About Our Adoption Policy

People often ask us about our adoption policies.  They wonder why we are so very careful in placing our Pugs and why we insist that all of our adoptions must be done in person. "Why," some people who live in other parts of the country ask, "can't we just adopt a Pug long distance and have it shipped to us," not considering that a delicate little Puggy will end up in the cargo hold of an airplane along with the packages from Lands End and JC Penneys.   People often ask us about our adoption policies.  They wonder why we are so very careful in placing our Pugs and why we insist that all of our adoptions must be done in person. "Why," some people who live in other parts of the country ask, "can't we just adopt a Pug long distance and have it shipped to us," not considering that a delicate little Puggy will end up in the cargo hold of an airplane along with the packages from Lands End and JC Penneys.  

Well, Pugs aren't sweaters or bath towels or a selection from the fruit-of-the-month club.  They're living, breathing, loving creatures, each with his or her own personality and quirks.  Like people, every Pug is an individual and is deserving of being treated as such.  

Adopting a Pug isn't simply a matter of checking off the boxes for age and sex and color.  It's a matter of looking into the face of that Pug that is perfect for you and knowing that's  the one for you.  It's a matter of cuddling that Pug that is perfect for you in your arms and knowing it feels like he or she was meant to be there. 

We feel strongly that each Pug has its own unique personality and that prospective "parents" need to select their new baby face-to-face.  Pugs are not interchangeable, like tube socks or non-stick cookware. They're the world's most special dogs, not a commodity.  

We welcome out-of-area adoptions.  Some of our most successful adoption stories have involved people who have come to LA from San Jose and Denver and New York and, yes, Switzerland, to adopt a Pug from us.  (See Dena's story, which follows.)  

"Why," people in Southern California ask, "do we have to drive 50 or 100 miles to an adoption fair to find a Pug."  "It's really a bother and darned inconvenient," they say.  "And, why do we have to wait for an adoption fair," they add.  "We want a Pug and we want it NOW."  

Many of the Pugs who come to us are homeless because it was a little tooooo convenient to acquire them in the first place.  Many were purchased by their original owners on impulse and discarded when the thrill wore off or it came time for the first expensive vet visit.   

We continue, month after month, to find marvelous owners for our Pugs who feel finding the Pug who was meant for them is worth a little gas and a little bit of a wait.  We salute those dedicated Pug owners who have driven from Tehachapi and Temecula because they are committed to rescuing a Pug in need, not to mention those who come from around the block or from the next town over.  

Our mission is not only to make sure every Pug finds a loving home, but the RIGHT loving home.  If that inconvenience some people, so be it.  If we lose some potential adopters who didn't want to wait or didn't want to drive, so be it.  If we lose some volunteers, so be it.  

We remain steadfast in our resolve to do what's right, not what's popular.  It's our Pugs we ultimately have to answer to.  We want to able to tell them we've done everything humanly possible to make sure the next home they go to is the one in which they were meant to be.   

Dena's Story...