September already?

Things have been kind of rough around here. Mom's been depressed which means she doesn't want to do anything fun anymore. We haven't been helping either. We've been really rotten and mean. Probably acting out because we aren't getting the doting attention we used to. Anyway.

Hopefully, that is changing. Mom's started a new blog. This new one is a lot less pugcentric and lot less cheery. But it's how she's feeling right now and that's okay.

In the meantime, she got some training DVDs and a book from Patricia McConnell to whip us back in shape. The DVDs are Dog-Dog Aggression (told you we were mean) and Feeling Outnumbered (this book too). Mom is hoping to learn some positive ways to retrain us to behave like good pugs. Or at the very least, not horrible, hateful little dogs.

*Mom here* I fully admit and take responsibility for their bad behavior. I spoiled them in the worst way. I turned them into entitled, frustrated dogs. So I have to do what I can to fix it. We'll keep you updated on the progress. *Back to the pugs*

Summer really didn't turn out like we planned. The garden didn't produce hardly anything but a few tomatoes, and we ate most of them green. August was really chilly for us so very little swimming. Early Late July/August was pretty neat because Mom officially became an aunt. Our aunt adopted one of her foster daughters, making M a permanent member of the family. Her foster kids are always family, just not always permanent. M is a senior in high school this year. Just like with dogs, the older ones rarely get adopted. We are so proud of our aunt for opening her heart to many children who need a safe and loving home. Biology doesn't make a family, love does. If you think being a rescue dog foster is hard, imagine it with kids. Mom says she'll stick with pugs though.

Anyway, Aunt Mandy came to visit with her three girls. It was a whirlwind four days. They went to the Outer Banks, a water park, Washington DC and Virginia Beach.

Enjoying the Outer Banks

They went and went and went. They took a boat ride, saw dolphins, swam in the ocean, rode a ferry. Walked for hours in DC, seeing the monuments at the National Mall and one floor of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. They went to the Holocaust Museum. It was very sad.

Lincoln Memorial

Reflecting pool looking toward the Washington Monument

It was four days packed with adventure. We sat home. Didn't even get a t-shirt.

Now it's September. Mom has started the very intense process of studying for her doctoral exams in October. What does that mean for us? Well, no Pugoween this year. Or costumes. Maybe a pug meet up, but none since June. She really has to study hard for these exams. On the bright side, it means a lot of sitting on the couch for her which equals snuggle time for us. She's going to try to walk us once a week and work on our training 10-15 minutes each day, but very little extra stuff. We'll do our best to make her blog for us. And she'll blog on her other one too.

Thanks for sticking with us. Once this doctoral thing is done, surely life will be better, right?