The Tales of Pug People has been ‘Gram-stalking Francis the Pug for a while, especially when we discovered that he and his Person, Eve-Simone, were the dynamic duo behind Senior Pugs of Instagram @seniorpugsofig, one of those pages where you can lose a couple of hours going down the pughole (hmmm, that’s a take on ‘rabbit hole’, but somehow it sounds naughty). Francis was ready for his CloseUpMrDemille, sporting a t-shirt printed with emojis and a beautiful puggy smile. And Eve-Simone looked pretty great, too, although not as cute as a pug. Are any of us, though? Really?
PP: Francis and Eve-Simone, thanks for sitting down with Tales of Pug People. Can you tell us a little bit about your process of becoming a Pug Person?
Eve-Simone: Well, back when my mom and I decided we wanted a dog, we did some research— we basically Googled ‘which breed of dog is the laziest?’ and it came up as ‘pug’. So, you know, we felt like it was a good fit.
PP: Glorious.
Eve-Simone: Lil’ Buddy was our first pug and the obsession was pretty immediate—he wrapped me right around his little paw. I got Francis at the end of Lil’ Buddy’s life; he was thirteen, so they got to know each other for three months. Lil’ Buddy showed Francis the ropes.
PP: ‘Life as a pug’ lessons.
Eve-Simone: Yes, but of course at that age, Lil’ Buddy was doing whatever he wanted, as a senior pug does, so he’d look at Francis walking on his leash and doing what he was told and just shake his head.
PP: And how did you get Fantasy’s Francis of Lord Pug (Francis’ fancy AKC registered name)?
Eve-Simone: From a breeder when he was six months old. Francis was originally supposed to be a show dog, but his wrinkle here (points to Francis’ cute mushy forehead) didn’t grow in until after he was neutered and they have to have that wrinkle. So, I like to say I rescued him from a show dog’s life.
PP: And brought him into a loving, normal home.
Eve-Simone: ‘Normal’ might be a bit strong. You know how people have different decorating styles for their houses, like ‘Modern Farmhouse’ or ‘Scandinavian’? Ours is ‘Dog Kennel’. There are multiple dog beds in every room. There’s a bed under my desk, and a bed over there big enough for a lab, and one in the kitchen, and three beds in the living room. ‘Cause we just feel like he should have a chance to sit different places, you know? Humans have that choice, right? Francis actually has more places to sit than we do.
PP: And what about all his fabulous outfits?
Eve-Simone: Mmmm... well, he tolerates the outfits. Given his way, he probably would choose 'naked and unafraid'.
PP: Eve-Simone, some Pug People have been known to give their pugs a ‘voice’. Like, you talk to them and then answer for them in a special pug voice. Dare we ask if you do that?
Eve-Simone: I mean… yeah, of course. Am I supposed to say ‘no’? This interview is kind of like a mental health assessment.
PP: Yep, that’s our vibe.
Eve-Simone: All right, I’m going to tell you something that not many people know. Francis… has a whole backstory. My mom and I created this fantasy land called Puglandia and Francis is the prince of Puglandia. I probably got this from Márquez’s ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ or something, but Puglandia is somewhere in South America and it has all these myths and legends to it, like, if we don’t feed Prince Francis fast enough, we say, “Oh no! Now the cats from Catlandia will show up to enforce his rights!”
PP: … Wow.
Eve-Simone: I know.
*A moment of silence, while the interviewers process the absolute fabulousness of Puglandia.
PP: While we continue to process the absolute fabulousness of Puglandia, tell us about your pug side gig.
Eve-Simone: I started Senior Pugs of Instagram @seniorpugsofig because I felt like a lot of the pug pages are about puppies and I wanted a place where you had to be a senior to get your picture posted. I think the seniors have so many cool things that they’re up to and I wanted a place to celebrate that. I even made up the slogan, “You can’t spell ‘bold’ without ‘old’!”
PP: Love this sooo much. And Francis is the host?
Eve-Simone: He’s the host with the most.
PP: We both have senior pugs and champion this noble cause. 13 is the new 3!
