We’ve trained our Pug Husbands well and today’s interview was scored by PHC (Pug Husband Carlito) after he approached Pugsly and his Person, Bebe, on the street. Luckily, Bebe is pure Pug People and not only didn’t assume PHC was a murderer, but gladly submitted to our poking and prodding into her pug psyche. Of course, it helped that Pugsly and Bebe are “show people”—but more about that later.
PP: Bebe, you and Pugsly don’t live in our town—or even our state—so how did this auspicious meeting happen?
Bebe: We were there because Pugsly was having his first puppy sleepover at a friend’s house. The friend is not a pug, though—does that disqualify us?
PP: Possibly. We’ll let it slide for now. So, tell us your pug backstory.
Bebe: Ohhhh. Well, I’ve been waiting for Pugsly for sixteen years. Since the time I was ten, my two biggest dreams were to be on Broadway, and to have a tan pug named Pugsly. Everyone in my life knows that about me. It’s still surreal that he’s finally here.
PP: Did you meet a pug when you were only ten years old?! We’re jelly.
Bebe: Two! One was a sweet guy named Cosmo that we used to pugsit. And then there was a pug in the apartment building where I grew up named Mackenzie. My whole story with Mackenzie is that I was bullied really badly in elementary school, so we developed an unspoken agreement with our neighbors that any time after school I could ring their doorbell and they would give me her toys and Mackenzie and I would play together in the hallways for hours. She was the light of my childhood.
PP: Um, we might legit cry over this. That is so moving.
Bebe: There are so many emotional stories I have that are connected with pugs. When I was finally in the process of actually getting Pugsly, I was reading this book on how to take care of pugs and my grandma would see the cover picture and say, “Ohhh, they look like me! They’re droopy like me!”
PP: OMP! (Oh My Pug!)
Bebe: Sadly, she died about two weeks before I got him, but Pugsly’s arrival helped us to cope with the loss. So, he always reminds me of her. And this is gross, but I used to help my grandma clean her eye gunkies out and one of the first things I noticed about Pugsly is his eye gunkies. So, it’s just perfect.
PP: You know you’re Pug People when you weep over a spiritual eye gunkies connection.
Bebe: Right?
PP: What do you love most about the breed?
Bebe: Every pug you meet is so loving and empathetic. And squishy. The first time I cried in front of him, I was like, “Oh, I shouldn’t cry in front of you, Pugsly” and he came over and licked my tears away.
PP: That could just be a salt preference, but we’re buying into the whole “pugs as empaths” thing. Does Pugsly have any quirks?
Bebe: He has this thing about squishing himself into tiny spaces. He finds crevices in the couch and in between places, he nudges a blanket over so that I can cocoon him. One time he did get stuck under the kitchen cabinet, though, and he was like “Abort! Abort the mission!”
PP: The picture under the couch about did us in, he’s like a boneless chicken cutlet.
PP: And we love his Hanukkah photos.
Bebe: Yes, he’s a nice Jewish pug. When he turns 13 months, he’ll make his Bark Mitzvah.
PP: Mazel tov!
PP: Bebe, we know one of your dreams is to be on Broadway, so we’re assuming that you sing to Pugsly.
Bebe: Oh, yeah. When I was trying to teach him his name, I would plug “Pugsly” into any lyric that had two syllables. And he’s a great audience when I’m filming an audition, he just sits there and watches.
PP: Now you just have to teach him how to applaud.
Bebe: I’ll work on that. And I think I’m going to get him into commercials and shows. The possibilities are endless for Pugsly.
PP: We believe that there’s lots going on in those little pug brains, so what do you think Pugsly is thinking when he looks at you?
Bebe: “Oh, it’s you! I love you. You’ll never use the bathroom alone ever again.”
