Pugs 101: What Good Pug Rescue Centres Have
The easiest way to find a good Pug to adopt is going to the Internet site Petfinder.com. This is the most comprehensive list of pets for adoption in America. Most breeds of dogs have breed rescues, but do not have a website that lists all of the rescues for that breed in the country. Pugs, however, are an exception. They do have a list called PugRescue.com, which also includes Canadian Pug rescue groups.
Although there are excellent Pug rescue groups that have websites, there are some things you can do to prevent being taken in by a scam pretending to be an animal shelter. First of all, never pay for a dog you have never met. Don’t be taken in by cute photos ? they can be faked.
They also will have worked on the Pug’s training and can help you with further training. They never put any Pugs up for adoption that have severe emotional or health problems (or at least, they shouldn’t.)
And they will have you fill out a long application form and then set up an interview with you rather than having you fill out an order form to be filled. Most importantly, a good Pug rescue centre will never have you pay all of the adoption fees before you meet the Pug.
You can find links to good Pug rescue centres from Petfinder.com or PugRescue.com. Both of these sites contain two of the most comprehensive lists of Pug breed rescues in America and Canada. Because dog rescues are made up of volunteers, there is no parent organization that governs them or makes them have to put up a website at all.
You will have to go through at least one long interview in person or via phone by a Pug rescue centre volunteer before you are even allowed to meet any of the Pugs up for adoption. You will have your background checked, and your home checked. You will often need to provide character references, preferably from your veterinarian. You need also to show that you have some basic Pug information in your head.
Be patient with Pug rescue centre people. They are usually not paid employees of any organization. They are volunteers who have opened up their home to taking in one or more abandoned Pugs, rehabilitating them and then letting them go again.
They often will have a clause where if you have to give the Pug up for any reason, please bring the Pug back to them. But chances are, you will have found a forever friend. You can then ask the Pug rescue centre for any training advice in the years to come.