I love bath time

Vinny has always been a bit of a strange dog, and just loves to have baths in the sink. All you have to do is say "want a bath?" and he starts jumping on the sink, trying to get up. Then he sits in the sink and lets you lather him up and rinse him off. When it's all over he lets you give him a treat, but only because he has to at least pretend it is a huge chore.

Buddha fear

Everyone knows the Buddha is a symbol of peace and compassion. Everyone, that is, except Vinny and Bosco. When we first brought Buddha home for our flower garden, Vinny thought he was under attack and stood in front of him barking madly for half an hour. Not one to be outdone, Bosco began barking too, although he was not entirely certain what all the fuss was about. He looks up to his big brother though. In the end, the boys learned that the Buddha usually sits in his garden meditating. Vinny still doesn't trust him though, and keeps a wary eye on him most of the time.

Peanut butter gremlins

Eating peanut butter in our house is a dangerous undertaking. One is likely to be surrounded by pugs, being stared at with huge googly eyes. And if one dares to offer some on a finger, be prepared: there is nothing quite as disconcerting as having two sloppy pug tongues competing over a drop of peanut butter.

This is what you might see if you are sitting in a chair eating some.

Hot bellies

The pugs tend to get very hot bellies in the summer. It's very common to come into a room and find them sprawled with their bellies on the floor. Bosco's is rather fat, and his little legs kind of splay to the sides. But a pug's gotta be cool, no matter how ridiculous he may look.

Here's Vinny's belly sprawl. This guy obviously loves having his picture taken.

Great wall of pug

The great wall of pug is finally finished! The boys can now run free around the yard. Putting up a fence was far, far more work than we imagined. Advice for anyone contemplating building a fence: don't. Just don't. Hire someone, and close your eyes when the bill comes. Steve used superspikes, which are meant to be an easy way to put up a fence, but ended up being nothing but a pain. But now that it's finished, we can just sit back and relax with the boys for the rest of the summer.

Here's Steve putting the finishing touches on the great wall.

Working hard

We spent last weekend at the cottage, helping out with construction of the new deck. Megan's idea of working is to sit on a chair and supervise, but Steve -- bless his heart -- jumped right in and did the thing he hates most...painting. He looked so good in his coveralls that we promptly put him to work painting the hallway as soon as we got home. We'll post pictures of the completed project as soon as it is actually completed. Guess the overalls shouldn't be put away just yet!

Caught in the act

Finally! We have proof!

No one believes that Bosco spends the majority of his time humping Vinny. Vinny is so used to this that he just continues on with whatever he is doing at the time. Note the look on Bosco's face...he does not feel the least bit guilty or embarassed. Vinny is busy chewing a rawhide and probably figures it will all be over soon. Ah, the life of a pug.

Pool fun

We decided to get a little pool for the boys since pugs don't do so well in the heat. We thought they'd simply sit in it, but instead they splash around and try to get the octopi and fishes that are on the bottom. They dig at them for ages, even though they never catch anything! Then they'll jump out and shake all the water off as close to you as possible.

Vinny adores the pool!

Bosco isn't so sure....

The other children

We couldn't neglect a brief introduction to our other furry children!

Mr. Sully is Steve's pride and joy. Affectionately known as the Wookie, Sully is Steve's faithful companion and follows him everywhere. He even speaks on command. He loves to lick Steve but always tries to bite Megan. Sully is a giant cat, and when all 20 pounds of him get on top of you, you're begging for mercy. Mr. Sully suffers from asthma, which makes most visitors want to cry. Just when he was finally used to being chased by Vinny, Bosco came into the picture. Sully still isn't sure what to make of the smelly little grunting creature who keeps trying to procreate with him.

Our other kitty is called Mr. Helmsley. She is an elusive little creature who hides in the basement most of the time. She emerges occasionally for sustenance, but mainly stays out of sight. For this reason, a photo of Mr. Helsmely is unavailable. She is really Megan's cat, but Steve has come to love her for her strange personality.

Meet the boys

An introduction to the boys is in order!

First up, meet Vincent Thomas Pug, aka Vinny the Squid. Vinny was born on October 11 2004, and we rescued him from a pet store in Oromocto. It was love at first site for Megan, but Steve had to be convinced. But Megan knew that Vinny would be a surprise for her the next day, and sure enough Steve came home carrying a frightened little puglet. Vinny settled in very quickly, and before long was chewing everything in sight and destroying all his mommy's socks. Steve was away for the first three months of Vinny's life with us, and every day on the phone would say "how much work can it really be?" Megan is laughing at him now since Bosco is twice the devil that Vinny ever was.

Here is the handsome Vinny:

Vinny's bio:

Age: 10 months

Weight: 20 pounds

Height: 1 foot, standing

Hobbies: Chewing, chasing cats, having his chest scratched

Talents: Grunting, snorting, wagging giant tongue

Next up, meet Vinny's younger brother Boscerelli Stephen Pug, aka Bosco the hellboy. Bosco was born on April 11, 2005 and we brought him home from Nova Scotia in June. His biological daddy is the biggest pug we have ever seen and Steve is hoping Bosco will be a 30 pound pug. He has already learned how to go up the stairs, but is still working on coming back down. Usually he follows his brother up and then barks at the top of the stairs for someone to come get him. The vet said Bosco is too fat, so he is on a strict workout regime. Mostly this involves half-heartedly chasing Vinny, and then sitting on his fat butt.

Here is Bosco when we first brought him home:

Bosco's bio:

Age: 3.5 months

Weight: 12 pounds (and growing!)

Height: short

Hobbies: Eating dirt, humping Vinny

Talents: Bosco has the ability to sound just like Cujo