Living with Lenore, an Old Pug

So much of the blog has been focused on Lyapuff and black pugs lately, that I wanted to discuss one of the fawns--not one of the original three, but close behind. Lenore, born on March 21, 2013, just 18 days after my very precious baby Chewie passed way. We were in no way ready for new puppy, but our friend wasn't planning on any pug litters in the near future, and so Lenore entered our world and hearts.

From the get go, Lenore was a hound dog and meant to be a rough and tumble pug, and the name Lenore seemed to precious for this lil devil, so was born the multiple personalities of Skeeter, Nori, and Devil. In case you missed the overall theme, Lenore was a devil--always getting into everything and being a nuisance to other dogs. We also decided early on that Lenore was meant to be a boy dog as she only answered to Good Boy or when we called Le Mops. We jokingly referred to her as Le Mops Too. And then slowly she became King Lenore.

Lenore as a devil pug in an old AI app

While playing wildly,  Lenore would scream so much so that other dog parents would think their dog was hurting the lil devil (who also screamed for dinner!) However she was (and is) the enforcer, breaking up all the play and fights between other dogs. She either wanted to be part of the action or there would be no action.

And now Lenore is an old pug

Well that was 12 years ago, and Lenore has sort of calmed down, a bit. In the last year or so, the aging process has so rapidly accelerated that it's a whole new world. From bladder stones to a bad back, suddenly we have a senior fur baby, but one that still wants to be a devil. We try to keep Lenore's back weakness from progressing further while keeping a close watch on the bladder stones and UTI. Unfortunately, much of what helps the back makes the stones worse, so it's such a hard trade off. 

We had great luck with mobility on 

Even though, Lenore hasn't gone up or down the stairs in ages, I came home from a doctor's appointment earlier today and all four pugs came rumbling down the stairs together. Yes, even Lenore ran down the stairs. There are moments when the Devil is out in full force, screaming for treats and running around the house. There are moments when Nori needs a longer nap and has trouble using the soft steps onto the couch (after hard steps were ignored, we tried ramps as well to no avail). Lenore desperately wants to be involved in everything still, and gets right into the middle of all the pug games, but now she's mostly ignored.

Lenore may be an senior dog, but she launched herself from the backseat to the front seat with ease.

While most of the time, it's business as usual at Pug Haus, there are times when it's simply heart breaking to be living with an old pug. As with all senior pets, Lenore slowing down brings all the memories of her life flooding back--from her only trick of Taco Tongue to teaching her Spanish during Covid, she's always been a character. Chewie lived to 17, but both Le Mops and Lola passed away at 13, so there's a wide variable to pug lives. And everything is hitting much harder lately as the super famous pug Humphrey passed away last week at the age of 15. Lenore will be 12 in one week, so she has plenty of life ahead.

The Art of the Slow Walk: If you’re used to a younger, sprightly pup, adjusting to a senior pug’s pace can take some time. Walks become less about exercise and more about sniffing every blade of grass. These slow strolls are opportunities to bond, to breathe in the fresh air together, and to let them take in the world at their own speed, which often means picking them up and carrying them home. If you have a yard, you may even need to reduce the walks.

Are you living with a senior pug? Or an old dog of any kind? How do you dope with the hard times?