Una

I am so excited to introduce you to lovely little Una. Una is an adorable fawn and black pug who is 7 years old. Una is small but weighs a solid 20 pounds, she’s a compact little lady. Una is incredibly affectionate, loving, playful, and silly! She’s a wonderful dog whose greatest desire is to enjoy life with her people by her side! If you’re looking for a sweet, snuggly, and playful companion read on because Una just might be the dog for you.

Una was recently saved when a commercial breeder decided to off-load their dogs. Una previously lived to produce puppies and did not get to live as a family member and she is looking forward to making up for that lost time. Una is ready to find her happily ever after.

Even though Una had a rough start, once she knows she can trust someone she loves them with her whole heart. Within a day of her arrival, she quickly became her foster mum’s little shadow, hanging out by her feet when she’s cooking dinner, joining her while she reads on the back patio couch, and trotting around the garden with her while she harvests… She just loves to be nearby her family! Though it took her a few days longer to trust her foster dad, she now follows him around and asks for pets as often as he will give them! Una has warmed up to us quickly and simply loves to be around people. Her favourite things are snuggling on the couch, following her family around the house, and getting belly and chest rubs! 

Una is such a wonderful dog. One of my favourite “Una things” is that she asks for pets by reaching out her little paws towards you and pointing as best as she can to her chest. Sometimes she just slowly melts to the floor while showing you her belly and staring directly in your eyes and that means “please rub my belly”. She loves affection and adores having her chest pet. She’s good about not being too bossy about it so if you’re busy she’s happy just to be close by and won’t push for pets.

Another thing I love is coming home to Una after any period of time away. Una gets so excited and she will launch her front feet off the ground and reach her paws up to you for affection! When you pick her up she’s just a little squish who loves being kissed on the cheek. Though she initially got nervous when being picked up she’s quickly learning to love it and will make tiny little happy grunts and turns her head to look at you and give little happy kisses. She wiggles her tail when being carried too so you can just feel her little piggy tail thumping on your side while you hold her! 

Una loves to jump up on to the couch and the bed and settles well in the evenings or when her foster parents are working from home. She just loves to be close by and settles right in to whatever mood you’d like for your days and nights! She’s a good mixture of wanting touch but also not smothering you with the constant need for affection!

Una gets along well with other dogs and learns a lot from being around them. Una is much more interested in the human members of her family though and is very people oriented. Una lives with two other dogs currently and likes to snuggle up with them in the same bed and happily shares space with them both. Una is very driven for human affection though so she sometimes accidentally paws a foster sibling in the face when asking for pets and has unintentionally barreled into them when she’s got the zoomies! Her foster siblings are both senior vision impaired cocker spaniels so it’s not really Una’s fault that they don’t move out of the way! Una would be happy to have a dog small – medium sized dog sibling or would be equally happy to be the only dog to soak up all of her humans attention. Una has not met a cat but given her behaviour and demeanor she would likely be fine to coexist with a cat sibling. 

Una does occasionally lose her confidence and still gets scared sometimes. She had no exposure to the world before a few weeks ago, and she requires an adopter who realizes that though she’s confident 90% of the time, there are moments when she falters and is unsure! She’s had a tough go and a bit of patience, gentle encouragement, and showing her she’s loved gets her right out of her fear. As Una gets used to the world fearful moments will become further and further apart but she will need someone who pays attention to how she’s feeling especially during transition times.  She still gets a little nervous with car rides but with practice and support she will continue to grow in her confidence!

When the conditions are right, Una loves her walks! When the neighbourhood is quiet and calm and the weather is right she is happy to walk along sniffing all of the good smells she can find! If it’s too busy out Una is not a huge fan so a quiet neighbourhood is needed. Una also LOVES running around her fenced backyard and signals at the back door well when she needs to go out to the bathroom. A fully fenced yard would be really nice for her forever home to have so she can have the quiet space she needs to go to the bathroom, however it’s not required as long as there is an area she can go that is private. When she is out of a secure fenced area then her adopters must know that she is a flight risk if startled and can only be taken outside with a secure leash and martingale collar. 

Una is quite friendly and but can still be a bit unsure of unpredictability and noise so we recommend a home where all family members are 9 years old and over. Una loves getting as close to you as possible so she’s often under feet. She would not be suited for a home where family members aren’t mindful of where they are stepping. She’s curious about the world and this will continue to grow so older children would likely be great friends of hers as long as they give her time to warm up to them!

Una is housetrained but she will hold it if the conditions aren’t right for her to feel safe and secure enough to go. This meant when she first arrived she was only going to the bathroom 2 – 3 times a day even though she was going out more often than that. She now will comfortably go to the bathroom 5 – 6 times a day and has been great about learning how to ask to go out. We expect that after adoption someone will likely need to work on this with her again and be patient where she figures out her new routine and safe space. This would be an area where having another dog would be an asset to help her learn, but is not a requirement. 

Una is super affectionate and makes the saddest noises I have ever heard when it’s time for her human family to leave the house or go to bed. Una either stays in an x-pen or in her crate when alone and always makes these soft little grunty sad sounds when she knows it’s time for her and the humans to separate. Una does quickly quiet down though and settles well when alone or overnight. She pouts for a bit but it doesn’t take her long to settle and fall asleep. Una is fine to be left alone for 5 – 6 hours at a time but she is incredibly people oriented so she would do best in a home with people around often as she just wants to hang out with her loved ones.

In general Una is such a wonderful houseguest and friend. She is a little bit of a chatty girl and loves to communicate. When she’s in a playful mood she’ll snort up a storm and make little grunts and grumbles. When she knows she’s going to be left alone she makes teeny tiny sad grumbles. 

When new people enter the house she gives them little “boof” barks. Una settles quicker with female company than male company. It only takes her a few minutes to ask for pets from any woman visitor. She will accept gentle pets from men and only barks because she’s trying to say “hey, uh, did you know someone is here? Should we be scared?”. She is still learning how to greet people due to her limited exposure to the world and I am sure that she will continue to settle more quickly as she gains experience and confidence!

Health wise Una has been spayed, vaccinated, microchipped, and had a dental surgery cleaning her dirty teeth and removing any that were rotten! As pugs are a brachiocephalic breed and have a flat face so it’s important for her owners to be aware of her sensitivity to heat and must be mindful of not over exerting her. Una does need activity in her life as pugs can become overweight so her adopters should be sure to have indoor alternatives when it’s too hot to be outside. Una likes to take one short walk per day when the weather is good and likes to run around the yard and zoom up and down the stairs and that keeps her in fairly good shape!

Una is learning basic commands and is very engaged whenever she is being interacted with. She is eager to learn and interact with her family so she will do well with further training. 

Una is a WONDERFUL little dog full of love and affection. Una’s name is an homage to Una from Star Trek who is known in the show as “Number One”. We know that for Una’s right family she will be their number one and we cannot wait for her to find that! Una is looking for a forever family who will include her and love her endlessly and she will give back all the love she receives and more!