I believe in love at first sight.  From the moment I saw Herbert's sad eyes in a FB post,  I was completely obsessed.  I couldn't stop thinking about him and knew I had to have him. While figuring out the logistics,  he was adopted.  I still couldn't get him out of my mind but fast forward a few days and this stud muffin had been returned! The instant I saw that he was back, I headed to the shelter early to wait for them to open. By the time they opened the doors, there was a line waiting for him but I was at the front.

Hot mess is a pretty good depiction of Herbert. He sounded like Darth Vader, slobbered everywhere,  and charged into anything getting in his way. We were told he was returned due to the need for elongated soft palate surgery which isn't uncommon in pugs. Having another pug at home,  we were prepared for all the puggy quirks and made it official.  He was ours!

Herbert was a big guy,  tipping the scales at over 32lbs! Being the fitness minded family we are,  Herbert was put into doggy boot camp immediately and started taking multiple daily walks (er, waddles) down the street stretching the distance a little further each day.  Before long he could make out around the whole block!

Next was teaching him what dog food was.

Less than a day into his hunger strike,  he decided to reluctantly try dog food. It wasn't great but better than starving to death.  Now he can scarf down his meal in record time, even for a pug (how do they even breathe?) He loves his toys and can never decide on just one at a time so playtime means every toy scattered across the room at once.

In the past year,  Herbert has brought so much love,  joy,  and laughter to our family.  He helped comfort us when we had to lay our 14yr old shepherd down, has an ongoing feud with the cat, he's showing our grumpy old man pug how awesome snuggles and belly rubs are,  and is an utter love bug with the kids. He has been the perfect addition to our family and with 12lbs lost, his breathing problems have resolved and there's no need for surgery!

Thank you HSNT for helping us find the missing piece to our family!!