In which I meet a Puggle Breeder – Repost
The parking lot should have been my first clue. Not content to just fill every spot, there are cars parked on the grassy verge next to the clinic, cars parked on the shoulder of the road in front of the clinic, and cars double parked in front of each other.
Going inside, it doesn’t get much better.
This is possibly the most crowded veterinary waiting room I’ve ever seen, and I’ve sat in Guelph’s waiting room more than a few times. Tula and I are crowded in next to a man with a tiny, sweater wearing Yorkie on his lap. Across from us sits a big, bully headed cross breed of some type or another. It’s probably one of those mystery blends that are being marketed as ‘rare’ – a Victorian Bulldog or some such thing. Whatever it is, it’s adorable, and it’s stressed out. A baby sits next to it in a stroller, and every so often, when the baby shrieks in excitement, the bully leans over and licks the baby on the shin, eyes shining with worry. Mom tells me that her Bully loves the baby more than she loves anyone else in the house, and it’s clear that she not exagerating in the least.
There’s an adolescent Doberman, looking like nothing so much as gazelle in dog form, all gawkiness until it moves, when it become fluid and graceful. An older European couple have matching black and white Shih Ttzu type dogs on their laps, and one more peeks out of the sweater of the girl sitting next to them. There’s a Great Dane by the door, a quietly watchful Border Collie sitting behind a potted plant, and a pair of madly twirling Pugs in the corner.
In the middle of all these dogs sits a woman with a single cat in a carrier. The cat is keeping just as quiet and just as still as it possibly can, and I am thinking to myself that I would not want to be the tech who has to try to take that cat out of the carrier.
Tula is anxious about all of this, but she behaves herself like a lady. Every so often, when another dog really worries her, she’ll reach up and pat one paw on my leg, staring at me with her liquid brown eyes. I ruffle her ears and tell her it’s all fine.
Most of the dogs are well behaved, especially given the stress and the crowding and the long, long wait times. We’d arrived at nine to check in for Tula’s spay, and had been waiting for forty minutes when the woman with the Puggle walked in. As soon as she came in the door, she began a litany of the same command – “Sit sit sit sit sit, you sit now, sit good boy, sit sit sit”. Not once did the dog do anything even remotely approaching a sit, but every once in a while, as he was leaping at her legs and twining the leash around ankles, she’d reach down and pet him, telling him he was a “good good boy, momma’s good boy”, so it’s possible he had been immaculately trained to act like a lunatic.
Every word she said to her dog was pronounced in a loud tone that was obviously meant to draw attention. She’d tell her dog to ‘sit sit sit’, and when he ignored her she’d look around the room, smiling proudly, waiting for us all to acknowledge the utter adorableness of her dog’s behaviour. The breeder sitting across from me had a gaggle of puppies in a crate at her foot, none of which had made a sound since we’d arrived. She and I looked at each other, shrugged, and rolled our eyes, which left me too distracted to notice that there was an empty seat next to me.
The Puggle Mommy sat down next to me, while her dog sprang repeatedly to the end of his flexi, lunging at every dog he could reach. She was alternating ‘sit sit sit’ with ‘good boy, momma’s boy’, and I tried to remember my New York/Toronto subway training – don’t make eye contact with the crazy people. Eventually, Puggle noticed that there was a foxy cream Frenchie standing right next to him, so he lunged at Tula and proceeded to ram his nose up her butt.
Tula, as I said, is a good girl, but her patience for boys is nonexistant, outside of those one or two times a year when she’s willing to pursue them like a liquored up Cougar at a team sports bar. The rest of the time, Tula would be quite happy to see boys all kept on some remote island where there are no boats, which is pretty much just what she told the Puggle. There were teeth and snarling ‘and get the hell away from me, you misbegotten wretch’ type insults flung in his general direction. Puggle, being not altogether stupid, immediately backed off, giving Tula a concilatory play bow and tail wiggle.
His mom, on the other hand, was laughing indulgently at the antics of her ‘good good boy’, and when Tula snarled at him she proclaimed (loudly), “Oh honey, she just thinks you’re too studly for her, with all your manliness, so leave that little girl be”. She then beamed at me, clearly waiting for me to agree with her. When I didn’t, she took a closer look at Tula and said ‘what kind of dog is that?’.
‘French Bulldog’.
‘Oh, French Bulldog. I’ve never seen one before. Where did you get it?’
‘I bred her’.
‘Oh, do you breed them? I’m a breeder, too!’.
She was practically ready to explode with excitement, and happily shared with me that she had a litter at home (of course) of ten (naturally) “Pure Bred” Puggles. I was as polite as I could possibly be, but I couldn’t help asking “Aren’t puggles a cross between Beagles and Pugs?”. ‘No, no’ she protested – hers weren’t like that. Hers were all real purebred Puggles. I was just too tired to either fight about it or to try to educate, so I shrugged and went back to my magazine. Two minutes later, Puggle mom asked me ‘So is she spaded?’ (yes, really – she really said “spaded”, I swear to God).
‘No, she’s here today to be spayed’.
‘Oh, that’s too bad. Can you imagine what cute puppies they would have?’, as she indicated her dog, which was busy trying to strangle itself on the end of her flexi lead. I couldn’t help looking at her with an expression that I’m sure was three parts incredulity, and one part disgust. I pondered all the things I could say, and settled for just shrugging again, and going back to my magazine.
Tula and I finally got called to go in to the office and meet with the vet. When I left, Puggle lady was busy telling the European couple next to her that she still had puppies available for sale, for just “$200 for purebred ones”, and “wouldn’t Sheezoos crossed with Puggles be darling?”.
Her dog was peeing on the potted plant.
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You are a stronger lady than I am!
.-= Cait´s last blog .. =-.
Wow.. some trip to the vet’s office! lol Purebred Puggles hm? So are they purebred because she’s breeding two puggles together? Crazy people.. at least they provide us with some comical entertainment.
.-= Kari´s last blog ..Meet the Peanuts =-.
You know, if it was later in the day, and I’d had more caffeine in me, I likely would have grilled her more about the whole ‘purebred puggle’ thing.
But, it was a one hour drive just to get there (and I am so NOT a morning person), I’d been waiting an hour already, and frankly I just wanted to get the hell out with minimal damage. Also, I try to be on best behavior at new vet clinics… after two or three visits, all bets are off.
The Puggle wasn’t even cute. Sorry, Puggle owners, but it’s true. It was short and sqautty and it had had none of the charm of a Pug or the athleticism of a Jack Russel. Maybe there are cute puggles out there, but I don’t think I’ve seen any yet. Also, did I mention this dog was thick as a gosh darned brick?
LOL! I am so not a morning person either!
Wait, I thought Puggle was Pug/Beagle? Are there two different ones now?
.-= Kari´s last blog ..Meet the Peanuts =-.
Okay so I just read the rest of the comments, lol.. so it was a Puggle then and not a.. what did Jennifer call it.. a Jugg?
.-= Kari´s last blog ..Meet the Peanuts =-.
No, it was a Puggle. A PUREBRED Puggle. She was really clear about that part.
Oh, and before anyone starts with the whole ‘You’re just a snob who hates cross bred dogs’ thing, let me point out that I would have taken home that big Bully cross in a **heartbeat**. Not that I think she would have left ‘her’ baby, but still.
LMAO!!! That’s sooooo funny! Frustrating for you, I’m sure.. but hilarious in the re-telling. 🙂
I’ve never seen a cut pug cross anything, we have a byb here in town, (she’s the one who caused 500 people to get rabies shots, when she sold her puppy mill pups at the 27 flea market) anyway she now has a purebred litter of chipugs…..chihuahua and pug. I believe puggles are beagle/pug crosses. Jack Russell pug crosses….JUGS
*SIGH*
OK, yeah – what the hell was I thinking? Of course Puggles are beagle/pug crosses. Did I mention I was tired?
At the rate this woman was pimping out her poor, dimwitted little dog, the tri city area is soon to be littered with (no pun intended) Pugg-Zoos, DoberPuggles and whatever else will hold still long enough for Mr Studly to breed them.
Also, he really was ugly, but I personally find Pugs adorable, and black Pugs are ultra adorable. Charlotte tempted me with an entire household of them the last time I was in Boston, and I’m surprised I didn’t smuggle one out in my purse. Maybe it’s because, in the world of Pugs, the black ones are the evil twins.
Come to think of it, maybe Weezie needs a **black** Pug brother, so she can finally start her own coven.
Weezie says no competition in this house. She gets super pissed off when my friend comes over with her Sheeezooo to dog sit when I leave town. She hates sharing space on the couch/floor/air with anything possibly cuter than she. By the way, everything is better behaved than Weezie.
Weezie is not bad. Weezie is a Diva. Divas can get away with things like throwing tantrums if everything in their hotel room isn’t white, because their diva-dom excuses all amounts of bad behaviour that would earn the rest of us mortals a slap across the head.
If she ever does anything “bad” we excuse her and say that “she’s just a baby.” But now that she’s 2.5-ish, perhaps I should use the Diva excuse.
She does, however, use the full-body wag, run with her head swinging first and loll about like a baby puppy. Still.
Hey I have a black 5 mth old pug and abrindle frenchie my pug is not evol hyper – a bit slow but not evol
Jen beat me to it. Gaah – Jack Russell and Pug – I hate puggles as it is (insofar as I can “hate” any dog – it’s not their fault some idiot human combined their parents’ genes). But a JR and a pug would be even worse, I think. And uglier.
I can’t rule out the possibility of a “nice” puggle, but I see them as having the worst features of the two breeds – the beagle’s loud mouth and the pug’s dull coloring.
Beagles are cute, pretty, with soft ears and fur and a fairly nice demeanor, except when they get excited or smell something. Then it’s like being next to a firetruck.
Pugs are sweet, cuddly, soft, but slightly hyper – and (this is a personal opinion)while the black ones are nice looking, I’ve never been bowled over by the fawn and black. They also tend on the lumpy side.
Puggles are halfway between lumpy and not-lumpy, dirt-colored, totally lack a beagle’s nice looks, are neither are charming as a pug or as mellow as a beagle, make a lot of noise like a beagle, and just annoy me by existing.
Personal opinion of course.
That owner/breeder, on the other hand, should have been PTS immediately, or at least “spaded” – we wouldn’t want HER to reproduce!
Mother of gawd.
Linus (household Pug, of gorgeous apricot fawn coat, non-smutty mask, velvety ears, 21# slender weight, and brother of naughty and mysterious Frenchie Weezie bred by you) suggests that this woman has unwittingly found herself in the shallow end of the gene pool with no flotation device.
I really do like pugs – and I have met nicely built, nicely colored fawn/black pugs. And their coats are wonderful to bury your face in, whatever their color. My preference for black over fawn and black in pugs is purely a matter of personal taste.
When it was time to choose what type of dog I wanted after my bulldog passed in ’08, it was going to be a Boston, a Frenchie or a Pug.
Beagles were not an option.
I just don’t get Puggles.
I have a secret.
Some days I think that Bacon is Satan.
That is all.
I’m glad you got that ho(e) spaded. No more of her rakish behavior.
Snicker.
The local dogs will be disappointed that she no longer wants to stand at the fence and warble at them flirtatiously twice a year.
First-generation beagle-pug crossbreds are cute as hell.
There. I said it.
The potluck assortment of likely results of puggle-on-puggle action do not bear contemplation.
Please note, my criteria for a good dog does not start or end with “cute,” so I’m not defending puggledom.
But they ARE friggin’ cute.
.-= H. Houlahan´s last blog ..Surprise! =-.
Ick, this one wasn’t. Or, maybe I would have found it cute if it wasn’t just so stupid.
No, pretty sure it would be still be fugly. It pretty much got the worst of each parent, rather than the best.
That bully cross, on the other hand – swoon.
I don’t think they’re at ALL cute as adults, but they ARE cute puppies.
.-= Cait´s last blog .. =-.
I agree the two are not attractive as adults, all puppies are cute. But I find with the beagle/pug crosses the muzzle tilts up kind of like a pigs nose.
What puppy isn’t cute? (And yes, cute and good are not equivalents. Cute is what keeps adults from smothering obnoxious youngsters. Darwin wins again.)
Bingo on the pig-nose ID, Jennifer! Tell me, do you think that muddy color is remarkably similar to giardia sh*t?
Oh ya……
Only once in my life have I attempted to buy a dog right from the owner – and a BITCH at that – was the cutest little upbeat dog I had ever met in all my years of training/showing. She just glowed with energy and good will. If I could ever have built my own dog, this would have been it. She was a Jug Dog named Jiggy! (Jack Russell/Pug). Looked like this, but you had to see her hopping around and behaving like a Pug to really appreciate her beauty!
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_W1nYJmq-I8I/SgacAeqyBoI/AAAAAAAABFQ/HEIDuUlU1aw/s400/Cross-breeds–Jug-and-Corfy.jpg
Well, that’s a cute little dog, no matter what it’s crossed with.
Well, it’s not ugly, as I feared. Kind of cute. I can imagine the upbeat part – the “I love you, bro” pug personality crossed with the slightly more hyper/less sycophantic JRT personality could work.
My own dislike of the dun color still applies. I LIKE the JRT mix of colors. I don’t like wearing browns and tans and mustardy colors and they are my least favorite colors for a dog. I was never interested in being a blonde. I liked my marmalade cat because she was reddish, not tannish. Arbitrary? Absolutely. But that’s the nature of taste.
I think you showed great restraint. Especially not being a morning person. I also am not a fan of puggles, nor find them cute, but feel sorry for the owners that get dupped by those “breeders”. (for people that get them from shelters bravo) I do find it an odd combo. My own pug already follows her nose a bunch, I don’t need any beagle genes making it more pronounced!
I would have started asking about the health testing she does on her “lines”. That probably would have shut her up. Maybe. But only if I were you. As myself I have to clam up about breed stuff most of the time. Trainers need to love them all so we don’t alienate anyone.
.-= Marie´s last blog ..Exciting news! =-.
I will admit, I’m a fan of Preston the Puggle’s Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQfrQ0qvWgY
But you’re right that most Puggles are not very attractive, to put it kindly. I’d think second generation ‘purebred’ Puggles would not be very consistant in appearance, either.
Oh, I’m a fan of Preston too!
Oh forget it, I’m senile – it’s not Preston the Puggle I’m crazy about, it’s Buster the Jug! Preston is a goody-two-shoes, Buster is, well, crazy!
In which I meet a Puggle Breeder – Repost http://t.co/83JAYAu0BX via @frogdogz