Pugs saved from hoarding situation need homes

A pug rescue group with a branch in Wichita is trying to find homes for 30 pugs rescued from a hoarding situation in Oklahoma.

The dogs have “really sweet demeanors” but were malnourished and have other health problems, said Gail Tucker, president of Homeward Bound Pug Rescue and Adoption of Oklahoma.

Tucker said a friend of hers saw a flier in a small-town veterinarian’s office seeking help placing several pugs. When she called about them, the woman told her there were 33.

Nineteen of the dogs are puppies, 14 to 20 weeks old, and most of the others are under 2 years old, Tucker said. At least one of the females is pregnant, so there will be more puppies, she said. “Basically, the babies were having babies,” Tucker said.

The woman who surrendered the dogs had been breeding them, then became overwhelmed and could no longer afford the veterinary and food bills, Tucker said. She finally asked for help.

Six of the puppies have the parvovirus, a disease that affects the gastrointestinal or cardiac system, and have been in intensive care in a veterinary clinic in Oklahoma City, but Tucker thinks they will pull through. “I’m thinking we’re going to save all of our babies,” she said Wednesday.

Some of the pugs have mange, a painful skin condition, Tucker said. It’s treatable but has caused the dogs to lose hair, and they have blackened skin, Tucker said. “They are looking ugly – but I think they’re beautiful,” she said.

Some also have lost an eye. Pugs have protruding eyes that can be easily scratched, Tucker said. Without prompt medical attention, abscesses can form, which is what happened to three or four of the dogs.

The rescue group has found homes in the past for pugs with only one eye, Tucker said. “It takes a little bit longer, but we place them,” she said. “I think they are quite charming. They look like they’re winking at you.”

One of those sight-impaired pugs is being fostered by Holly West of Winfield. Volunteers from Homeward Bound in Wichita drove to Oklahoma on Tuesday and brought back five of the pugs. They will stay in foster homes until they are well enough to go to new homes and have been spayed or neutered, said Wendy Black of Wichita, who is fostering Jitters, a young male.

Teeni, the pug being fostered by West, is a young female that has one eye and is mostly blind in the other. West has fostered two other blind pugs that found new homes, so she has hope for Teeni. “She needs to be fattened up and loved some,” West said.

The dogs were loved, said Amy Harmon, another Wichita member of Homeward Bound. “They were just neglected and there were too many of them. … With good nutrition and immunizations, they will be fully functional, wonderful pugs.”

Appeals for foster homes soon after the dogs were rescued have resulted in a flood of applications, Tucker said. The group is now accepting applications to adopt a pug and donations for the dogs’ veterinary care, which is expected to cost more than $6,000. People can fill out applications or donate at the Homeward Bound website, www.homewardboundpugs.com, or on the group’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/HomewardBoundPugs.

Being pugs, the dogs are charmers and will probably have no trouble getting adopted once they are healthy, Harmon said.

“I like pugs because they are little comedians,” Harmon said. “They’re snuggly, they give kisses, and they want to be with you all the time. They’re like little children. They are so much fun – and I love to vacuum,” she said with a laugh. Pugs tend to shed a lot.

Tucker said finding homes could be a challenge for the pugs with mange or only one eye “that don’t look so nice now.” But she hopes adopters will “see beyond that” and find a place for the pugs in their homes and hearts.

“They’re just going to be beautiful when they are all healthy,” she said.

This story was originally published March 8, 2012 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Pugs saved from hoarding situation need homes."