New Bed

I was trying to write an articulate post about the arrival of the new fancy dog bed, with which I was hoping to coax the pugs out of MY bed, however, I pretty much think the pictures sum up the events of the day.

(I would like to say however, really??? Assembly required on a DOG bed??? Yes indeed, the pugs were super helpful with that part too....)

Finally, the new bed was ready to go, and MY, how DO you think the boys took to it....

Not so much. Maybe on the couch?

and....

There you have it.
Yet another sound investment.
Oh Frank.

The Trouble with Two...

...is figuring out who gets to lick the delicious remnants of a Fage yogurt cup... fortunately for Frank, it would seem that Bean has not quite figured how to get to the treat. Therefore, while Frank cleans the yogurt cup...

... Bean graciously cleans Frank's eyeball.

Oh Frank, how fortuitous for you that Bean may just not be the sharpest tool in the shed...

Pug Maintenance

As you may have discovered through the enjoyment of Frank's adventures, maintaining a pug is in itself a full time job. Since I have been spending a rather lot of time at my other full time job (where I make the money to pay for the pugs) yesterday was high time for some routine pug maintenance.

First, one must gather the necessary tools:

For Frank, this means wet wipes for his nose roll, two different eye drops, a toothbrush and toothpaste (which we need not focus on as oral hygiene was covered several posts ago), nail clippers, easy cheese, and, of course, a jerky treat.

For Bean we exchange the eye drops for Gentaspray... used a deterrent for puppy acne...

Oh poor Bean, might you have a pimple or so?

How VERY unbecoming! Good thing you throw the focus off with those giant eyeballs!

By far the most trying part of this process is the clipping of Frank's nails - he hates hates hates it. Seeing as how nobody likes to traumatize their one eyed pug, we came up with a plan known as the cheezy smear...

Oh FRANK, yum yum!

After smearing easy cheese along the table (an act which drives Frank's father a little bit insane, though I like to think the table comes away looking quite buffed and clean from the pug tongue polish!) Frank is positioned so that he can not possibly focus on the delight of his palate and the anguish of a having his feet touched; seeing as how he is a pug, the palate usually wins out.

Voilá! The Frank toenail trim!

All in all, it is best to leave oneself a very patient half hour or so to thoroughly complete a full round of pug maintenance.
Quite exhausting indeed.

Summer Philanthropy

Helping those in need should be an important part of every pugs life. In the case of Frank and Bean, those in need refers to any canine or feline who is not currently in possession of a warm cover underneath which they may be spooned by their favorite human before waking up to be fed, walked, and presented with a choice of 30 or so toys from which to choose.
Keeping this in mind, a few rainy Saturdays ago we headed out for the furry 5K, a delightful race to benefit the Animal Shelter (and co-directed VERY admirably by Snackler's mother).

And don't these racers look handsome in their sporty kerchiefs?!

Now, in the spirit of full disclosure, it must be said that Frank, Bean, and I did not actually run the race. Shortly after this picture was taken it began to POUR and, being that pugs are less than savvy water dogs, I am sad to say that we headed back to the car and home for a nap.

HOWEVER, the donation was made and I do hope that some pugly support was shown!

Summer Treats!

What would the summer be without the delicious flavor of corn on the cob?
Not wanting to rob the pugs of any of life's pleasant experiences, we felt that it only fair to give them a lick or so....

Oh boys, look at those 3 wide eyes!

Frank, of course, began with his token handsome and debonair lick.
Bean did not.

Bean! Must you jump right in and shove everyone else aside? Such manners!

Now, as anyone will recognize, along with the enjoyment of corn on the cob comes the not so delightful task of removing leftover corn bits from one's teeth. Oral hygiene is of course very important, and pugs are no exception!

Therefore, post corn, we proceeded to gather our dental pug care supplies.

1 small children's toothbrush,

and some Petorodex Enzymatic Toothpaste. (Poultry flavored! Yum, yum!)

First the boys have a little lick to see what sort of tasty treat is coming their way,

(Bean is especially enthusiastic about this part)

followed by a wee examination of the toothbrush by Frank,

and we are off!

Bean, who enjoys having pretty much everything in his mouth, seems convinced that toothbrush time is just another one of life's delights....

...or...maybe his is just very confused....


(Oh Bean. Sometimes your little brain works so hard to figure out what is going on.)

Frank, on the other hand, finds the whole process rather less than dignified and is NOT, it must be said, the ideal patient...

(and yes, that is the side with the eye squeezed SOOOOO tightly closed against the indignity and torture.)

Good oral hygiene! The key to a pug's happy and healthy dental summer!

The importance of stretching....

As we all know, along with the sunshine, the summer brings a wealth of athletic outdoor activities. As with any extended and expanded exercise regime, it is most important to keep the muscles limber and stretched out.

In anticipation of a day full of summer activities, Frank takes his muscular health very seriously and enjoys stretching many of his handsome muscle groups.

The morning often begins with a vigorous tongue stretch,

followed quickly by an extension of the left hamstring (done in the sunshine only)...

Next, in a remarkable feat of multitasking during nap time, a stretch of the abdominals...

t

the quads,

and of course, not to be forgotten...

...the ears.
Oh Frank! You are so physically aware!

Bean, in the mean time, spends copious amounts of time stretching what he believes to be his greatest asset...

Yes Bean, your eyeballs are indeed very big.

Hot Dog!

Summer has arrived in the Pacific Northwest! Finally... and with it, two very hot pugs AND the delightful announcement of "The Summer Activities of Frank (and Bean, the sidekick who is rapidly trying to take over the house and the blog, we will not allow this to happen of course.)"

How exciting! A new blog post every Monday AND Friday guaranteed all the way through, well I don't know for how long, but at least through the end of August!

Our first day of real warm weather began quite serenely...

Oh Frank! You look like a model from GQ!

And Bean! So well behaved you are, peacefully chewing on an appropriate toy!

Such relaxed and debonair fellows indeed!

I am sad to say that relaxed and debonair did not last. Below I shall feature some looks from 2 hours later, which readers will be seeing a lot of if our heat wave continues:

Oh Frank. He can't quite seem to get his tongue out all the way...

And, not to be forgotten or outdone:

Bean.
Oh Bean, I'm afraid this photo does not help to dispel the rumors that you are a bit of a nutter.

Welcome to summer!