Hazel
Hazel was one of 15 dogs rescued by MPR from a puppy mill in the fall of 2015. I took her in as a foster along with Pearl. Pearl, age two, came out of the puppy mill loving everyone and with a joyful personality. I adopted her in October 2015. Hazel, at age five, was afraid of everything and wouldn't allow anyone to approach her to pet her or even look at her. Over time, with the help of meet-and-greets, taking walks in pet stores, etc. and lots of love and patience, she started to accept that people and life can be good. I adopted Hazel in April 2016. She progressed so much in trusting others and being happy that in April 2017 she became a therapy dog with Alliance of Therapy Dogs. She regularly visited patients and staff at two hospitals, at a dementia day care program, at two libraries where children read books to her and at special events. Hazel was diagnosed with cancer in April 2017 but still maintained her happy disposition. I'm sorry to say Hazel passed over the Rainbow Bridge on July 20, 2019 when cancer won its battle. She will be missed by many. Thank you, MPR, for rescuing Hazel and the other puppy mill dogs. Hazel brought joy and love into my life and I, Pearl and my other dog, Charlie, will miss her terribly.

Ginger
Ginger came into our lives in March of 2008 when we rescued her at Pug Rescue of Michigan. She was a year and a half and stole our hearts the minute she looked up at us with her beautiful brown eyes. She has been a wonderful companion and source of joy for Henry and me for 11 years. She had several health issues over the years including diabetes, allergies, glaucoma, which caused her to lose her left eye ,and pneumonia. The diabetes caused her to become blind about 3 years ago. Throughout all of this, she showed us an amazing spirit and a wonderful will to live. She enjoyed cuddling up next to us every waking moment and was so patient when we gave her her daily shots, eye drops and antibiotics. Gradually, we could see that she was failing and on July 11th, 2019, she took her last breath at home after eating an orange, which was her favorite snack. I will always be grateful to her for teaching us about love, life and now, loss. She opened our hearts to a new kind of love that neither one of us experienced before. There is a terrible void in our lives now. It was an honor to be her caretaker and friend. We know that try as she might, she just couldn’t hold onto life any longer and is at peace. Forever in our hearts, Shelley and Henry Pinkney

Cliff
Hi... Today we made the most difficult of decisions to put Cliff down. We got Cliff from Michigan Pug Rescue back in the summer of 2011. He was estimated to be 6-8 years old at that time. We were incredibly lucky to have him be a part of our family for the next 8 years. He always brought joy to all of us and to those who were around him. As you know, pugs love people. We have never seen a dog enjoy life as he did. We are going to miss him incredibly but will remember all of the happiness he brought us. Thank you for giving us the opportunity 8 years ago to bring Cliff into our lives. Sincerely, Jason, Beth, and Kate Morris Chelsea, MI

Harold
Do you have a person, place or thing that brings you comfort? A favorite comfort food, like mac and cheese or chocolate, or a special place to relax? Personally, I love homemade baked mac and cheese and anything (everything) chocolate. I love to go on long brisk walks and soak in a hot tub to melt away stress but none of these activities compare to my sweet Pug dog in providing peace and comfort. Harold was a lap dog and a Mama’s boy which was a great combination as far as I’m concerned, since it was my lap he snored in, I mean slept in, for hours every day. I kept a stack of books within easy reach of my chair because I knew Harold would discover me in the chair and give me the eyes (you know the ones) until I lifted him into my lap where he would settle until he was comatose and boneless and absolutely not moving until dinner time or bedtime. Let me just say I read a lot of books… a lot of books. That was Harold though, lap Pug extraordinaire and sleep expert. He had quite the repertoire for sleeping positions adding a few new ones every day over the course of 8 years. We were constantly amazed by how comfortable he always looked even if his head was hanging over the side or if only half of his body was actually in his bed. We used to claim that cuteness was Harold’s superpower but he gave the art of sleeping a good effort. He would only sleep in a particular model of dog bed too. I remember when the first one we bought him needed replacing. I bought him a different style but he refused to stay in it. I ended up having to return it and hope that the store we bought the original bed in still carried that model. They did. Lucky dog. Harold loved music. He was hard of hearing for more than half his time with our family, but he never failed to hang out near our piano when someone was playing it. It may have helped that his bed was literally under the large instrument, but even so, he would curl up near the feet of the musician or be soothed to snores in his bed. I’m convinced he could feel the vibrations from the notes and that they brought him joy and peace as good music often does. Harold was not just a lap rock, I mean dog. He was also a determined little creature. Back in the days when he could jump on furniture and travel up and down stairs he took full advantage. When our children were very little (early school age) we would read them a bedtime story on my daughter’s bed since she had the largest one of the kids, and Harold was always there, on cue, waiting (or not) for someone to make room for him to join the party. He loved story time! He also loved nap time with Mom in Mom and Dad’s bed. I would come home from a busy and decidedly way too early morning of getting the kids ready for school and need a nap. Harold caught on to this delightful repast very quickly and would race me up the stairs for cuddles and nap time. Harold’s favorite thing in the world besides his Mom and the rest of his people, was his ball. Harold always had a tennis ball or knew which piece of furniture he was going to make one of his humans get it from under. Ball play morphed as Harold aged but he loved it anyway he could get it. When he was young-ish he loved to play Harold-in-the-middle wherein we would try to roll the ball back and forth to the person across from us without Harold successfully intercepting. The wily creature always managed to get it. His favorite game with his humans was ‘keep away’ and he was darn good at it. It usually started as keep away and ended with tug of war (most of the time he won that too). After Harold suffered vision loss due to glaucoma and ulcers, the ball play changed to hide and sniff. It may have taken him a little while, but he always found it without fail. The staff at Kibby Park Animal Hospital recognized Harold by the large orange tennis ball protruding from the side of his face. ‘Here comes Harold and his ball’ they would announce. He even won ‘most playful’ at the Pug Picnic! These are only a few of the precious memories I am sharing of our beloved Harold. He was so much more than a pet, or a Pug, or a rescue. He was loved. He was family. From the first moment when Harold was brought to our home by Larry Nathan of Michigan Pug Rescue, and immediately made himself right at home, to his final day when I held him to my chest as he found peace surrounded by his devoted and loving family, he was a Baker. I miss you every day my sweet boy. Love, Mom Harold was a good dog undoubtedly, but that’s not all Harold was, he was a dog that loved his people, his ball, music, bed/lap, walks, bathes, and …the park! Harold was a loyal dog, He loved attention, but he also gave it. Harold was always there, and if he wasn’t his fur was! When we went on walks with Harold you would have to race him, his right ear would flap up and down. When he could see, all that went through his mind was “race ya to the next tree”! Harold would never say no to a cuddle or if you wanted to pet him it was always a ‘yes’. Never once would I say that he wasn’t part of the family. Love you Harold, always. Younger brother, Toby

Capone
On Tuesday, January 8, 2019, Capone was given his pass to cross the Rainbow Bridge. Capone had been a member of the Michigan Pug Rescue for over two years and was well loved by volunteers and visitors. Capone came to the rescue as an owner surrender. He was later diagnosed with a cyst on his spinal cord which was affecting his gait. Over time he slowly lost the use of his legs and eventually received his wheeled cart. Capone took to that like a fish to water. He would light up the room as he trotted down the hallway at my office or into the regular Meet and Greets. Capone was a gentle dog which helped introduce the idea of petting to even the most hesitant child. Capone was lucky enough to enjoy everyone who took the time to pet him, some for a very long time. Capone has been declining in his quality of life over the past few months. He had had surgery amputating a toe on his left front leg due to a large mass of fibrous tissue. His mobility around the house became very limited without assistance. Due to Capone’s incontinence, he wore a belly band for well over a year, 24/7. Even with care, sores always became an increasing issue on his skin with his sedentary life. Capone was a happy boy who never showed any signs of discomfort. He was simply happy to see me come home at the end of the work day or wake up with the morning alarm, greeting us with his funny little howl. We will miss the sound of his howl and his always loving eyes. Run free my sweet boy, Capone! Bambi, Foster Mom