WELCOME TO PUGHEARTS OF HOUSTON PUG RESCUE
PugHearts of Houston Pug Rescue is a true 501(c)(3) non-profit charity founded in
the Houston area by dedicated pug owners and lovers. Our mission is the rescue,
rehabilitation and permanent placement of needy pugs into loving homes.
PUGS ON THE BAYOU 2019
TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW!!!
PUGS ON THE BAYOU
2019 SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19TH
ONLINE TICKET SALES NOW CLOSED!
ALL TICKETS NOW TO BE PURCHASED ON THE NIGHT
AT THE DOOR AT THE BAYOU CITY EVENT CENTER
We can’t wait to see all our friends at POTB 2019!
Thanks for supporting the PugHearts pugs!
2018 STATE OF THE RESCUE UPDATE
2017 was a very busy year!
PugHearts took in 328 pugs (and friends)
We found happy endings for 302 pugs!
Sadly, 38 of the pugs in our care crossed the Rainbow Bridge.
It’s hard to believe that we’re coming up on PugHearts’ 11th anniversary on February 14, 2018!
In that time, we have rescued over 2500 dogs. This is particularly ironic; as those of us who have been here from the beginning remember so many people telling us there wasn’t a need for a Pug rescue in Houston. We knew better then, and we’ve certainly shown that we were right.
So how did it all start?
Well, as anyone who is familiar with PugHearts will know, I started this rescue with a question to Richard.
“What would it take to set up a website? I am thinking about starting my own rescue.”
It was that vision, dedication and stubbornness that made PugHearts come alive.
I used to be a foster for a pug rescue in another city. They had a small presence in Houston, but as they weren’t what I thought we should be.
So, I decided that Houston had to have its own pug rescue. And as I had experience as a volunteer for a rescue group, I knew what “worked” and what didn’t. I knew how high we could and should set the bar for these pugs.
I drew on that experience to set up PugHearts. I talked to others that had the same high standards I did.
We all converged on my house in early 2007 and talked about our vision.
- We talked about how PugHearts would be different.
- We wanted PugHearts to be a rescue, not a shelter.
- We didn’t want to put dogs in a kennel and wait for someone to come see them.
- We wanted our dogs to be fostered in homes with people who would love them and care for them as though they were their own
- We wanted our foster parents to be actively involved in the process of finding a forever home for their rescues – their input would matter.
- We made a rule that we would not adopt any dog to a home that we would not feel comfortable leaving our own pets with.
- Our adoptions are not just transactions; they are an extension of our rescue family.
- We wanted our volunteers and adopters to all feel like part of a community; we don’t just want our dogs to go to new homes and never be heard from again.
- We also decided that we would never turn any pug away, regardless of age or medical condition…even if we knew that dog would not survive.
- We would NEVER turn our back on them in their hour of need.
- We would bring love and comfort to that pug during its final hours. Sadly, we have needed to do this
on several occasions.
On that day, we placed $80 on the coffee table. That got us started and is still the amount in the PugHearts savings account.
~
PugHearts has grown dramatically in the past 11 years. We’ve struggled to keep up with the demands which were far greater than we envisioned.
The initial 10 or so people who attended that first meeting have grown to an army of volunteers and contributors spread throughout the greater Houston area – and beyond!
And it takes every one of those people to make PugHearts a success.
Through all the growth and changes, we are proud to say that we remain truly non-profit, with 100% of our donations going to the care of our rescues.
And we remain true to our core values which we founded PugHearts on.
The rescues are our priority, and we treat them as our own until we can find them their perfect “forever” home.
~
Any Pug, At Any Age, In Any Condition, ANYTIME!
~
The photo below is with Alfie....the one that started it all. Taken on the day I asked that fateful question.
Thank you all for believing in our mission and helping us keep our standards high….for the pugs.
Cindy R
www.pughearts.com
Remember your pet's monthly heartworm preventative!
RECENT SHELTER BLOG UPDATES
PUG OF THE MOMENT
| Tessa | PH ID: #6132 |
MEDICAL HOLD
Tessa came to PugHearts from San Antonio back in November as a 7 week old puppy with a prolapsed rectum. A prolapse will typically occur in puppies that haven’t been properly dewormed, causing severe diarrhea. A purse string was put in by the vet in San Antonio prior to her transport to Houston.
What is a purse string? Think of it as a drawstring in her rectum to hold her insides in, similar to holding the contents of a bag in place. This is so important because the longer that the bowls are out, the more necrotic the tissue becomes.
The purse string stayed in for 2 weeks and less than 48 hours after it was out, Tessa prolapsed again. She was rushed back to our vet to have an additional purse string. This is when we assumed the problem was bigger than we thought and it was discovered that Tessa has no muscle tone in her rectum. This purse string stayed in for 3 weeks, and this time she prolapsed less than 24 hours from removal. I became quite versed in pushing her colon back inside her body every time she prolapsed, until her emergency surgery was performed the following day.
Dr. Hendrix performed a Coloplexy on Tessa, essentially pulling and tacking the colon to the abdominal wall and leaving no room for an additional prolapse to occur.
Since this surgery, we have been finding out all the additional problems Tessa has, and assume she born with this defect. She has a total collapse of the 7th vertebrae leading into her pelvis causing nerve damage to the colon, which also gives her a funny gait and a spastic neurogenic colon. She has the urge to poop all the time, and will posture constantly with some, little or nothing coming out. It ends up on her, the other dogs, me and the wall on occasion. She has to have her anal glands manually expressed on a weekly basis because her body can’t do it. She will never be able to jump on and off the furniture or use stairs. There’s mornings that I want to scream and cry while I’m scrubbing poop, but then I see her and everything is worth it.
We’ve treated her with prednisone and metronidazole to no avail, and we currently have her on Tylan which has helped the consistency be more formed. She is on a strict diet of GI high energy wet food and Biome
If Tessa hadn’t found her way to PugHearts, she would not be here. There is no information on treating this condition because most dogs would have died or been euthanized. PugHearts is fighting for Tessa and we are doing everything that we can to help her. It’s not cheap, Her dog food is almost $80 a bag, but this little baby deserves the best. SLPH accepts manufacturers coupons for the Hill’s Science Diet food, if you’d like to donate those at the clinic. I had $15 worth today!
Today Tessa had her last booster. At this point, most puppies would be ready for adoption. Tessa is not. We’ve concluded that Tessa might not ever be adoptable, but we also aren’t calling her hospice. It’s unknown what Tessa might have to tackle next and with Pughearts and me as her foster, we will be ready to take on anything, but it’s not a burden we want future adopters to have to face.
Tessa is my baby. She is spoiled rotten just like she’s suppose to be. She spends the majority of her day being held or in my lap, and sleeps every night curled around my neck.
Please consider donating to Tessa’s care. She deserves the world and PugHearts is going to give it to her | |
IMPORTANT FACEBOOK GROUP CHANGES
PugHearts of Houston has maintained a
Group page on Facebook for the past several years. We encourage
past adopters, potential adopters, fosters and all Pug lovers to join us! We love
to post and share photos, heartwarming stories and advice on Pugs.
We have always required that potential FB PugHearts Group members submit a request
to join our group in an effort to control SPAM and unauthorized posts. Group posts
were visible to the public, but only approved group members could post comments
or photos.
However, facebook has recently made some changes to their terms of service which
made the PugHearts Group an “open” group, allowing anyone to post on our FB page.
This resulted in some unfortunate posts which upset many people. It also allows
for unauthorized use of images from our Group and opens our members to breaches
of their privacy. We have now changed the status of our group back to “
Closed”
which once again requires any new members to submit a request to join before they
can post.
This change does not affect any existing facebook group members in any way.
However, with these new changes our
FB Group is now only visible to existing members. None of our posts
or images are available to be viewed by anyone not a current member of our Group.
This ensures the safety of our members as well as the protection of our content.
To become a member of our
FB Group , simply go to our
FB Group page and request to join. Our Administrators
will take a quick peek at your profile to ensure you are a genuine pug-loving person
(and not a SPAM bot) and with one click they will add you as a member. If your FB
profile is brand new or you have a very blank profile, they may ask you for additional
information to verify you are a genuine requestor. Once you are added you can post
and read to your heart’s content. Just remember to play nice and refrain from abusive
posts. We want to encourage and educate Pug lovers by making this a welcoming and
nurturing environment.
So come on over to our
FB Group page and see what’s happening with your fellow
Pug lovers!
PUGHEARTS EMERGENCY LINE 281 968 4958
** NOT ** FOR GENERAL ENQUIRIES