Questions Answered - Part 1

I received a lot of questions from you all! How exciting! I can't answer them all in one sitting, and a lot of people want to see baby photos and pictures of the People in the hot tub, so I'll save those two things for later posts. But, let's get started with some of the questions now ...

Ladypug asked, "Why do pugs' tails curl?"

Well, Ladypug, pug tails are like barometers into a pug's mood. Woman refers to my tail as my pugometer. When it is fully curled, she knows I am in a happy mood. When it is partially uncurled, she can tell I am nervous, apprehensive, tired or anxious. When it is completely uncurled, she can tell that I am absolutely exhausted or terrified of something. The actual physical reason why our tails are able to curl and uncurl the way they do is because the tail is composed of vertebrae just like a spinal column. So just as you can bend your back forward and backward (to an extent), we are able to bend our tails too!

Girville had a boatload of questions. I'll answer them individually.

Q: "Why won't Ian let you sleep in the bed?"

A: Well, Girlville, Ian doesn't like to share. Also, he says I'm a dog and don't belong in the bed. He thinks it's bad enough that I get up on the couch. I just count my blessings that my bed is now in the bedroom with the people. For the first 4 years of my life, I had to sleep either in the kitchen or in the hallway outside the Peoples' room!

Q: "Where is the bestest place you've ever been on vacation?"

A: I'm not sure I have ever been on a proper vacation. I have, however, been "pugsat" while the People go on vacation. I would have to say the bestest place I have gone for pugsitting was AM's house. I got to stay there for a whole week. Do you know that the Pugs at her house get marshmallows? There's no better place in the world than a place that dispenses marshmallows to Pugs.

Q: "What's your favorite thing to eat?"

A: It has not been until recently that I finally got me a taste of People food. When I developed the Mast Cell Tumors, I was put on an all-natural diet of beef and broccoli, and holy cow is it ever good! After two years on this diet, I do find myself craving the crunchy goodness of a goodboy bone though! So, I would have to say that goodboy bones are my favorite thing to eat. They're just so darn crunchy, and I love to crunch things! I also love popcorn. Ian gives me two pieces when he makes it. I used to get more than two pieces, but he says I have become a jerk about popcorn, so I only get two pieces now when he is finished eating all that he wants.

Q: "If you could pee on anything, what would you choose?"

A: Well, I pretty much do pee on anything I want to pee on, but the one thing I have never peed on that I really resent existing is Woman's computer. She works on it all day long, and I really don't like it. It's gets all the attention, and it dings and grinds and whirs and stuff. Yeah, that's what I'd pee on.

Girville also had some questions for Woman:

Q: "What made you want to get a pug?"

A: I think people will be surprised to learn that before I met my first Pug, I was a cat person. That's right - a cat person. I didn't like dogs at all. However, in 2000, Ian and I attended First Night Mobile on New Year's Eve. One of his former teachers from the University of South Alabama, Wanda, was there, and she had her little baby Pug, Maggie, with her. I took one look at Maggie and fell in love! In just one moment, I lost all interest in cats and yearned to own a Pug. I begged Ian for a Pug every day for 4 months. When my birthday came in April and there was no Pug, I was pretty ticked off. Ian explained that he was hesitant to get a Pug, because he was afraid I was just in a "phase" and wouldn't want the dog for long. (Is that really my personality? Maybe so - LOL!) Two months later, we celebrated our 1-year anniversary in New Orleans. When we got home, Ian announced that we could finally get a Pug. We got Norman on June 4, 2001, the day after our anniversary.

Q: "How did you choose Norman?"

A: I'll save the big story of where Norman comes from for later, so I'll answer this question briefly now. The breeder had two male Pugs available, Norman and his brother. I felt his brother's face was a little too black on the forehead area and Norman had markings that I found more attractive. Sure, I wanted to take them both home, but that of course didn't happen! Ian says we're a one animal family.

Q: "What all are you going to grow veggie/herb wise this year?"

A: I have a gardening blog that tracks my progress and is full of pictures of my many gardens. It is located at ashevillegardener.blogspot.com. But, if you don't feel like cruising over there now, I'll tell you that we are growing just about everything - lots of tomatoes, lots of corn, peas, green beans, soybeans (edamame), several types of eggplant, four types of squash, green peppers, hot peppers (in a different bed so they don't cross with the green peppers), cucumbers, basil and tons of other herbs! Also, I am installing a new perennial bed this year from plants I am growing from seed. I'm pretty excited about that! I just LOVE gardening!

Frances Louise had a couple of questions:

Q: "How did you get your name?"

A: My name was actually chosen before the People found me. Woman knew she wanted a Pug named Norman, so she went looking for the Pug named Norman. I guess that means no one really gave me my name, it's just my name. Just like no one really gave me my curly tail - it's just my tail. Maybe God gave it to me?

Q: "Do you get to sleep with Woman at night?"

A: I only get to sleep with Woman when Ian is out of town or when Woman sleeps on the couch. Sometimes she has trouble sleeping in the bed and goes out in the living room and we get to snuggle together on the couch. Although sleeping in the big bed sounds like a fun place to sleep, it's actually not all that restful for either of us. Woman tosses and turns in her sleep, and I like to snuggle up really close to her. So, each time she turns, she wakes me up. It's a real pain in the butt. I still jump up there when Ian is gone though, because after all, it's the big bed. I just can't resist!

OK People, I need a nap. I'll answer more later. I hope this Q&A session has been informative.