ADOPTED
Did someone say fruit wine? Moira is a female, spayed fawn pug who is about 9 years old. She is about 15 lbs. She is a little gray in the face but as sweet as anything.
Moira found her way into rescue after spending her life in a puppy mill where she was bred for profit. Despite her life until this point, Moira is full of love and absolutely loves people. There is not one ounce of shyness that we have seen from her. She is happy to greet all kinds of people, and loves physical affection. She will bounce excitedly on her bum while sitting if she thinks you will give her some attention, and if you kneel down she will try to scale you to give you kisses. She loves to snuggle on the couch and will sit with you for hours. Although we have not directly introduced her to children, Moira will likely do very well with gentle children, as long as they understand she may need some help calming down if she gets too worked-up from excitement and attention due to her tendency to cough in these moments.
In the home, Moira likes to be in the same room as you if possible, and tries to beat you to the next room if she can! We generally set her up in an exercise pen with her crate and a little mound of bedding that she can nestle into. She likes her pile of blankets the most, but is also very well-behaved in her crate. She has been crated for the duration of a workday and is calm and naps happily all day. She is very quiet in the home generally, but on occasion will become lonely if she can’t find you and will make very soft sad howls to get your attention. She will also make some frustrated barks if she finds herself on the sofa and is not sure how to come back down. Although she does like to spend time with her people, Moira does relax quite well on her own and we do not consider her to suffer from separation anxiety. She is still learning how to settle in the home, and is often standing around awkwardly until you sit down with her, but is learning to relax on the largest bed around. As is common to puppy mill dogs who are confined to a small pen for their whole lives, Moira is slowly learning how to settle with more space around. As a result, Moira will appreciate having a crate or exercise pen in her forever home as it helps her settle and will ease her transition into broader home living. She is not destructive in the home and is not startled by household noises.
Moira has been excellent for house-training. When she first came into rescue she required treatment for a urinary tract infection and required frequent bathroom breaks while undergoing treatment, but since her infection has cleared she always makes it outside to urinate and defecate. While Moira did have access to pee pads during the time she had a urinary tract infection, she prefers not to use the bathroom inside in general and will howl or bark if she needs to go outside. Once on the grass, she promptly relieves herself and then blasts off with a round of zoomies. She will need a bit of time to learn the routine in her forever home, but she should pick up on things in no time.
Being an older lady, Moira is a lower energy dog who appreciates her rest. This is a dog who snores gently and sleeps deeply! She does like short walks around the block at a gentle pace following behind you, but may put on the brakes if she is uncertain. She is a bit uncertain with changes in terrain, which may be linked to her slightly compromised vision. At the same time, Moira does get little bursts of energy and likes to run around in grass for short periods of time, and likes to walk briskly around the house from room to room to follow you. She loves her outdoor time, and would love access to a small yard or porch if you sit outside with her in the shade. She likes to lay in the grass with her back legs out straight. She can be very silly, and at times she musters her energy to run away from you if she thinks you are trying to catch her to go back inside or beat her to a destination. We walk Moira on a martingale collar for safety, but she may benefit from rigging this collar to a body harness as well for extra security due to her very short neck and round head. A harness on its own is not recommended due to the potential of harnesses to come off a squiggling dog, especially as Moira tends to back up when she is unsure. She could quite easily escape from a harness alone. Moira is not reactive to dogs or wildlife on walks, and is not troubled by cars or larger vehicles passing by. Due to her flat-face, her forever home must use caution exercising Moira on warmer days, as many flat-faced dogs are susceptible to overheating due to their facial features and inability to cool-down adequately. Moira will do well in many living situations, including apartment living, as long as her owner likes to spend some time outdoors watching the world go by with her.
Prior to rescue, Moira received limited medical attention. As is common with dogs with large, protruding, lovable eyes, Moira has been diagnosed with keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS) or “dry eye” meaning her eyes do not produce adequate tears. This condition is well-managed with an eye lubricant (Optixcare eye Lube Plus) and an eye ointment (Optimmune) applied to both eyes twice daily. These medications will be required for life, and her forever home
should research the costs of these medications with their veterinarian, as they are prescription medications. She may also require more frequent check-ups to ensure her eyes remain healthy should any concerns arise. Moira is very accustomed to having these medications applied to her eyes, and continuing to ensure she receives attention, praise and a small special treat after dosing will help her associate the treatment with a positive experience. One person can apply the medication with some practice, as she has been well-conditioned to accepting her eye medication and holds very still. Her once dull eyes are shiny and healthy now, even if they don’t always look in the same direction.
As mentioned earlier, Moira does seem to have some vision loss in her left eye, which affects her depth perception. She only rarely bumps into things and moves around very well even in new environments, but may hesitate or overcompensate by resisting or leaping over things (there is no in-between) like door ledges, small steps, or changes in terrain. Once she has taken new stairs a few times she handles them quite well, but for safety we would recommend baby gates at the tops of large staircases to keep her safe. If you touch her and she does not see your hands approaching she startles a little bit but immediately converts to excitement at the prospect of more petting and attention. We usually try to talk to her before touching her to help her out, but she does not react negatively to unexpected touch.
Although not officially diagnosed, Moira does have an occasional hacking cough that may be due to some element of collapsing trachea. She does not have a heart murmur. She typically only coughs after waking up, and when she is very excited. Her cough is not due to an infectious cause. It will be important for her forever family to monitor this should she require further medical care in the future, but her cough does not currently require medication or intervention as determined by her veterinarian.
At her veterinary check-up it was also noted that Moira had only 7 rotten teeth remaining. These diseased, painful teeth were extracted and Moira’s mouth is now pain-free. Moira is fed softened kibble mixed with some wet food to glom everything together, and we set aside a placemat with a wide, low bowl with a high lip just for her as she tends to knock her food upwards and outwards as she licks it up. She is very happy to eat her food and although she is a little messy, eats just fine without her rotten teeth. She is very neat and dainty with her water bowl though. She has not displayed any resource guarding with her meals. The end of her tongue kind-of sticks out to one side or pokes out in the front, and lends to her charm!
Moira is very companionable with other dogs. Moira lives with two medium-sized dogs and has interacted with our large breed foster dogs as well. She is very polite, and likes to give them a gentle sniff, and co-exists without issue. Moira does not need to live with other dogs, but she is also just fine to share her space with them. Any potential canine family members should be gentle with small, older dogs and be comfortable with sharing their space, as Moira likes to stand very close to our dogs and sit next to them on beds sometimes. She has not shown interest in playing with our dogs, but is not frightened or upset by dogs playing around her. An intense personality may not be a good match for her because she is so gentle and demure, and she would likely get bossed around by that kind of stronger personality. She has not demonstrated any resource-guarding behaviour around other animals in her time with us.
As expected from such a sweet senior pug, Moira is very gentle with our resident cats. She sniffed them very gently, and is always very happy to leave them be and not trouble them. Moira will likely do quite well in a home with cats, keeping in mind that some cats can find loud, flat-faced dogs a bit alarming with their snorting and breathing noises!
Moira is also a perfect traveler. She travels in a car crate for safety, and we usually place her in front of the kennel and she gets right in. Moira is quiet and calm for car rides, and does not get car sick, even on longer drives.
In terms of grooming, Moira is also very tolerant. She stands still in the tub for baths, and has no issues with her ears or face wrinkles being cleaned. Pugs do have a double-coat, and her forever home should expect a moderate amount of shedding from her. She is also good for nail trims and does not mind having her feet handled.
Moira is ready to live nice, relaxing golden years. She is a wonderful, well-rounded companion who wants to spend her time laying in the grass and giving you toothless kisses. She will be suitable for a first-time dog owner. You can find her foster journey on Instagram @twiceluckyfosters. Thank you for reading her bio and considering a rescue dog.