We're home!

We're "dog tired" after our adventure in New Hampster, but here are a few pictures of our trip.

The long car ride. Mommy said we were pretty good. Most of the time we snoozed.
We went to "Dog Mountain" in St. Johnsbury, VT. This is a stained glass window from the Chapel.

This is us after Daddy got us out of the car at Cabot's. Mommy and Daddy got to go on the cheese tour but we had to stay out. No dogs allowed. Uh, don't they know we are PUGS, not dogs?

Here is another picture of us in the Chapel at Dog Mountain. We were allowed to go ever where, even in the gallery that featured Stephen Huneck's wonderful works.

V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N!!

That's right! We're going on vacation! Mommy and Daddy will be married a year next Sunday and they are taking us away with this. We're so excited!

They are taking us to this place called New Hampster. I'm not sure what that's all about. Hampsters up north or something like that. (Um boys, I think they mean NEW HAMPSHIRE. - Hippie)

Whatever! We're excited about your first ever vacation. We're going to see some family. Mommy said it was better if we went with them seeing as what happened the last time they went away without us. Remember Duke eating 95 cents? It didn't end pretty!

We're going to start packing tomorrow. I just hope we don't forget anything. . .flossies, kibble, babies, beds, cookies, and Mommy said something about a crate but I'm SURE she meant it was for Hippie while we were gone. Why would we need a crate? Or belly bands for that matter? (Heh, heh, heh, silly pugs. P.S. Kitty party at my pad starting on Thursday night!)

Oh well, we promise Mommy and Daddy will take lots of pictures!

-Murphy and The Duke of Whirl

No Girls Allowed!

That's right, it's a Fire Hydrant Club camping trip and it's girl-free! Sluggo picked us up at the pug meet and we're headed to some fun in the sun.

Murphy brought plenty of pillows and blankets:



Duke brought flossies and beef jerky. Being a good club member, he HAD to make sure it was fit for his friends, so he taste tested it before we left.

Murphy packed plenty of snacks. I told Mommy and Daddy they didn't need to check our bags, we knew what snacks our friends like. (And what kind of beer, too! Sam's Octoberfest baby!!Shhhhhhhh......)

Duke, don't be a wimp, you won't get homesick, you'll be with all your pals. (Kids!)

Sluggo picked us up at the pug meet and we were on our way. Stay tuned for our adventures! I hear Sluggo has a few tricks up his sleeve!

A good day for Mommy

Mommy wanted us to write about this good deed she did today. It had to do with CATS! How can that be good? (Ummm, hello, your sister is a cat?) Ah yes, we love cats.

Anyway, Mommy volunteered at a cat shelter today for the United Way's Day of Caring. And it made her come home and give Hippie a kiss and tell her that she was so glad she had just ONE - picking up after 50 cats in a day will making you feel like that -and she was glad that she was able to rescue her. I think cat poop fumes got to her.

But Mommy's right. Rescue is a great thing, no matter if you're a cat or a dog. Mommy said there are so many dogs in the world and so many cats who have been tossed aside because people thing they are disposable, like a pair of pants you don't like anymore. It's sad and it makes Mommy said. It also makes us all said when you hear about dogs or cats that aren't treated right. Mommy met a kitty today who was abused. Some stupid kids poured bleach on a cat and it when in his eyes and now his eyes are all messed up. Mommy met him at the shelter today. Despite being abused, this kitty was still lovey dovey. We think that's pretty brave.

There are a lot of dogs and cats out there who have lived rough lives. We think it's important to encourage people to give those fur friends a second chance.

Mommy also had another great part of her day. She got to see Sluggo's mom, Coley. Coley ran right up to Mommy and "woo-woo-ed". This made Mommy happy. We're going to try and visit Coley soon. Maybe we can get Sluggo to come! (And Wilma and Brigitte, too.)

Here is Coley's mom, Jen and Coley. Jen volunteered with Mommy today.

Happy Brithday to our Uncle Manny!

Today is our Uncle Manny's 5th birthday. He likes with Grandma and Grandpa. He's got his issues but he likes us and our Mommy and Daddy. Here they are at our local orchard, during his first fall with them in 2006.

He's puts up with a lot like we do. His first Christmas here he was tortured by the annual Christmas card photo shoot. It's horrible. Either we're elves or reindeer or we have red sweaters. Either way, some pug will be put to shame is some sort of holiday outfit. This is all for the human's fun. We try to protest but once they wave those liver treats at us, we're done. Here is a picture of Manny's first holiday with us. He looks like a bit of a disgruntled elf, doesn't he?

We have to wish our Uncle Manny a happy one. And tomorrow is his "gotcha day"! We hope you get lots of treats Manny (and will you share them with us?)

Exciting Times at "It's a Pug's Life"

Duke and I are very excited to announce that our blog got an award! Check out the details here on Wilma the Pug's blog.

We thought we'd give your seven fun facts about us:

1) Murphy hates hardwood floors. In fact, he's very troubled that Grandma and Grandpa B are putting hardwood floor in their living room.

2) Duke is obsessed with squirrels. Every morning when we go out for our walk, Duke makes a bee-line for the trees so he can hunt them out. He cries and carries on when he sees them. I don't know what a squirrel ever did to him, but he hates them with a passion.

3) We secretly love dressing up. We claim that we hate it when Mommy does it, but we just love showing off. Halloween is the best!

4) Duke loves blueberries, strawberries, watermelon and edamane. Murphy thinks that's just wrong. He loves when Mommy orders Japanese, because she shares with him. Daddy and I think that's gross. We rather eat chips.

5) Duke is a naughty boy and will eat anything that's NOT a toy. Last night Mommy found this:

Can't tell what it is? It used to be the headset to her Blackberry. He's lucky it was the piece of crap that came with the phone and not a bluetooth. Eitherway, we're pretty sure "My pug ate my hands-free device" will NOT get her out of ticket. Perhaps dropping Daddy's name will save her. He also loves, as previously stated, quarters, Q-tips, pieces of wood, kleenex and stuffing from his babies. I'm not sure why he does it. I think he's just a little bit special.

6) I (Duke) may eat stuff around the house, but Murphy eats poop! Yes, that's right Murphy, your secret is out. He gobbles it up. And the most disgusting part is usually it's his own poop! Mommy thinks he doesn't poop in the house but he does, he just eats the evidence! Gross huh? Careful when you kiss him Wilma!

7) We both LOVE other pugs. We love puggy playdates and pug meet ups. Other dogs are great, but pugs are the best. We spent Friday night with our pug buddies Eoghan and Penelope's house running around their backyard. And then Saturday we had a meet up. It was a great weekend. And even thought I only got to see Wilma for five minutes, that short time was precious and will get me through to the next time. (By the way Wilma, Mommy wants to plan a puggy play day at your house. Daddy even wants to come this time! We'll bring the cookies!)

There you go, that's seven fun facts about us. Hope you have a great week readers!

Coley's forever home

Sorry we left out the most important part of the story of Sluggo. Yes, Coley did find a great home. Gail's daughter-in-law, Jen, fell in love with Coley. She had a pug about the same age named Zoe (who is actually the sister of Annabelle - remember Coley nursed her puppies, too?) So Coley lives the high life with her puggy sister Zoe and a new sister, Jessie, who is a German Shepherd, but doesn't realize how big she is because the puggy girls boss her around.

Coley is also hard at work on becoming a therapy dog like Murphy. All she has left to do is learn to sit, which is proving to be a challenge. Why should any pug sit on command anyway? (Psst, Murphy, we get cookies when we sit. Oh, that's right Duke.) Scratch that last comment, readers.

Here is Coley with her sisters Zoe and Jessie. (Coley is the one in the middle.)

Blasts from the past

Hello again! Since Wilmas has sent so much traffic over to our blog. we thought we'd share some pictures of Murphy's foster brother Sluggo. His mom Coley came to us on Christmas eve, 2006 (before Duke). She was pregnant and her old owners told Mommy's rescue organization to come and get her or they'd leave her in their abandoned apartment. She came with her brother Winston, who they were going to put down, just because he was 12. Winston went to a foster home in MA and Coley came to live with me (Murphy).

Mommy and Grandma ran out on Christmas Eve to make sure her stocking was full. The next day, the family came over and gave Coley lots of love because it was Christmas and because she just seemed to blend in.

Mommy met a pug breeder who offered to help her with Coley's litter. Gail was very experienced with pugs, she's been breeding them for years. So in mid January, Coley went to live with Gail so Gail could keep track of her temperature and know when it was time.

On Feb. 2, Groundhog's Day, Gail called Mommy and told her it was happening soon! After a brave labor by Coley, three puppies, two girls and one boy, were born.

Mommy isn't sure which one Sluggo is in this picture, but she thinks he may be the one on the right. Mommy said the puppies were so small, they looked like little hamsters. Sluggo was the middle child. He wasn't breathing when he was first born, but Gail give him a good rubbing with a blanket and he was crying his little puppy cry in now time. Coley had all of her puppies before midnight, just as a light snow began to fall. Mommy and Gail were tired, but they were so excited to see that Coley and her babies were doing so well.

Coley was an excellent mother. She cleaned her pups and fed them like an attentive mother. She was so tired, but you could tell she was so proud. She stayed at Gail's for a while, while the puppies grew. They did have to go to Mommy's for a week while Gail was at a dog show. Mommy took time off of work and slept on an air mattress at Grandma's and our house, so she could check on the puppies every two hours. I (Murphy) of course, like a good foster brother, slept on the twin mattress with her and checked on the puppies each shift.

Before we knew it, the puppies had opened their eyes, were eating solid food, and were play fighting with each other and their mom. Coley got a little sick, but the vet fixed her right up. Coley was raising her babies alongside Gail's pug Annabelle. Coley even climbed into Annabelle's bed one night and fed her puppies. Coley couldn't fight her maternal instinct!

As the puppies told bigger, Mommy knew it would be time to find them homes. Sluggo's sisters went to NJ and MA and Sluggo stayed with Mommy and me for a while. Mommy even thought about keeping him, since he was the last one and she loved him so. I loved Sluggo. His name was Howie went he lived with us. I showed him all about being a pug, including how to lift his lead, steal toys and get into all sorts of trouble. That's what big brothers are for! Here we are, up to something! (And Mommy said to excuse the dirty wall there!) I look like something devilish is up, huh? That was usually the way with me and my bro Sluggo.

But Mommy said I also kept him occupied so he didn't get into too much trouble. And even when Sluggo did get into something, Mommy had a really hard time staying mad. How COULD you with this face? (I taught him this look!)

Mommy and I took Sluggo to our pug meet and introduced him to the gang. She had an idea in the back of her head that if she couldn't give Sluggo a home, she knew who could. All it took was a little convincing, along with some of Sluggo's charm. As you can see, despite their objections that they already had two lovely pug girls, they were hooked! (Come one, how could you not be!)

This is Sluggo and his mom, sucking up to Kathy, Sluggo's new mom. She and Todd LOVED Sluggo. He was pretty cute back then. And so after a week, Mommy and Grandma took our boy to meet his home and to his new siblings, Wilma and Bridgitte. They took to him immediately and as you can see, they all lived happily ever after. And even though Mommy loved Sluggo, if she hadn't of found him his new home, we never would have had room for Duke. And this is a good thing because God knows NO ONE else would put up with his antics. (Hey!) Just kidding. Love you bro!

How it all began . . .

So how did Mommy and Daddy become pugged? Well, it all started a long time ago, long before Duke and Daddy came on the scene.

Mommy some how got it in her head that she had to have a pug. She loved how pugs looked and yearned to have one. But Grandma and Grandpa were skeptical. They said she didn't need a dog. (She didn't WANT a dog, she wanted a PUG!)

But one day Mommy brought Grandma to the mall to the pet store to show her a pug. (Please note, Mommy knew that she would NEVER get a pug in a pet store, but she had to melt Grandma's heart somehow and a live one would do just the trick!) Well, Grandma's heart melted and she knew that a pug had to become a part of the family. So Mommy called a breeder (we'll talk about that 'breeder' in another post.) And eight weeks later she got me, Murphy., in August of 2006.

Look at how cute I was! This is my first cookie. And my first toy. (I loved that toy, I wonder where it went?) Anyway, soon after that, my mom learned about pug rescue and she fostered pugs for a while. This is where you take in pugs whose owners have to give them up and find new, forever homes for them.

I've had lots of foster brothers and sisters. We even had a litter of puppies and one is still my good buddy Sluggo, brother of Wilma the pug.

Then Mommy met Daddy in 2007. We were looking after Bonnie, a little girl pug who had mange. Mommy found a perfect home for her (with another former foster brother of mine, EJ) and the house was quiet. Heck, even I missed having someone to boss around. And then Daddy, who was of course pugged by then, decided he'd like a black pug.

And before you know it, the Duke of Whirl (aka my bratty little brother) came in July of 2008. Wow, this month he's been here 2 years! I love my brother so much. As you can see on the home page, we snuggle together. And we play a lot, too. His only downfall is that he gets into a lot of mischief, much of which I get blamed for. (That is not true! Don't believe a word Murphy says. He's usually the one in trouble. Should I tell you about the time he ate a container of nuts??)

ANYWAY, now we're a two pug family. (Umm, Meow?) Sorry, two pug and one cat family. We have to mention our sister Hippie or she'll beat us up. She's the toughest cat we've ever met. And she's a rescue, too!

So Mommy and Daddy got married in September of 2009, complete with a pug cake topper and we're now one big happy family with our skin sister, Cella, who comes to visit us on weekends.

So that's the story of us. Hope you enjoyed!

And We're Back!

This is Murphy and the Duke of Whirl, formerly of murphythepug.com. Our friend Wilma the pug has inspired us to restart our blog. She's actually Murphy's girlfriend. (Duke is sweet on a fawn girl named Peneolpe. She'll be a year at the end of the month. He needs a young one to keep up with his whirling, twirling ways.

More later. We hope you enjoy!