Some MeMe Making Catch-up (intentionally poorly worded)
As Cosette pointed out in last week's Cosette Colbert Report, I have been slacking on the memes that have been going around. This week I want to catch up on two.

First, I would like to do the Refridgerator Meme. This is our fridge. Ta-da! Nothing can be hung lower because both myself and the Stray will eat it.

One of my parents' favorite things on the fridge is a copy of this article from The Onion, entitled "Dog Breeders Issue Massive Recall of '07 Pugs". I am not amused. Shortly after this article was posted my latent defects (my eye condition) came to light. After much discussion my parents decided to keep me despite my defects. [Mommy's note: Winston's Daddy always talks about returning him because he is defective but he is just joking. I tell him that pugs cannot understand sarcasm and that he should not joke like that but he will not listen.]

And of course we have the directions to the new emergency vet. This was the first thing to go on the fridge when we moved to the new house. This is held up with a magnet from the other emergency vet. The other magnet is one of my favorite things on the fridge. It says "adopt a cat - you become staff. adopt a pug - you get a friend". We got this at the Pug Gala, from Daisy's Corner.

Secondly, I would like to do the "Adore Le Pug" meme. This meme has a couple of questions that my parents are supposed to answer, so I will, reluctantly, turn the blog over to them. If the post sucks from here on, don't blame me.

1. How did you first learn about pugs?

Winston's Daddy saw a picture of the pug in an encyclopedia when he was younger and always thought that they looked cute. Later, his chihuahuah/daschund mix defeated a pug in a one on one beauty contest. He thought the pug was cute but could not admit that since she (her name was Sadie) was competition. His Daddy then educated Mommy about the peculiar breed at a later time.

2. What made you decide to get a pug?

We (one of us anyway) already had the idea of a pug in mind, and then we got the chance to pug sit for one and a half very awesome pugs, Rollo and Parker. These two pugs are so entertaining and so loving, we definitely knew we wanted one (or two or three or more) for ourselves. When we finally got an apartment that allowed dogs, we started reading books about pugs, and the more we read the more we were convinced. They are perfect for a home where both people work, perfect in a town where it rains a lot and people might not always want to go out for a long walk, perfect for a small apartment, perfect for people who like to sleep in on the weekends, perfect little lap dogs who will put up with wearing clothes and being laughed at. And they have only exceeded our expectations.

3. Most memorable moment with your pugs?

(This is Winston on the way home in his little basket with his blanky and camel.)

Definitely one of the most memorable moments with both pugs was the first day we brought them home. We had about a two hour long drive to get Winston and about a three hour drive to get Cosette. We stuck them in the same little basket and they both slept the entire way. Both of them climbed halfway out of the basket so they could lay partly on me. I was in love with them before we even picked them up, but that definitely sealed the deal. We were strangers to them but they instantly put all of their trust in us. It was their first time in a car, first time with us, but as long as they could get close to me, they were content.

4. What is the most important thing pugs have taught you?

Patience, try not to take little things too seriously, always be up to date on your pet insurance, and if at all possible avoid highway 520 if you are in a hurry to get to an emergency vet (only people from Seattle will get this last joke).

5. Best thing you ever did for your pugs?

Huh?

We like to think that we have raised happy dogs who are confident, healthy, and who don't have to worry about a single thing. We have loved them with all our hearts since they day we met them, and have tried our best to let them know that.

Specifically, something good we have done for Winston is that we were able to take care of his immune system problem, get that under control, and save the vision in one of his eyes. After he was run into at the dog park, and the emergency room vet and our regular vet both told us his vision would come back, we took him to the opthamologist anyway, and it turned out we were just in time. She said it probably would've only been a few more weeks before he went blind in both eyes. We were connected with Winston enough to know that something was more wrong with him than the other vets were saying.

The other good think we think we have done for them is introduce them to each other. While Winston might not always love the fact that he is no longer an only pug, they are definitely good for each other.

I apologize for the cheese-ness of the humans.

Snarf everydog later,

/s/Winston, Grand Duke of Pugsworth

The Cosette Colbert Report
Welcome to another edition of the Cosette Colbert Report.

This week I decided to do a meme that has been going around; the google "...needs" meme. This is a perfect meme for me to do without Winston, because a few other Winstons have done this meme so he would have nothing new to offer.

1. Cosette needs a new wool skirt for winter. That is very true, this dress is getting old and obviously it is a summer dress that just will not work when the weather gets colder.

2. Cosette needs to be more proactive. Here I am telling Winston 'you will obey my authoritay!!'

3. Cosette needs work. Obviously, I am very bored with my life and need something to challenge me intellectually.

4. Cosette needs a protector. Here, Winston watches over me. Awww, I do love my big brother, I can't lie.

5. Cosette needs to be clonked on the head. What, just because I stole Winston's favorite toy and Daddy's shoe??

6. Cosette needs a little bath. Sure, I love baths! [Parents' Note: Seriously, Cosette LOVES baths. She jumps into the bath tub every time she gets a chance]

7. Cosette needs a kitten. No kittens, but I would love more squirrels!

[Parents' Note: we saved the best for last. This was actually one of the things that came up on google]

8. Cosette needs a pug dog wearing a red scarf. Mommy says this means we will have to get Winston a red scarf. Daddy says we need to get me a new pug and get the new pug a red scarf.

Here's lookin' at you with two eyes,

/s/ Cosette Colbert D'Bonapug

A Hot Weekend in Seattle
Me and the Stray had an interesting weekend here. It consisted of running around the house and crowding our parents whenever they opened the fridge so that we could get a brief respite from what was otherwise miserable weather.

This weekend, it was HOT in Seattle, and Cosette and I layed around trying to chill out.

We also got some playing in. We re-discovered one of our very first favorite toys.

Here we are a few months ago, back when Cosette first came home, playing with the same toy. The toy looks a little worse for wear, but there aren't many other differences, are there?

Well, okay, I guess Cosette has gotten a little bit bigger.

Back to today - notice how much more of the bed she takes up!

Despite the fact that she is a constant and inexcusable annoyance, sometimes it is not so bad having a stray around. We were having a great weekend, but then an "incident" threatened to undo all the weekend fun-ness.

"Threatened to ruin" the weekend is an understatement, the rest of the weekend was ruined by Cosette. We tried to go to the dog park and go swimming in the lake - see, I don't love the dog park but I do like swimming, especially when it is hot outside. But our fun was cut short when Cosette stepped on a bee and got stung. She let out a howl of pain. Here she is showing her saddest sad face. She is okay now, but of course my parents rushed her to the emergency room vet, and I got stuck home all alone for three hours. No fun.

Snarf everydog later,

/s/ Winston, Grand Duke of Pugsworth

Welcome to The Cosette Colbert Report*
I decided it was high time I had my own segment on this blog. So, I present to you The Cosette Colbert Report, this blog's new and improved mid-week section which will feature yours truly, Cosette Colbert D'Bonapug. (*Not affiliated with my biological father's similarly titled show).

Some of you may have noticed that there has only been one post a week lately. Well, this is because my new report section has been under construction for some time. I intend to report on recent events with the gusto of my father but without the amateurish tilt of Katie Couric.

In this first installment of the Cosette Colbert Report, I would like to focus on Winston's Monday post, and how it was a very inadequate and boring glimpse into the wonderful pug meetup we went to on Saturday. Here you can see how I actually took advantage of the opportunity to play with the other pugs and get chased around.

Look at that speed! I am awesome.

I am also very stealthy. Here, I snuck away with this other pug's leash.

I also spent some time chillin' with the other pugs. I am the cute small black one.

This is me trying to get this annoying jersey off with the help of Winston.

Here's lookin' at you with two eyes,
/s/ Cosette Colbert d'Bonapug

I Hear "Pug-Meetup"
Whenever my parents talk about going to a pug meetup I immediately go into fun evasion mode. It's not that I don't enjoy having fun, I just don't like being accosted by the disgusting beasts that are other undignified pugs.

On Saturday, I was enjoying the morning sleeping in with my parents, when they started talking about the dog park. I was pretty sure they were serious about going to the dog park when they got out my harness and collar, so I shimmied my big body under the bed.

You can see the misery and dread in my eye!!! I hate other dogs.

Finally, Daddy got down on the ground to grab me so I braced for the inevitable.

When we got to the dog park, my parents got out one of my most favorite toys, my Guy. This is a plastic round ball with little horns coming out. It squeaks very loud and bounces very high and I totally love it. I can't get enough of playing fetch with my Guy!

With my Guy, I was actually able to enjoy the dog park a little bit.

I was fetching that Guy like a champ.

Of course Cosette tried to get in on the fun.

I tried to teach her my stare-down technique: stare at the ball with your tongue hanging out and your tail wagging like crazy until, magically, the ball gets picked up and thrown again.

No one does the stare down like I do.

The Stray does have her moments of miniscule cuteness, but they are few and far between. Overall the fetching playdate was a blast.

Snarf everydog later,

/s/ Winston, Grand Duke of Pugsworth

Playdate with Delilah
This is the Stray speaking, I have taken over the blog to inject some much needed class. I know that some of you have been upset about the lack of recent posts, and I can assure you that it is all Winston's fault. But forget about Winston, on to interesting things: namely me and the things I play with.

This thing is called Delilah. She is an eleven week old English Bulldog puppy, who happens to the be the same size as a certain five month old puglet.

I came across her on a walk and, after determining that she probably was not a terrier spy, we began to play profusely.

This will no doubt go down in history as one of the world's great face-offs.

I am smart enough to know that you should always occupy the high ground ... and never start a land war in Asia. [Parents' note: we watched "The Princess Bride" this weekend. We think this is a reference to Vanzini]

The pup was quickly vanquished by one of superior strength and intelligence.

Traitors, like Daddy, will be dealt with in the future. That little bulldog looks freaked. I know the feeling, Daddy is a weirdo.

Here the bulldog is subscribing to Winston's favorite mantra: if you can't win fair, cheat. She snuck up behind me a pulled a sneak attack after the game was over.

This is Winston's birthday present from my Mommy's Mommy. As you can see, it didn't quite fit Winston, but it fits me perfectly! Jackpot! It says "Got Treats?" My parents think this is perfect for me. [Parents' note: for those of you without pugs, they are hard to buy clothes for because their broad shoulders and squat bodies do not adhere to the standard Dog clothing sizes. And yes, we do know buying clothes for dogs is crazy.]

This picture is to try and illustate the size difference between me and Winston, so you can all see that this shirt would never have fit him in a million years. Winston says thanks anyway, it's the thought that counts :)

And finally, some pictures to make sure you all know that we have not changed into active, social dogs or anything just because there are tons of potential playmates running around our new apartment. We still love to lay on the couch and sleep 23 hours a day.

I am doing a real number on the couches.

We also enjoy lounging around reading magazines.

A little bit of butt snuggling never hurt anypug.

Here's to Looking at You With Both Eyes,

/s/ Cosette Colbert d'Bonapug