So You Think You Want a Puggle?

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Everywhere we go, we get a lot of comments about how cute Kolchak is and what an awesome personality he has.

They’re totally right. Look at him. #awesome

On one hand, we love being a representative of puggles everywhere. Koly is very handsome and quite well behaved (these days), so we definitely showcase puggles as an ideal, fun loving smaller dog. I often joke that Kol is as sturdy as a big dog, with all the snuggle of a small dog.

However, casual meetings when we’re out on the town really don’t sum up what life is like with a puggle.

As much as we’re really happy to share the joy that is owning a puggle and to promote puggle rescue in the process, we also feel like, to be fair, we have to share all the joys of being puggle people. These dogs are so much more than a sum of the breeds.

From the beagle side, they get a nose that rules their head, a high prey drive, a high actively level and a love of food. From the pug side, they get a clowny, affectionate attitude, a need to be close to their people and a bit of a jealous streak, if ignored. From both breeds, they get their playful nature, happy-go-lucky vibe and willful nature, which can make training a fun challenge.

I only have one puggle though and I only know a handful more. Am I really ready to be a representative of the entire hybrid/mixed breed? I turned to an awesome group of puggle lovers that I met on Facebook to help me determine what totally puggle traits I needed to share.

15 Signs You Might Have a Puggle

• If your dog sheds enough hair to make another dog, you might have a puggle. – Tommy H.
• If your dog weighs less than 30lbs and manages to take up a whole queen sized bed, you might have a puggle. – Ginny M.

• If your dog has ruined all the cushions on the top of the couch from sleeping all day, you might have a puggle. – Debra LB

• If your dog can’t hear you calling or remember it’s name while it has nose to ground sniffing something, you might have a puggle. – Jodi F.

• If your dog snores louder than you do, you might have a Puggle. – Valerie G.

• If your dog will eat darn near anything and acts starved ALL the time, you might have a puggle. – Scarlett

• If your dog does the adorable head tilt so that you just can’t refuse him anything, you might have a puggle. – Belinda ATF

• If your dog is too smart for his own good, you might have a puggle. – the Mama

• If your dog screams like she is being murdered when you get home from work everyday just because they missed you so much, you might have a puggle. – Jennifer H (Mama’s Note: SO MUCH THIS. Really Koly? Is that necessary??)

• If your dog gives you the “stink eye” when you do something she doesn’t like or fail to do something she does, you might have a puggle. – Margaret H.
• If you have whole conversations in which you have to spell out more than half the words so your dog doesn’t know what you’re talking about, you might have a Puggle. – Ginny M.

• If your dog is more stubborn than a 2 yr. old, you might have a Puggle. – Barbara T.

• If your dog yawns like a drama queen, you might have a puggle. – Andrea H.

• If your dog thinks that 30 lbs qualifies as “lap dog”, you might have a puggle. – Renee W.

• If your dog sleeps under the covers, with their head on a pillow, you might have a puggle. –  Catie F.

Puggles really are awesome dogs.

Despite all of their adorable and less adorable quirks and perks, at the end of the day, they really are sweet, sturdy little dogs and given the right amount of training, direction and stimulation, great family dogs. I wouldn’t trade mine for anything in the whole world. He never fails to make me laugh with his clowny antics, melt my heart with his snuggly lovebug ways and impress me with his incredible smarts. He’s the perfect match for our energetic, active life, plus, he’s cute as woof.

So You Think You Want a Puggle…

Despite all our joking above, in the 6 years I’ve had a puggle, I’ve fallen more in love with him almost every day. I’m a huge fan of these funny, endearing little dogs and I really do think everyone needs a puggle to snuggle. So, now that you know you want a puggle, where do you get one.

Be suspect of “puggle breeders”.

I have no problem with people who chose to purchase dogs from quality, responsible breeders, but those are incredibly hard to find in a “designer” hybrid breed dog. Most are puppy mills, backyard breeders and well intentioned people who have no business breeding dogs. To me, the reason people pay for breeder dogs is the assurance that the parents were health and temperament tested. People pay to know that they come from a line of dogs with good hips, good eyes and overall health. If I’m not getting that assurance…why pay so much? Puggles can sell for as much as a purebred. You also need to be leary of adopting off Craigslist. Dog flipping has become a huge problem and if you chose to adopt this way, you should always take your newly adopted puggle to the vet to be checked for a microchip or a tattoo.

So the question is, where can you find a puggle?

• Petfinder – There are a TON of adorable, adoptable puggles on Petfinder, you just have to know how to find them. Petfinder doesn’t list hybrid breeds as an option, so you have to get a little creative. I find that you get the best results by searching for PUGS in your area. It takes a bit of scrolling, but I always find at least 4 or 5 incredibly sweet looking puggles.
• Rescues – To date, I’ve only found one dedicated puggle rescue, Puggles & Pitties in San Diego, CA, but all over North America, pug and beagle breed rescues are taking puggles under their wings to find them great homes. Try contacting your local breed rescue to find out if they have puggles in their care.
• Like the Puggle! Rescue Page on Facebook – Completely focused on Puggles that need homes, the Puggle! Rescue page lists puggles from all over and how to make them a part of your family.

Click on the LIKE button below to become a fan of the Puggle! Rescue page!

Are you puggle people? What did we leave off our list?