To those of you who have generously donated to keep PugHearts running, we say a huge "Thank you!"

You are what keeps PugHearts in existence and our Rescues alive.

This is the first of what is going to be a regular communication with all of the PugHearts extended family. We want you to know what is going on here at PugHearts and how much YOU are a part of that.
 
So, first, let me introduce myself. I am Cindy. Many of you know me, some of you do not. I am the director of PugHearts. This means that I get the fabulous job of coordinating the daily activities of the rescue. I get to meet all the pugs, many of our fosters and spend tons of time at the vet. This is often where I meet many of you. I love what I do for PugHearts. I can assure you, the pugs do more for me than I could ever do for them.

Where are we right now?

• 106 foster pugs in our care with 4 waiting to come in (that we know of right now)
• 3 pugs boarding at the vet, waiting for a foster family
• About 65 foster families actively caring for a pug (or pugs) in their homes.
• A vet bill of just over $24,000 (as of today 08/23)
• Blanco’s coming up fast. Please come it will be a BLAST!
• Shelters and pounds calling almost every day to ask us to take in a pug.

This sounds overwhelming and terribly sad. However, I want you all to understand that we can (and do) manage to do a great job in a tough situation. We take in pugs that are sick, hurt, tired and ready to give up. We adopt out pugs that are (fairly) healthy, happy and ready to be loved and adored by a family. This is the real joy in rescue. It is not always easy to remember, but well worth the moments we get to look at the results.

You make this possible.

• By fostering, you give a pug time and love to grow, heal and learn.
• By transporting, you allow us to get them to safety and medical care.
• By donating, you allow us the funds we must have to continue medical care and treatment.
• By adopting, you provide a forever home to one that is ready and make room for the next one that needs us.

We recently lost Ralphie, one of our long term, forever fosters. This is a sad time for us and his foster family. However, I wanted to include a part of the email I received from them. This really explains the feelings and love that each of these fosters receives from their foster family and why it is possible for PugHearts to be so successful.


These are the special moments. Even when we know that time will be short. It can be amazing. We win some too. For those that remember Fritz, I received an update on him as well. Here is what his family tells me.


Please know that there are highs and lows in rescue. There is life and death; happiness and sadness. This is normal and it is OK. I tell people that when I stop smiling for the wins and crying for the losses then it is time to quit. This is personal. This is wonderful and this is PugHearts.
 
You keep us going and believing in people.

Without your help, donations and support we could not do what we do.

Thank you.

See you all at Blanco’s on September 25th. Buy your tickets before September 1st for a discounted price.

Cindy

Please join us for the 2nd annual Pugs at Blanco's!!

Saturday, September 25th, 6 - 11 pm
Blanco's Bar & Grill
3406 West Alabama Street
Houston, TX 77027

Come join us for a fantastic evening of BBQ, music, and Pugs, featuring live music by The Norman Number!

We will also be having a silent auction with loads of fantastic items and a raffle for a 50 inch Flat Screen TV!

Tickets are $25 online and at the door. Ticket includes a delicious BBQ meal.

Once again, we are pre-selling brisket that will be available for pick up at the event, pre-cooked and ready to eat. Perfect for an end-of-summer get together, or to keep in the freezer until the holidays! Last year, these were a big hit so don't miss your opportunity this year! They are $40 each and one will feed over 13 people!

All proceeds from this event will go to support the Pugs in need in the Houston community. Thanks for all of your help and donations. We can’t wait to see you there!

-The PugHearts “Howdy Pawwdners!” event committee

Attention Kroger Shoppers!

Love to get a deal on your shopping? Want to help PugHearts in the process?

It’s easy: simply use your Kroger Plus card when you shop at Kroger.

If you’re already a Kroger shopper then you know how much you can save with your Plus card, but did you know that your purchases can help raise money for PugHearts?

Kroger has a great program called Neighbor-to-Neighbor where they will donate to local charities. And it’s so simple to participate!

• Step 1 - If you don’t already have one, sign up for a Kroger Plus card. It’s free and the savings start on the day you sign up.
• Step 2 - Print out this form with the PugHearts barcode.<
• Step 3 - Take the barcode with you the next time you shop and have the checkout person scan it.

That’s it! You will now earn PugHearts reward points every time you shop. You only have to have the barcode scanned once but the rewards will accumulate through April 30th, 2011.

What if you already have a Kroger Plus card? Then skip right to Step #2 and print out this barcode.

What if I registered with another charity last year? The codes expire annually. The new year began July 1st 2010 so you are no longer participating in a donation drive for anyone..

How much will PugHearts receive? That depends on how many people register us as their charity and how much they spend. Kroger’s website lists last year’s participants and their donation totals.

So remember folks: Shop Smart, Shop for PugHearts!

Back in early 2007, we were just getting PugHearts started. A group of us got together with Cindy and started planning our first big event - PugNic. We had flyers printed to hand out and post anywhere we could to get the word out about our new rescue.

I remember stopping in a local pet boutique to ask about posting our flyer. The gentleman behind the counter said we were more than welcome to post it, but he couldn’t believe we actually needed a rescue for Pugs. After all, he said ‘that’s an expensive breed - why would they end up in rescue?’ As he asked me that question I was holding my beautiful rescue pug Alfie. I explained to him how even pedigreed dogs can end up in rescue. And the very fact that they are a desirable breed makes them a tempting target for unscrupulous breeders. But also, they are a special breed with special needs. Not everyone understands those needs when they fall in love with these squishy-faced babies.

It’s now been 3 years since PugHearts of Houston was born. And our numbers show that the need for a pug rescue in Houston was far greater than we had ever imagined. We have taken in well over 500 dogs in that time. I’m astounded by that.

I’m sad, because that’s a lot of dogs that have been in a bad situation. But I’m also happy because we have been able to make a difference to those 500+ dogs. Most of those dogs have gone on to live pampered, happy lives with their new families. Some are sadly no longer with us, but we know their last days were made more comfortable and filled with love thanks to our hard work.

The driving force behind PugHearts is the legion of volunteers that run it. PugHearts is not a shelter. We are not a brick-and-mortar building. We are a network of people who do incredible things for no pay or reward. Some volunteers help by picking up dogs from shelters or people who have called us. Some help by taking our dogs to and from the vet. Some open their homes to these dogs as foster parents until they find their forever home. A few even open their homes to dogs they know will never be adopted. Some help with fundraising. And some help by processing the adoption applications filled out by prospective ‘parents.’ And some people help by paying our vet bills through their generous donations. All of these people ARE PugHearts. Without them we would not exist.

On the eve of our 3rd anniversary, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all you have done for these sweet puggies. Thank you for helping to make PugHearts such a success in our mission to save every Pug we can - one pug at a time.

Robbi

If you have a PUG IN DANGER, or need to SURRENDER A PUG the please call us on 281 968 4958 or click the icon below to be automatically connected.   Leave a detailed message and somebody will call you back within the hour.