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POLO – HOSPICE PUG

Age: 13 1/2 years old (as of Nov 2023)
Adoption Fees: Hospice Pug
Adoption Status:

January 8, 2024 – Polo ended 2023 with a bang. On New Year’s Eve Polo had either a seizure/ heart attack or syncope/ vasal vagal episode. It was pretty scary, his foster parents took him to Capital City Specialty & Emergency Animal Hospital. Polo had blood work and x-rays. At first their was a worry of fluid on his lungs – thankfully that was ruled out. They also ruled out heart failure, and a heart attack. It was determined he does have some bronchiolitis which he was given a cough suppressant to use as needed. His foster parents will closely monitor him for any repeat episodes. Polo is doing well at home, his foster sister has been keeping close watch over him and giving him a lot of snuggles. He seems more comfortable on walks because he is coughing less. Every dollar donated to UMWPR helps so much, it keeps pugs like Polo happy and healthy. Thank you for your continued support.

December 7, 2023 – Hi friends, it’s me Polo. I wanted to check in and say hi. This week, I went to the vet to have my blood work checked because I take pain medication daily and I’m a super senior. Everything looks good and my kidneys and liver are happy. I am not happy about this winter weather, and would like to stay inside snuggled in my bed, but I still have to go out to do my business. I am excited this week a former foster pug is coming to stay with me for a week while his family goes on vacation and another foster pug is coming to visit. It’s going to be a pug party. Lastly, did you buy your UMWPR 2024 Calendar yet?? I’m Mr. November and I look pretty handsome if I do say so myself

July 25, 2023 – Hello! I have been enjoying summer (mostly in the air conditioning). I enjoy laying out in the sun before it gets too hot.

I sometimes show my age with my mobility but I get injections that are definitely helping. My foster parents think I don’t see and hear super well, but I get eye drops and they help me so much. I am slower, but I still go for short walks four times a day.
I love dinner time so much that I usually put on quite the show about an hour before dinner time. I bounce and spin, and bark and play with toys and try to get an early dinner.
I went camping again for a few days and I really enjoyed it. I am going to do some more of that this summer so I can enjoy the nice weather. I like that we still have air conditioning when camping.
Thank you to everyone who donates to keep me healthy, fed and loved. I am really enjoying my retirement with Under My Wing.

March 6, 2023 – Have you been hibernating like me this winter?  I don’t mind short walks, but I really prefer napping in my warm bed or snuggling my foster sister. I had the best time ever at the ‘Running of the Pugs’ event. I met so many nice people and pugs and I was uncharacteristically social. I was super tired afterwards. Even though I have been with the rescue for over a year now my foster family says they are still finding out new things about my personality. I have started to become quite playful, especially before dinner time and bedtime. I am looking forward to springtime and spending more time outside.

November 28, 2022 –  Hi it’s me Polo!  I have been enjoying the fall weather so much lately. I went to the country for Thanksgiving and had so much fun laying in the sunshine. I got dressed up for Halloween as Tigger and I have been enjoying nice walks in the warm sunshine with the cool breeze. My eye is healing nicely and I’m still doing moisturizing eye drops throughout the day. My foster parents upgraded my bowl to a fluff trough to make it easier for me to eat my food. I’m not as messy now and I don’t have to lean down as far to eat. My leg is doing very well, I continue to do short walks and my foster parents carry me up and down stairs like the king that I am.
September 7, 2022 – Polo has had a few recent setbacks. He has been struggling to mobilize and not wanting to walk as far. He recently fell and subsequently went to the vet and has either torn his ACL or has a pinched meniscus. Polo is not a candidate for surgery due to his advantage age and overall health. He has been placed on rest for three months and is on some additional pain medication to help. He also has significant arthritis to that limb. Polo thinks he won the lottery as he gets carried up and down stairs and gets picked up when he’s walked far enough. He has responded well to the rest and the medication and is able to do very small walks.
Additionally we have discovered a lump about the size of a golf ball in Polo’s front left armpit, it is new so we will be having that checked out at the veterinarian’s office. It doesn’t cause him discomfort, but it does affect his mobility and has grown fairly quickly.
Prior to these setbacks Polo did get to go camping again this summer. He enjoyed spending time with the two other dogs and children that joined us on this trip. This time the added fun was a comfy wagon for when Polo and his foster sister got tired and also great for naps by the fire. They were the talk of the campground enjoying their wagon rides.

Polo is still the happiest, sweetest boy who loves to snuggle and give kisses. He’s still very vocal, especially about his meals. We hope these setbacks will be minor and we can keep his health and mobility improving.


August 5, 2022 – Hi There! It’s me Polo, I haven’t checked in lately. I have been very busy enjoying this great summer weather. I went camping, or as my foster parents call it “glamping”. I went on boat rides, I rode in a golf cart, I sun bathed, I went swimming ( Well I got my legs wet), I took long naps in the air conditioned trailer. I made so many new friends too (dogs and human). My foster Mom says the whole campground fell in love with me. Even though they all laughed at me when I howled when my Foster Dad went fishing. My favorite part was in the evening falling asleep in someone’s arms by the fire. On my second camping trip I met up with two of my dog friends, they brought their humans camping too. I slept the whole way home snuggling my foster sister Lucy after our adventures. I can’t wait to go again!
PS: Thank you for all your support, I am having the most fun and relaxing retirement being a Under My Wing Hospice Pug.

May 14, 2022 – Polo has been enjoying the warm weather. He wants you to know that we should all slow down, stop and enjoy the flowers, and the sidewalk is a perfect place to stop and take a nap on a sunny warm day.

Polo has been eating well and only mildly protesting that we cut back on his food for the last month. He was weighed this week and he is 17.6lbs. He looks and feels much healthier at this weight. He is having regular bowel movements too. He continues on gabapentin capsules and they make his tummy much happier especially because it’s inside a pill pocket treat.
Polo has decided he runs his foster home (as he should). So he has changed wake up time to 6am… Sometimes his internal clock is off and he tries to ask for breakfast at 5am. He’s very cute though so we allow it. He also tries to adjust dinner time an hour earlier and dances and howls at us to get our attention.
Polo now sleeps on the floor with his foster sister Lucy. She is injured and he didn’t want to be apart from her. So they got a new bed to snuggle together on.
Polo loves baths, he had one last week and he was so happy afterwards.
Polo has made some new dog friends on our walks recently. He recently met a cat, he was very unsure what to make of this.
Polo continues his training for separation anxiety. He does pretty well most times for about two hours. Any longer than that and he starts to get anxious and bark. Luckily that’s about as long as we have ever needed to leave him. He has regressed a bit with his car behavior so we are working on that.
Polo hopes to go camping this summer. He’s not sure what it is but his foster sister Lucy tells him it’s the best time.
April 13, 2022 – Polo has become quite the little ham these days. He is obviously feeling better now that his UTI is cleared up. He has become quite playful and silly. Especially before meal times. We have to discourage the barking to keep consistency with our training, but his happy dance and circles are the cutest. Since changing Polo’s medication from a liquid to a pill form he is much happier. He no longer tries to avoid his food. He also isn’t pooping on every walk and his poops seem more substantial. I guess that means the liquid was irritating his digestion.

Since Polo’s infection has cleared up we have noticed he has put on some weight. He looks much healthier now. We also had to back off of his food now. We can no longer see all of his ribs and we are working on building muscle during our walks, including some hills for extra strength training.

Speaking of walks, Polo couldn’t be happier about Spring time! He is enjoying sniffing all the new smells on his walk. He has also developed what I would call “Pugitude”, it’s an attitude unique to pugs, especially when they become stubborn. This usually happens when they start to become comfortable in their surroundings. Polo lays down on walks when he doesn’t want the walk to end, especially if the sun is shining.

Polo continues to work on barking/ separation anxiety when we leave the home. He does really well some days, not barking for up to two hours. Other days he only lasts a few minutes. We stay consistent with him. He does best when he can snuggle his foster sister when we leave. We know that he may never be able to be fully trained out of this behaviour, but that’s okay.

Polo loves when people on the street stop and say hello, he does not understand why they wouldn’t want to stop and say hello.

March 8, 2022 – Polo completed his antibiotics today and had his urine rechecked and it is clear, no sign of crystals. He is very happy to not take the antibiotics anymore. Polo is very much looking forward to warmer weather (like all of us).
Polo is improving some of his socializing skills with other dogs. We are continuing our training regarding barking and separation anxiety antics. Overall it has improved, but he is very stubborn and has been through a lot so we do not expect perfection. We have found that he is more playful in the evening and it has been fun watching him come out of his shell a bit and show that side of him.

February 10, 2022 – Polo has been feeling better and has completed his antibiotic course. Will have his urine retested to ensure the infection is gone. He does seem to be more playful since receiving the antibiotics so we are glad to see he is feeling better. We had increased his gabapentin to see if it would impact his mobility/ improve his limp. However as the our Vet suspected it made him too drowsy and didn’t change his mobility, so we returned to the regular dosage. It may just be something he has live with. Polo has shown some improvement when it comes to barking when we leave the home. It isn’t consistent, but there is still improvement. Part of that success can be attributed to his foster sister Lucy who snuggles him when the humans leave. We continue to give Polo a lot of support and training to help him feel more secure to be on his own (even if just for short periods of time).

January 12, 2022 – We have had a lot of training success recently with Polo. Polo now has no problem with car rides. He no longer has to be in the same room as humans, and can do so without barking. We have now had a few successful outings where Polo was home and there was NO barking! It isn’t consistent yet but it is a huge deal. He is becoming a well adjusted pug and is nearly ready for adoption. We think a couple more weeks of consistent training and we will be ready for his forever home! He thrives on routine and is very treat driven so he’s doing very well with his training. He is no longer attached to the “foster dad” in the home, but is now becoming attached to the “foster mom”. So we are working on reversing that behaviour so that he is content with himself.

One thing we keep forgetting to mention is that he is the very BEST pug when it comes to cutting his nails. I know its hard to believe but he will basically let you hold him like a baby and he doesn’t squirm or make a fuss. Polo has not had any toileting accidents in a long time. We do limit/ time his water intake and that has helped a lot. He goes on 4 walks a day and he enjoys most of them. He hates the bedtime walk because he just wants to stay inside where its warm.

January 6, 2022 – Polo went to stay with some close pug friends for a weekend. It was a good test to see how he would do in a new environment with new people and dogs. His foster sister Lucy joined him. He did pretty well overall, a few toileting accidents and he definitely tried to demand more attention. He is pretty adaptable and has a real fondness for children and of course for snuggling.

Polo did show some signs of regression with his training upon returning home to his foster home. We are working diligently to correct this behaviour and it just shows we have some more work to do. We are staying consistent though and he is showing signs of improvement. Polo is doing very well riding in vehicles now.
Something new we have noticed as the cold weather is upon us, is that Polo wheezes and coughs in weather -10 degrees Celsius or more. He’s fine if the weather is warmer, and he doesn’t do it indoors at all. He wears a coat and booties in the cold and that has helped with his comfort outdoors, but ultimately we keep his walks shorter in the cold weather.
Polo was very excited for Santa to come, he had visions of treats and toys in his head. He actually started playing with a stuffed animal for the first time this week. Its fun to see more of his personality come out the more he becomes more comfortable and lets go of his anxiety.

December 16, 2021 – Polo has been working very hard on his training. We are seeing a lot of improvements. Polo is learning how to be home with no humans. Still some barking, but significantly less. He is able to be apart from us in the house and not bark for longer periods of time. Polo is definitely becoming more confident which is really great to see. It takes a lot of time and patience but we are staying consistent with his training and hope he will  He still occasionally has an accident in the house despite four regular walks a day. He’s had about one accident a week, but he also drinks quite a bit of water so that could be limited some as well. Like most pugs Polo is not a fan of winter or the cold. He does much better when wearing a coat and booties for his walks. Tonight Polo had a nice bath, he was a bit nervous at first but then he loved it. He is all ready for Christmas and his hoping Santa will find him a forever home in the New Year.

November 28, 2021 – Polo is doing extremely well with training since his 1st training session with the dog trainer. He is learning to feel safe and secure by himself. He is learning how to manage his separation anxiety. His biggest challenge is being left alone, he isn’t quite ready to be left alone yet, but his progress is showing great improvement and with consistency we are confident that he will get there. Polo is very smart and learns quickly. He is also doing much better with his anxiety in car rides. Each ride gets a little easier. Polo continues to enjoy his food and does a funny dance before each meal. He has had no accidents recently. Polo continues to enjoy his short walks, he goes on 4 short walks a day, he gets along with most dogs he meets but does not like high energy/puppy like dogs. He knows how to create distance for himself with these dogs. He walks very well on leash and is very responsive to whoever is handling him.  We are looking forward to seeing more and more great results from Polo’s training, so that he will be set up for success in his future forever home.

November 22, 2021 – Polo has shown significant improvement with riding in cars, which has been very encouraging that the work we are doing with him is improving. He doesn’t even seem to mind the vacuum anymore at all. We are still having great difficulty with leaving Polo alone, even for a couple minutes. Because of this we are going to be working with a local dog trainer to get some tips and tools to help support him feeling more comfortable with being left alone. Polo did have one accident this week with toileting, but it was very close to walk time. Overall Polo does seem very happy, especially before meal time. He now does a circle dance and happy bark right before meals and its very entertaining. Polo really enjoys the company of his foster sister, he really would do well in a home with an existing calm dog, preferably a pug. He’s so happy these days, its hard to get a photo of him while awake and still as he’s learning to play. Stay tuned for further updates on Polo’s training and progress.

October 26, 2021 – Polo is making some positive improvement with his anxiety/ behaviour. This week, Polo learned not to be scared of the vacuum. He allowed us to vacuum and we gave him positive feedback and reinforcement throughout this. He also had no accidents during this time. As he gets more comfortable, he is also getting more stubborn. He is not quite ready to trust approaching or sitting in a vehicle yet. But we are working on slowly leaving him alone. We are up to about a minute or two before he shows signs of stress. This requires a lot of patience and time for both us and Polo. We are doing small sessions each day so he doesn’t get too overwhelmed. From everything we have learned about separation anxiety, it takes a lot of time to overcome but we think we are on the right track.
Polo is taking Gabapentin as well to help with his anxiety and to help with a small limp he has, likely related to a previous Lyme infection and/or perhaps some arthritis. It mostly doesn’t bother him too much, unless he has been laying down for an extended period of time.
Polo is enjoying his meals and walks. He’s starting to walk a little further and isn’t sitting/lying down as often on the walks. He goes to the bathroom regularly on our scheduled walks and hasn’t had any accidents this week.
Polo is a snuggle machine, he loves sleeping near his foster family or curled up with his foster sister Lucy.
October 12, 2021 – It has been a big week for Mr. Polo. We are making some small positive steps with his separation anxiety. He is slowly showing signs of confidence. He is not ready to be alone for any amount of time yet, but he is learning to trust and starting to show signs of relaxing. We plan to work with him on positive reinforcement with respect to him staying alone. Eventually working on exposure training with riding in vehicles & vacuums. It will take some time for him to be ready.
Polo is eating his diet well, he loves breakfast time and does many spins before his meal. He’s adjusting well with his meal times. Polo is going to the bathroom outside regularly. His only accidents have been related to his separation anxiety. Currently he is not being left alone at any time.
Polo enjoys his walks, but tires easily and will have a sit to tell us he’s done.
Polo loves to sleep. He has discovered a very comfy dog bed in our living room that occupies much of his day, and at night he sleeps with his foster family in the big bed. Polo loves his foster sister Lucy and showers her in kisses every chance he gets. He also gets along really well with dogs he meets on his walks, both big and small dogs. He’s very sweet and gentle with kids and adults alike.
October 4, 2021 – Polo is happy to have 2 meals a day instead of only one in the morning. He enjoys his 4 walks a day, but it doesn’t appear as if he is used to walking all that much. He is very hesitant when he is picked up off the floor and pit on the bed, it doesn’t appear as though he was picked up often. It appears as though Polo has separation anxiety and will require a lot of reassurance to make it over the hurdle. He had a nice walk and went back to sleep and seems to have a little more pep in his step this morning. Routine and constant assurance is required.
Overall he is a super sweet boy and we are happy to have him around.

October 2, 2021 – Polo came to us today.  He was surrendered by his owner due to medical reasons (owner had a stroke).  Polo is 11 years old and he is neutered.  He will be going to the vet tomorrow for a complete check up + blood work.  Polo gets along very well with other dogs and he is a sweetheart to have around.  He does seem to have separation anxiety but a lot happened in his life lately.  Stay tuned for more on this sweet boy soon.