SNPR Alumni Update-Jade & Ginger

Jade and Ginger helped heal some of the pain after Dolly Pugdon passed away. From their daddy:

We had the blessing to have had Miss Dolly Pugdon with us, and her passing left an amazingly large and painful hole in our hearts. Nothing could ever take her place, but we learned we were soon to be blessed again.

I firmly believe everything happens for a reason, and that we are called upon when we are needed the most. It was only four days after Miss Dolly went over the Bridge that we got a call from Rudy. We talked about Dolly and cried together, and then Rudy delicately brought up the fact that we had thought about a second Pug in our home for some time. She mentioned that two sisters were being picked up that very day from an abusive situation, and she and KC really wanted to keep them together for their happiness. When she told their story, how could we not open our hearts.

Jade and Ginger were about 3½ years old, and their lives had been no treat. Their family had decided to move and just leave them behind. They were left with his mom or her mom, in what was thought a caring home. This woman clearly did not want Jade and Ginger because we were told she kept they locked outside during the day, and then crated them into one small crate together at night. No love, no warmth... nothing.

Then it went from bad to worse. A neighbor said he would take Jade and Ginger to provide them with a loving home, but what he did was took them for breeding purposes. We don’t know how long he had them, but it was apparent they had at least one to two litters each. When he was through with them, he wanted to be rid of them, and somehow they ended being picked up by SNPR. That’s when I got the call.

I remember the day we met them. They were very much afraid of humans, and who could blame them? They had not had a positive experience thus far, and they had no reason to trust people. They were very dirty, had ear infections, and definitely could use a good meal and a few snackies.

Jade warmed up a little bit after a few minutes, allowing Eldan to pet her and show her we meant no harm. Ginger was very standoffish, and only after some patience and persistence and a snackie did I finally get her to come near me. I talked to her and continued to show her that I had love for her, and she finally allowed me to get close enough to pet her and put on a harness and leash to take her home.

That afternoon, after two baths and a nice meal, Jade and Ginger felt comfortable enough to roam the house and yard. Soon they knew they were home and they were loved. It took about two weeks for them to learn to not sleep curled up against each other as they had done when they were in the crate. They had their own little beds near to each other. They followed us each and every step we took every day. They knew and we knew that they were in their forever home.

I mention the trust issue with people because they finally learned that all humans were not bad and abusive. They learned to trust others we met. It was slow progress, but love conquers all.

Ginger and Jade even learned to open up their home to a new addition, a puppy whom we rescued straight from the litter. He was to be sold off into a mill, but through a friend of a friend we learned about him and brought him home at the tender age of 7½ weeks. The girls never once turned against him, and they showed signs of nurturing and caring for him, and showing him the rules of the house. Ginger has become our “Big Mama”, keeping the little guy in line.

Then, the unthinkable. It was just about one year to the day when we lost Miss Dolly and our hearts were heavy with thoughts of her when Ginger suddenly started to have a seizure. I rushed her to our doctor, and he said he could keep her calm but the seizures were showed no sign of stopping. Two days later, Miss Ginger, our “Big Mama”, quietly and peacefully went over the Bridge in her sleep. Once again, my heart was torn in two.

Ginger’s portrait sits next to Dolly’s. I still cry for both of them and cannot never express how much love they brought into our lives.

One thing I will never forget – about a week before Ginger left us I was just sitting on the couch and she did something she had never done before.. While she would usually sit next to me, this time she jumped on my lap on pressed herself tightly against me, resting her head just below my chin. We sat motionless like this for a while, expressing our love for each other in a special way which can never be fully described by words. Our trust and love was complete... our hearts were one.