It is hard to believe that we just finished our 6th Pug Camp. It’s our 5th at Camp Westmont, so in a way the first was kind of a shakedown; year zero as it were. But honestly, every year is a learning experience as we correct the mistakes of the prior events while making brand new ones!

Sorry, I won’t cop to any here. If you didn’t notice, then it didn’t happen.

As you all know, even though we do a number of fundraising events throughout the year, Pug Camp is our big one. It’s personally my favorite because it has the greatest in-person turnout and goes for just the right amount of days. The location is wonderful and we have time to spend with so many campers, friends and new friends alike. Not to mention all of the Pugs and honorary Pugs.

The Bonus Thursday has become a regular thing now and it’s worked out extremely well. It gives us an extra day to get ourselves on the Squad situated and set up. The added day also makes check-ins much easier.

We had some wonderful events throughout the weekend. Board Game Night, Pugcasso Pug Painting where the Pugs did the art…

Campfire S’Mores (always a treat) and Pug Night at the Movies. I have a soft spot for this one mostly because I love recreating the theater experience complete with pre-show theater intros. Generally, I try to entertain myself and hope at least one or two others go along for the ride! Did you catch the “Snort Subjects?” I make myself smile at any rate…

This year,we had a very special event. We had our first human wedding! Regulars Ashley and CJ exchanged vows in front of Campers, family and our furry attendees. This was, personally, my favorite event as I got to officiate! Yes, I became an Ordained Minister for the occasion (authorized to do weddings in Pennsylvania and New York) and it was an honor to start off two such amazing people on their lives together. We had perfect weather that day – all weekend actually – and it went perfectly. We even had a golf cart decked out and had a lot of great pictures taken of the couple by the lake. Truly a Camp to remember.

Beyond that, we had our traditional Olympics where Pugs competed in a variety of events; races, longest tongue and curliest tail. We all enjoyed the Costume Contest and I am always gobsmacked by the amount of imagination and talent that goes into every costume. I think every year gets just a little more elaborate.

Saturday was kicked off with another Doga with Danielle, as she guided humans and their canine companions in a refreshing morning stretch.

Saturday night is the Pug Squad main event and, as always, we kicked it off with Candle Lighting Ceremony. This is always a tough one to get through, this year it was doubly hard as we paid tribute to our own Marianne Angelini who passed away last October.

After that, the mood was lightened considerably with the Mr./Mrs. Pug Camp Pageant. In addition to all of that, we had our raffle and the weekend was peppered with the photo booth, a tie dye crafting event and the silent auction.

Of course, none of this would be nearly as enjoyable without the fabulous Camp Westmont staff. They’ve truly become family and part of the weekend and we can’t thank them enough. Particularly Scott, Bari and, of course, Chef Cathy, who always makes sure we have an amazing menu. Her staff was incredible and even contributed a wedding cake!

We can’t thank our donors and attendees enough either. In a very challenging economy, we still raised an impressive $35K, all of which goes the rescues and Pug Squad, which will help save so many needy Pugs across the country!

Pug Camp 2022 was one of the very best Pug Camp’s we’ve done to date, a true success in every way and all of us in Pug Squad want to express our gratitude. We miss you all and can’t wait for Pug Camp 2023!!!

On October 20^th, we lost founding board member Marianne Angelini after a roughly year long struggle with cancer. Mare had been involved in rescue since she adopted her pug Tammy from Curly Tail in 2009 and volunteered for the organization shortly thereafter. Over the years, from Curly Tail through Pug Squad, she helped save countless furry lives.

The last few years have been marked by devastating losses in our community, but this cuts particularly deep. Mare had been with the Squad since the first “Hey, we have an idea” discussions after Curly Tail Pug Rescue folded. All of us on the board knew her since those earlier days, some longer than others, but we all considered her to be part of our family.

I will always remember her straight shooting attitude, how she never suffered fools gladly and her bawdy sense of humor. She could cut you dead with a glare and she was quick to use the middle finger emoji in text messages, but her heart was warm and welcoming. You never wanted to be on her bad side, and trust me, there were times when I absolutely and gleefully poked that bear. Mostly because her cutting rejoinders and deadly gaze were incredibly funny. She was a good sport and knew where it was coming from. She was a City Girl, after all.

For the last few years, those of us on the board close enough to make the trip would spend Christmas Eve together. Dinner, drinks and then Cards Against Humanity would be the tradition. Mare had been around the block a few times and offending her was difficult, but having her read the cards out loud was easily the highlight of the game. She would rarely be able to get through them without laughing hysterically. Which made us laugh just as hard. It would take too long to explain here, but there were some cards that just became “hers.” Buy me a drink at the next Pug Camp and I’ll tell you the whole story.

Her loss is deeply felt by all of us.

Nadine: I’m not going to share an anecdote or funny story about Marianne, most have been shared by others already. I am going to share how much I miss her, how much her being gone has affected me. I catch myself thinking about her often and at random times, walking the dogs or just thinking about the holiday season. I feel the empty space she has left deeply. My friend is no longer here. I have to say that to myself sometimes to accept that reality, but my love for her will always be.

Danielle: I loved her completely authentic attitude, her vulgar sass (our common thread) and her passion. I loved and appreciated exactly who she was and will miss the shit out of her and her infectious laugh.

Jodi: It’s hard for me to think of just one memory. We became friends through rescue and built on that friendship over the years. We would laugh…we would cry…would get mad…I smile when I think of her. Christmas Eve will never be the same. I miss you Marianne, plain and simple. I hope you know that we loved you. Rest easy my friend.

Mare was a devoted mom to Nikki and their two pugs Bentley and David. Mare and Nikki were friends as much as mother/daughter. They were inseparable. With that in mind, I’ll close with a quote from the last text conversation I had with Marianne:

“I am so proud of Nikki because I’m basically useless right now. At least I know I did one thing right in this lifetime.”

You did a lot right, Mare. We’ll always love you, miss you and remember.

Time, amirite? We flew through the height of the pandemic, we then spent months focused on the China Pugs…now we find ourselves only a month away from Pug Camp 2021! That’s insane. Well, no worries, we are right on course. We have all the events lined up and this year is gonna be packed with activities.

Last year, we were just hoping to have a good time and maybe have a decent showing. We were all still reeling from the Covid-19 outbreak, the other cancelled events and making sure we were keeping as safe as possible. We considered ourselves lucky to be able to even hold the event at all. So many others great Pug events had to cancel, but we held steady and thankfully, we were able to go forward. Pug Camp 2020 was an incredibly good time. Everyone was just so happy to get out and get together, and even with attendance down, we broke fundraising records.

We are hoping to do even better in year five.

Let that sink in a sec….

This is Pug Camp YEAR FIVE! Our fourth at Camp Westmont and they love having all of us as much as we love being there.

So, what’s on tap this year? Well, like last year, we’re adding on Thursday for people who want an extra day. That worked out really well, not only for attendees, but for us on the Squad. There was more time to set up and get situated so when everyone started checking in, it ran very smoothly. That first night will have a live sale and Board Game night. Friday, again for the early arrivals, we’ll have Red Light, Green Light and Paint by Numbers in

between Breakfast and Lunch. Then the Friday arrivals check in and the weekend officially begins!

Raffles, a barbecue, s’mores by the campfire, movie night, Doga with Danielle, a click training session, Pug Olympics, the Costume Contest, Crafting, a “Fashion Forward” fashion show, Team Pictionary and, of course,  the Candle Lighting Ceremony (this is gonna be a tough one). There will be free time to enjoy the lake and the pool. You can grab a kayak and row for awhile, take pictures by the water on the colorful Adirondack chairs, go to every event or go to none of them! Just enjoy the pugs and the peeps and have an amazing weekend in the mountains.

Shoot on over to the website for the official rundown of the events and times. 

I’m not one for taking a lot of trips. You won’t see me on a beach near the equator, along the canals of Venice or hiking in the Andes. Most of the trips are day runs, maybe heading a few hours North to hit a dog friendly winery or brewery. So this is generally my vacation. A working vacation, to be sure, but a trip I look forward to every year. We’re hopeful the weather holds out and we have clear skies. However, even with uncooperative weather, we always have fun.

It’s not too late to sign up. We still have bunks (the private bunks are long sold out) and plenty of room. Come on down and join us as we celebrate five years of sleepaway fun, mimosa’s and s’mores!

Go to our Pug Camp website to register if you haven’t already!

Just like that, we’re less than six months away from Pug Camp. We’re still seeing events being cancelled this year due to the ongoing concerns about COVID-19. Those events, as much as we love them, tend to be in closer quarters. That makes it much more difficult to be socially distant. Pugapalooza, for example, is a compact event, tending to be crowded in the confines of Wonder Bar as people mill about with their pugs and go from table to table. Or inside for food and Rum Buckets (man, I miss Rum Buckets). Sadly, Pugapalooza is suffering another cancellation this year, but we’re hopeful for a return in 2022 with a bigger celebration than ever.

Fear not, Pug Camp 2021 is on!

Pug Camp 2020 was an incredible success. Because it is primarily an outdoor event spanning the entirety of Camp Westmont, we were able to keep socially distant more easily and masked up when indoors. As I previously, and proudly, reported, we broke fund raising records right smack in the middle of the pandemic. People were so incredibly happy to get out and do something and the Pug Rescue community has a reputation for being extremely generous. We also had a very high number of first-time attendees, people who were so thrilled to be there and had such a good time, they are looking forward to coming again this year.

To say I’m eagerly looking forward to this year’s event is an understatement. We’ve all been through a lot since August and this will be the getaway we’ve been waiting for – as always. We’re going to have the extra day again this year since it worked out so well last time. We will have the entire camp to ourselves agin, so we can really spread out and relax. Registration opened this week and the response has – once again – broken records. All of the Private Cabins sold out in just a few hours. However, there are plenty of bunks available, so please keep registering.

We are still planning the events, but the favorites will all be there: the Meet and Greet, Movie Night, the Costume Contest and Pug Olympics will all be held, as will the auction and candle lighting ceremony, which will be very hard this year. Don’t mind me, I’ll be the drunk guy sobbing while trying to talk.

I have to say, I’m looking forward to getting away, seeing all of my rescue friends, and spending time at the lake. Hopefully, the weather will allow us a good-sized bonfire for s’mores and laughter. Jodi and I don’t do a lot of traveling, so this is our yearly getaway. Spending it with people I consider family really elevates the experience. I joke among the Pug Squad board members that we should do it for a full week. I get all sorts of crap flung at me because the amount of work and effort will probably kill us, but man, the weekend goes far too quickly. What’s crazy is that this is going to be year five already, our fourth at Camp Westmont. Let that sink in for a second: YEAR FIVE! What started as a “hey, you know what might be fun” idea has blossomed into a major event that just keeps on growing. Everyone seems to have a really good time and there are few, if any, personality issues.

Pug Camp is a labor of love by all of us and we’re always so gratified when we have such a tremendous response. Every year we drive home on a high, closing out an event that is filled with people who love a good time, love to raise money and, most of all, who love Pugs.

Click the link to register. I can’t wait to see you all there.

Also, please remember, we’re still actively raising money to help bring the China Pugs over. Please consider donating at our simple website to alleviate that burden. So many rescues are involved, but they need your help. You can also sponsor a pug through the Freedom Flight fundraiser. Please help out any way that you can. If you can’t donate, spread the word! It’s too big a job for one person or rescue. Please follow us on all of our social media platforms to keep up with all of the raffles and fundraising opportunities. Thank you so much! Love to you all!

When you work in the rescue community, you tend to grow a little used to horror stories and human cruelty toward animals. Sometimes you shake your head at how human minds work and often you feel disgust at the heartlessness of people. Sometimes it has to do with neglectful owners or the Amish and their puppy mills.

But there’s a special place in hell for the people in the China Meat Trade.

I’ll be honest, I was pretty ignorant about it until recently. I’ve been so focused on the American puppy mills and pet stores and people who insisted on shopping over adopting. Or those who would leave their dogs out in cold weather or discard a senior because he or she was “too old.” Suddenly, however, the “China Pugs” started getting my attention and I needed to know the backstory. What I discovered was horrifying. I almost wish I still had my head in the sand. 

The meat trade in Asia is huge. According to animalasia.org the estimation is, in China alone, 10 million dogs and 4 million cats are slaughtered for the dog meat trade each year.  And no, they’re not even slightly nice about it.

Acording to the Animals Asia website:

The dog meat industry has long claimed that it farms dogs for their meat, boasting more than 100 registered ‘dog meat farms’.

But in 2015, a four-year undercover investigation by Animals Asia into the Chinese dog meat trade exposed these claims as false. None of its registered ‘farms’ had more than 30 dogs on-site and such small scale operations cannot possibly meet such a demand.

Some dog meat farms had even been registered under multiple names to manipulate figures, and cover-up the widespread dog and cat thefts which sustains this dirty industry.

Where do these extra dogs come from of the numbers discovered don’t match the claims?

Dog and cats of all varieties, often family pets, are snatched from their families. Still wearing their collars, they are forced in to very small cages and transported great distances without food or water. When they reach their final destination at dog meat markets, they are forced to witness other dogs being bludgeoned to death or tossed still alive into vats of boiling water to remove their skins.

Read. That. Again.

Dogs. Cats. People’s pets. Every breed. For their meat. They are largely pets stolen and tortured to death. For money. The depth of inhumanity is unimaginable.

Why am I making you read this horror? Because right now there are hundreds of dogs coming over from China. Because right now there are 103 Pugs and 28 French Bulldogs waiting to be rescued from this horrible fate. Pugs. Frenchies. Those sweet, squishy faced little clowns we love so much. The cost to transport them is enormous. Over $1000 per dog just to get to get them here. It’s an impossible job for one person or rescue. It’s just not feasible for a single organization to fund and coordinate so massive an undertaking. Therefore, multiple people and rescues are mobilizing to help. They need your help as well. They need donations like never before. Once here, each dog needs to be medically checked and issues addressed. You know they’re going to need medical care. They’ll also need to be fostered and then adopted out. The cost is unfathomable. With this in mind, Pug Squad is partnering with many rescues to help raise funds and spread awareness.

Rescues we are working with personally are:

Pug Nation Rescue of Los Angeles
PugHearts Houston Pug Rescue
Pug Rescue of New England (PRoNE)
Green Mountain Pug Rescue
Buffalo Pug and Small Breed Rescue
Cinderella’s Pug Rescue

We have set up a simple website to make it easy for you to get your donation to the right place.  It really doesn’t matter who you send your donation to, as long as it’s truly going to a rescue who will help. As long as these dogs are saved, choose whoever you wish. If you have any questions about the legitimacy of a rescue or an individual, you can reach out to any of us at Pug Squad. Please donate what you can or simply spread the word. Be one of the hundreds of heroes who are working to save these angels from a horrific fate.

Please follow us on social media to stay up to date on this massive rescue effort. Thank you so much for your help.

2020 has been a crazy year, amirite? So many of us went into January energized, ready to kick off a whole new decade with positivity and determination. Then, out of nowhere, Covid-19 came crashing down on the world and put a stop to civilization. It has impacted everyone; businesses large and small, families, non-profits…everyone. The losses have been staggering. I can probably take up 18 blog posts with a list of who suffered and how, but focusing on the Pug World brings it into sharper focus.

With so many people taking hits as jobs cut their staff, people worked fewer hours and the economy crumbled, fund raising was practically unheard of. Veterinarians began having curbside appointments and, at best, only one family member was permitted inside at a time – particularly difficult when saying final goodbyes. Taking on the burden of adopting pugs became secondary to caring to sick loved ones. Beyond that, our own little community suffered so many Pug and Honorary Pug passings. The McIntyre Gumble lost Cosmo!, the Mega E pup, the day New York went into lockdown. A blessing in disguise, since he never would have been able to do curbside appointments. He was so wound up and attached to his mom, being dragged into the office without her would have given him a coronary. We hated to say goodbye, but the timing was as good as it could have been.

Other losses to the Pug Squad family included sweet Bella, Igor Pugdog, Stellie, Lulu, Finn, Nikki, Momma …good lord, the list goes on. It was a series of gut punches in a year of pummeling body blows.

Pugapalooza, the annual event in Asbury Park, NJ, was cancelled, which was a huge disappointment to so many folks. It was crushing to lose the fundraising fun at the beach, the Pug Pink Promenade, and – of course – the rum buckets at Wonder Bar. However, in the middle of all this craziness, to our great relief, we were able to actually have Pug Camp at the end of August. We lost a third of our attendees and had to cancel two events, so we weren’t looking to break any fundraising records. We just wanted to finally have a fun get together and an escape from 2020.

Well, never say the Pug Rescue community isn’t generous. Pug Camp 2020 smashed the fundraising totals of previous years. Volunteers from other rescues stepped up to run some events to save them from cancellation. The auction was a major success with people bidding and bidding (and bidding!) on even the smallest items. We had the usual Olympics, the costume contest and even a Pug Wedding! The final amount raised for participating rescues and Pug Squad was $23,471.91! With this money, not only were the rescues in attendance funded, Pug Squad was back in a position where we are able to award grants for rescues and pugs in need!

After that, we partnered with One Hope wines and those fundraisers have been very successful (never underestimate the passion for wine – especially this year).  Virtual meetings and online charity efforts are the order of the day and, as usual, the rescue community has been tremendously generous. And the year isn’t over yet. We still have our virtual Holiday Party to look forward to.

I do want to pause for a moment and address the anxiety so many people have been dealing with. There are so many emotionally taxing events populating the year, from social to health to political. These are passionately held issues and emotions generally run high in times like these. How we react to the world and events unfolding around us is important. We should remember that we are all together on this giant blue spinning orb in space. Social Media has given millions of people a voice and a platform. The impersonal nature of words on a screen can cause many to forget the person on the other side. We react to these words with our own perceptions and preconceived notions. If you are feeling defensive, you will attach a tone to it which may not exist. On the other hand, often not being face to face with someone emboldens a person to the point of belligerence. What helps me react to an opposing viewpoint is to pretend I am face to face with them. Sometimes I just don’t rise to the bait. No matter what, it’s not worth a friendship to give a hasty and emotional response. It costs us nothing to be reasonable, polite and respectful. The world needs kindness now more than ever. This is a philosophy we on the board of Pug Squad live by. Honesty, respect and compassion. We survive adversity together because we love and respect one another. While I don’t expect everyone to love everyone else on the planet, respect should be assumed until you have reason otherwise. We’re all on edge. We are stronger as a unit. Let’s all remember that we have to face each other once the various crises have passed.

End of speech.

In closing, I can’t let this retrospective end without expressing the tremendous pride I feel toward my Squad. Every one of my friends has been hugely dedicated to raising money and helping Pugs and recues from one end of the country to the other. We wouldn’t be half the organization we are without our shared passion. I am very lucky to consider them friends, partners and family. Thank you Nadine, Jodi, Danielle, Marianne, Nikki, Renee, Jennifer and Shawna.

And thank all of YOU for being so generous and for all of your work and love.

With great appreciation,

Scott McIntyre – Pug Squad President

Giving Tuesday is a day created to encourage people to do good, to give, collaborate and celebrate generosity. Giving Tuesday has grown so much since 2012 that it is now considered the 3rd largest day for 501(c)3 nonprofits to receive donations. Giving Tuesday has grown to be much more than a day, it is now a season of celebrating and being thankful for the support received.

Pug Squad exists to help rescues relieve the pressure they face when they take in a pug in need. The bills can be insurmountable. By being able to donate to them through our mini grant program, we step in to help as we can. To do this, we need your help, we simply cannot do it without you.

While we will be running our own Giving Tuesday fundraiser, we hope you will create one of your own, so that those in your network can donate as well. You can start a fundraiser on Facebook, or you can start one through our donation page at Give Lively.

Here is how to start your own fundraisier at Give Lively.

Step 1: Click the button “I Want To Fundraise For This” on our Give Lively fundraiser.

Step 2: Fill our the form to create your fundraising page. If you already have a Give Lively account, click the button underneath the form to login.

Step 3: Now you get to personalize your page. Add a short note as to why you support us, create a fundraising goal, add your own photo (or photo of your pugs). You can even personalize the main image, or include a video!

Step 4: Share your fundraiser!

If you don’t want to start your own fundraiser, but want to donate to us directly, you can donate by click the button below.

or you can text to donate with code: HELPTHEPUGS to 44-321

#givingpugsday #givingtuesday

Our upcoming raffle at #PugsTakeNYC will benefit Pug Nation Rescue of Los Angeles and their inspiring rescue pug, Bella.

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Our first Pug Squad auction started today for a 4-month-old puggle puppy named Marco who needs eye surgery. Pug Squad to the rescue!

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It’s been an interesting experience so far, this new journey, this coming together of a passionate and dedicated group of people and forming a brand new non-profit.

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