It has been about 9 months since we last spoke, around the same time that Lucus joined me at his forever home. Today my boy turned 1 and I thought it would be nice to let you know how we’re doing. You may remember the first 2 weeks together were tough. He was getting used to a new home away from everything he knew and I was learning how to care for him. Getting a crate was a game changer. I think it took about 3 days before he was sleeping all night in his crate all safe & snug. It was the best thing I did - thanks for the advice! He still sleeps in his crate now which means that when he stays overnight with my parents he has his safe place and a routine. This makes sleep overs super easy for him. His crate is near my bed and I only need to say ‘in your crate’ and he will walk himself half asleep into his crate and he’ll be there when I wake in the morning. We have the same morning routine. I will get out of bed and he will wait for me to disappear and hear the sound of me getting onto the floor. I then hear him get out of his crate, come around my bed and when he sees me on the floor, he will commando crawl towards me. When he reaches me he’s so excited he’ll kiss and pretend bite... he doesn’t know which he wants to do! He will roll on his back so I can tickle him and scratch his belly. This is how we start our days!

On most days he hangs out with grandma and grandpa while I am at work. He plays with his fur cousins & is taken on walks to the park. His favourite fur cousin is a 4 year old jack russell/pug named Ted. Ted is also his most favourite puppy in the world. Wherever Ted is, you will find Lucus. Sometimes you’ll find him resting on Ted! If Ted doesn’t play with him voluntarily, Lucus will play bite his tail until Ted is annoyed and chases him around the yard! Every Wednesday he attends the local puppy play school where he gets to play with the local pups he sees around the neighbourhood on his walks. He loves school so much that on some days I have to physically pick him up and remove him from the premises and he will sometimes walk me there on weekends! 

Whilst puppy manners are important to us, so is allowing him choice where appropriate. He exercises a high degree of choice during walk time. He chooses where he goes for his walks. He knows how to get to all his favourite places with no direction from me & he even knows that he can only cross roads when he hears the sound for the green light. His most favourite spot is funnily enough a reserve outside our local library. To get there we have to go through a park where he plays with his pug friend Tyson. He then walks through a children’s playground where he is a celebrity now and spoilt rotten with attention. He then walks to a very specific seat outside the library which is located under a tree. This is the midpoint in his walk where he has a little break on his seat & watches the local teens skateboard. The kids now know him & let him get on a skateboard while they fuss over him. He is fascinated with them. When he’s had his fill, he walks me to the local BWS store that he is now allowed into because the sales assistants now know him from his repeated attempts to get into the store. He heads straight for the counter and stands up on his back legs to reach up to the counter so his favourite sales assistant can pat him. He’s then happy to head home. Along the way he sniffs and pees on every single tree. Sometimes there’s no pee left but he still tries to squeeze out a drop and then spends a couple of minutes tearing up the grass and he spreads his scent around! He has such a confident little strutt that he attracts a lot of attention from people who want to stop & chat about him & have a little pat - which if course Lucus is more than happy to indulge! It's amazing how much impact a puppy can have. From time to time we see an elderly lady - generally at one of 2 bus stops. They remember each other & when she sees him she just lights up & he kisses her face & wiggles that little cinnamon roll tail of his with excitement. She thanks him each time for making her day.

He is healthy and in perfect shape. In fact the first time we went to his vet, the vet was shocked to see a pug at the correct weight. I ensure he eats clean and fresh. He would eat every minute of the day if he was allowed. If he hears the sound of rustling plastic, he materialises from thin air and sits at my feet because he knows sitting is expected when he waits for food and sitting is rewarded with food! We found a vet who specialises in ‘squishy faced’ pups. He loves his Vet and they love him. He is perfectly behaved. His vet holds him flat against his chest and allows him to lick his face! Only last week they remarked that their other pugs are very difficult but he’s a beautifully behaved pug. We’re currently waiting on allergy test results. I knows pugs are more prone to allergies so we use a special shampoo for his grooming and we’ll now see what he’s allergic to so we can be proactive about it. 

My boy is confident, intelligent and a fast learner with sharp problem solving skills. He is a loving cuddly puppy who loves to give kisses and snuggle. He is kind to other puppies. His school tells me that when other puppies are given time out, he will go over and want to play with them. He is well mannered, energetic, playful and cheeky. He's also very headstrong & persistent. He looses himself in long grass. There’s something about long grass he is mad for.