My Pug Winston
By Andy Heath
I have a pug named Winston, and he is wonderful. I say I have a pug, but actually he belonged to my ex and me before we broke up, and James got Winston, but I still get to go visit every now and then.
We decided to name him Winston after Winston Churchill, who wrote a poem about his daughter's pug. Thus, Winston it was.
We bought Winston from a lady that bred various types of dogs, and James had always wanted a pug, so it worked out perfectly. When we first met Winston, he was so sweet. We wrapped him in a towel and took him home, and he cried part of the way. Then we took him inside the apartment and introduced him to his new home, and he was terrified. He would not even come out of the kitchen.
Eventually he felt more comfortable, and before long he had no memory of his previous home. James and I were all he knew, and as far as he was concerned, had ever known. When James and I broke up in May 2006, it was very hard for a lot of reasons, but I have to admit I still miss Winston from time to time.
I remember I used to sing to Winston every day. I had made up a number of songs that I sang to Winston and he loved it. We used to play tug-of-war with a towel, and it was wonderful. It turns out he lives a very happy life. I think he has no recollection now that I ever lived with him, but he still recognizes me and he goes CRAZY when he sees me. That makes me very happy, I have to admit.
Winston is not a very bright dog, though. We used to play fetch with him, which he loved, but sometimes we would pretend to throw the ball, and he would run all the way down to the end of the hall and just look at us as if to ask, "Where did it go?" The we would show him the ball and he would come running back, not even realizing that we had tricked him. Silly pug! I just love him.
Here's a picture of him.
