Meet Jasper

I mentioned to Andy a few months ago that I was starting to browse PetFinder to see if there were any Pugs available for adoption that would be a good match for Iggy (and for us too, of course).  We had been talking about getting a second Pug once Iggy had turned 2, but something kept nagging me that we should start looking sooner.  Perhaps it was the constant grabbing of my flip flop while still on my foot as I talked on the phone, or the wild cat like sounds that Iggy omitted the moment he didn't have our full attention.  Or maybe it was divine intervention, it's really hard to say but one day about a month ago I saw a 2 year old male pug named Jasper that looked like a good match.  He was young, healthy and had been an owner surrender to a kill shelter of all places.  Luckily the Southside SPCA, a local rescue group, had picked him up and he was in foster care.  The information on their site said that Jasper would be at PetSmart in Richmond that weekend and could be adopted there.  Richmond is a little over 2 hours from where we live and I was still in the process of deciding if we really should get a second dog and what the effects of another dog in the house would be for us and for Iggy.  So I waited.  The next week Jasper was still on Petfinder and I knew that it was meant to be.  I filled out an adoption application online and heard back from Lea Anna within a few hours.  She said that we had been bumped up to the top of the list for Jasper after she spoke with vet and because we were familiar with taking care of Pugs because they have special needs due to their limited breathing abilities and not being able to tolerate too much heat or cold.  I think Lea Anna and I  talked for about an hour and she mentioned several times that Jasper wasn't a calm quiet Pug and that he was kind of hyper.  In the back of my mind I was thinking, oh boy what are we getting into?  Even though Iggy has passed every obedience class known as well as obtaining his AKC Canine Good Citizen certification, he still tends to be known as the "Pugnato" in our house.  There are times when he is literally running circles in our living room and running across the back of the sofa as some sort of doggy proof of his gymnastic ability.  

Lea Anna and I set a time to meet early in the morning at PetSmart in Richmond so that we could all meet Jasper and see how he and Iggy got along.  I don't think I slept more than a couple of hours the night before.  I was so excited to meet Jasper!  Iggy had never been in the car for more than an hour and by the time we arrived he was acting like child that had been cooped up on the car on a family road trip.  We walked up to the front of the store and met Lea Anna and Brenda who was Jaspers foster mom.  Brenda spent about an hour with us patiently answering all our questions and giving us suggestions on training and health care.  She was a huge wealth of information and had obviously done a wonderful job fostering Jasper.  Jasper and Iggy seemed to hit it off really well and we fell in love with him instantly!  Jasper sat in Andy's lap while I signed all the forms to make the adoption official.  I think I must have asked a million questions and probably some of them twice, everyone at the Southside SPCA was so nice and very helpful.  

After everything was signed and official, Lea Anna took this picture of us.  Notice the crazed look on Iggy's face and how calm Jasper looks ;)

 

In my mind I pictured both boys riding on the back seat on the way home.  We purchased a few toys for them and I thought they would be satisfied with that.  Two and a half hours later with a drive through stop at Wendy's and we rode the whole way home just like this:   

Jasper has been the epitome of the perfect Pug since day one.  He is kind and sweet to us and to Iggy.  We couldn't have asked for a better dog (and yes, that is a cute little snaggle tooth in the picture below).  As far as being hyper, I think Iggy has cornered the market on that!

The Southside SPCA runs on donations to help care for the animals in their charge.  It is a volunteer organization and they have a spay and neuter program as well as offering educational services.  If you would like to make a donation to help the Soutside SPCA care for the animals in their charge please click this link: Donate For every donation of $25 that you make between August 26 and September 30, you can have your choice of any one of my knitting patterns that are located in my Ravelry Pattern Shop (club patterns and patterns that are currently released under yarn company brands/names are excluded).  Just send me an email with your receipt number and your choice of pattern and I will add it to your Ravelry pattern library.