend. We would also like to send an extra special thanks to our party sponsors JR and Yvonne Parks with Caliber Controls.  This would not have been possible without them.

Part of what made the event so successful was our silent auction. With over 70 different items to bid on, we definitely owe a big thank you to the Sales/Auction Committee Chair, DD, for all of her hard work to get everything in place.

We also owe a huge thank you to our two Event Committee Chairs, Sarah and Brent. Working tirelessly to get every detail in place, the event went on without a hitch and we could not have done it without you guys.

Since this fundraiser was so successful, we are already working on booking Blanco’s for next fall. We are also working on ideas for a Spring fundraiser. Stay tuned! Any ideas and suggestions are welcome, just use the contact form at the top of this page.

Again, a huge thanks to everyone who attended!!!

-Chrissie

We have been getting a lot of questions recently as to how our Fritz is doing. We are happy to report that he is recovering and doing wonderfully! If you aren't sure who I'm talking about, visit our home page and scroll down until you see his story. Here are some before and after pictures!

Fritz before:

Fritz after:

Doesn't that just put a smile on your face? This is the reason we do what we do. This is what all your generous donations go towards. Helping poor babies like Fritz have a second chance at a happy, healthy life. Thank you so much from everyone at PugHearts!

-Chrissie

As you have probably already seen on the main website, tickets are now on sale for our big Fall fundraiser, Pugs at Blanco’s. Just a quick recap of fun activities to expect at this event:

Free BBQ plate with entry ticket,
Live band,
Pug (or any breed) & People glamour shots, 
Pug kissing booth,
Silent Auction,
And a raffle for a 42 inch LCD TV! (Tickets are $5 each, buy as many as you want!)

Drinks will also be available for purchase at the bar. Bring your friends, family, and four-legged companions along for a good ol’ time! And yes, non-pug four-legged companions are welcome as well.

Now, while plans are coming along very smoothly, we still have a lot to get done. Our Sales/Auction committee has gathered some great auction items (keep your eye out for a weekend trip to Las Vegas, Doggie Spa Days, tickets to various sporting events, and many more), but additional donations would be greatly appreciated!

Also, we are still looking for a few sponsorships for the event including a party sponsor, BBQ sponsor, pug kissing booth sponsor, and table sponsors.  If you, your company/business, friends, family, etc., are interested in a sponsorship, please use the contact form provided on this blog!

Pughearts still owes a large amount in veterinary bills, and the needy pugs keep on coming. Please help spread the word about this event as well as donations/sponsorships still needed. At the very least, join us for a fun day of food, friends, music, and pugs!

Click here to purchase tickets! - $20 per ticket, $25 at the door. Includes a BBQ plate!

Click here to purchase some tasty brisket!  - Pre-cooked brisket that will feed 13 people, perfect for the upcoming holidays! For pick-up at the event only. How could you resist!? I know I can’t.

Can't wait to see everyone there!
-Chrissie

One of the great things about adopting through a rescue organization is the wide variety of pets you see come through. The options are endless which means we will almost always be able to find the perfect fit for your home. I’d like to show some examples of the different varieties of pugs we currently have up for adoption. Old, young, fawn, black, shy, energetic, loving, and even some pug imposters. We have it all!

First up is our newest rescue, Gucci. At the tender age of one, he is young, cute, and full of life! How can you resist this face??

Gucci

Here is Yoda. A sweet 9 year old gentleman who is diabetic. He takes s4 units of insulin twice a day but is easy to give the shots to. He is dealing with cataracts due to the diabetes but is seeing the veterinary opthomologist and is doing well. Please consider adopting this sweet boy. I can say from personal experience that they only get better with age!

Yoda

Joey

Suki

We also have pugs come in with special needs. Take Izzy for example. This poor sweetheart suffers from hydrocephalus, which means water on the brain. Since coming to Pughearts, Izzy’s condition has stabilized and all she requires now is special monitoring. She can move around the house and find her person with no difficulty. Otherwise, Izzy is a young, adorable pup with much love to give! She loves to be touched and spoken to.

Izzy

There are also our many senior puggies. We often find that people are reluctant to bring in a senior dog. One of the common misconceptions is that the dog will not love you as much as if you had had them from a younger age. However, I find it is actually the opposite. They seem to know that you are providing them a new pampered life and they will continue to reward you with love and gratitude. There are many other benefits to adopting a senior dog. They are almost always housetrained and generally well-behaved at this point in their life. Also, since they have mellowed out in their older age, they tend to be easier to train and also tend to settle into their new surroundings more quickly. Being more mellow also makes them the best couch potatoes and cuddlers! Here are some of our current senior cuties.

Dottie

Clyde

 
Phil

Last but not least are our current pug imposters! While we are a rescue organization dedicated to the pug breed, we occasionally come across a dog of another breed who we can not turn away. For example, take Gherkin and Vinny.

Gherkin

Vinny

As we are a rescue organization, and our dogs come in after being surrendered by their owner or found on the street, we generally don’t see many puppies. In my opinion, and I’m sure most of our adopters would agree, adopting an adult dog is one of the most rewarding things you can do. Just look at all the choices!

Hello pug enthusiasts!

My name is Chrissie and I am going to be a new blogger on this site. Since I'm new to this, ideas and suggestions are very much encouraged! Just use the contact form provided on this blog.

I'd like to start off by giving a little bit of my background in the pug world. It all started about 12 years ago. I'd been begging my parents for, oh, 5 years to get a dog. Long story short, we came home with a pug from the SPCA who we named Holly, since we adopted her in December. We had no background with the breed and weren't sure what we had gotten ourselves into with all the snorting! But we all quickly fell in love with her. This is her in one of her favorite lazy-pug positions.

Holly

Fast forward ten years and I found myself dogless again. And I knew the only breed for me was pug pug pug. I'm a working woman without the time (or patience) for a puppy, so I knew I wanted to adopt an adult dog. A quick internet search brought me to Pughearts and my application was probably submitted within the hour :) And this led me to Lou and Andy. Two very sweet gentlemen that I fell in love with immediately. They are the best cuddlers and I just knew how appreciative they were to be in their Forever Home. Aren't they the cutest??

Lou (left) and Andy

For my birthday this past year, my husband and I decided to give fostering a try. This is when we brought home our first foster, Rex! One crazy little dude who I can't imagine anyone wanting to give up! Young, healthy, and full of love. He came to our home on a Thursday, my parents came to visit the next day, and by Sunday they wanted to adopt him. That really had been my plan all along, but don't tell them :)

Rex (now my puggy sibling)

The same day my parents took Rex home, we brought in our next foster, Flip. This guy came into Pughearts having been hit by a car (thus his name, he he) but was completely healed by the time he came into our lives. I wasn't sure about him at first. He didn't have the typical pug quality of being completely attached to humans, seeming to care more about food and getting into mischief. Unfortunately, a couple weeks later, our poor Lou Lou passed away. A very hard loss. Within the next week, the decision was made to adopt Flip as he and Andy were already bonding and he had already made a smooth transition into our home. It didn't take long for Flip to show his affectionate side and he is now attached to my hip at all times. He makes the funniest noises when he plays and loves to give you an arm or leg bath as you watch TV, if you let him.

Our Flip-Flop

After giving myself a couple months to grieve over losing Lou, we decided to take in a new foster. Next up was Cooper! Mr. Super-Duper-Cooper-Trooper. He didn't last long. We took him to the Reliant Dog Show the week we brought him in, and someone fell in love with him right there. He went to his new home a couple days later. I hear he is doing wonderful and is very loved!

Cooper at the Reliant Dog Show

After that came Samantha! What a sweet girl with a cute little under bite! We are still fostering her and she is currently going through heartworm treatment. Here she is!

Samantha

I think it goes without saying that I am completely in love with and devoted to this breed. I am also very happy to have become involved with such a great organization. Pughearts is run by truly devoted pug lovers and Dr. Hendrix, who works with all the rescues, is absolutely wonderful!

Going forward with this blog, I would love to post other adoption and foster stories, so please contact me if you have any, using the contact form provided on this blog.

Also, our next big fundraiser is happening on Sunday, November 8th at Blanco's. There will be a live band, barbeque, raffles, a silent auction, and of course PUGS!!!! Stay tuned for more details as we get closer to the event.

Until next time,
Chrissie