It was ‘Love at First Sight’

Haylo Hooman’s and Puggies,

I have had the privilege of adopting four Pugs so far in my life (two past, two present), and count numerous other Puggies and their Owners as friends as well. And I can say that for each of my Puggies, it was ‘love at first sight’; there was no going back once I’d seen them and received my first snuffle.

And, up until I had seen an interest piece on the Today Show one morning (‘The eyes have it: Why we bond with our dogs like our babies’), I thought it was because I was a decisive person who wanted to give a Puggie a fur-ever home that was better than the one they had been rescued from.

Interestingly, the article was about research that was done in Japan about how dogs can affect or “highjack” the same chemicals in our brain (called ‘Oxytocin, aka the "cuddle chemical"’) that Parents experience on seeing their new-born child; it’s an emotional connection. But the ground-breaking discovery during the testing phase was that this reaction is felt not just by the Owner, but also by the dog themselves which is unique!

Apparently, wolves (the ancestors of all dogs) do not have the same reaction when engaging with a human, but domesticated dogs do. It is believed that it is through evolution that domestic dogs are now capable of having this chemical reaction ….. having feelings for their owners.

Anybody who knows me, knows that my Puggies are number 1 and everything/everyone else is number 2, so to me this research is just confirming what I already knew intuitively. Plus, I am sure that other Puggie-owners will attest that when they met their Puggie or Puggies for the first time, they just knew in their heart or their gut, that this was the one for them ….. s/he was the Puggie that would take on the world with you, happily fulfilling that role from your side or shadow.

Picture: My first Pug Louis in his favourite outfit

The research also goes some way to explaining why our fur-children have gone from the pet that slept outside in a kennel to the pet that is now referred to as a fur-child, is allowed inside on the couch and in some cases, is the only ‘child’ in the house.

I don’t have children myself having always preferred my Puggies; however, Andrew has a daughter who has fur-children herself, and who we refer to as the Dashie Cousins to Winston and Charles, and who we also send Christmas presents too every year. My Step-daughter is still quite young and may have children in the future, but she is the prime example of the evolution of the mixed “child” household.

Following on from that, for those of us lucky enough to be in Melbourne at the time, who can forget the wedding of the year between Jasper and Jasmine; raising much needed funding for Pug Rescue and Adoption Victoria. A fur-family event that is gaining traction every year and I suspect that Jasper and Jasmine’s wedding will not be the last I attend in this life-time, especially noting that I alone throw birthday parties for the boys every year at play-group.

Picture: Andrew feeding Winston and Charles Pup-ice cream at Jasper and Jasmine’s wedding

I do wonder if my “scientifically proven” connection with my Puggies is why I have always dressed them in outfits, given them nice beds or bean bags to sleep on (in just about every room of the house) and obviously send them to Pooch Parlour regularly to ensure they look their very best …. I mean who would let their fur-child be the smelly Puggie at play-group!!!

Either way, I think I can safely stand-up and admit that I am smitten with my boys and I will no doubt become the Puggie version of the crazy cat lady in my old age .. my niece has said as much to me a few times over the years … and I am OK with that, because I have science on my side now!

Picture: Pug cuddles

So, until next week Puggies have a wonderful week and don’t be afraid to share your cute wrinkled faces and adventures on Facebook and Instagram with us, we love seeing you.

From Donna

Proud Pug-mum to Winston and Charles

Founder of Pug Parties

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Updated: 26 May 2022