We are sad to announce that yesterday Walter lost his fight and passed away.

Walter came to us as a stray picked up in San Antonio and taken in by the San Antonio Pug Rescue. As they were overwhelmed we had offered to pick up some pugs for transfer to PugHearts of Houston. When we saw Walter we knew we had to be his foster home. We didn’t know his medical problems and as it turns out there was much more to overcome than anyone knew.

He had emergency surgery on Thursday to repair his collapsing trachea. Unfortunately he had complications and by Friday morning he had to have an emergency tracheotomy. We were able to visit him and stroke him that morning. Friday night we received the phone call that he had simply stopped breathing. They were unable to get him back.

This is how we choose to remember him, and want others to remember him as well. As the happy, loving guy who always seemed content just to be near us.

He will be missed by us as well as the whole gang. He wasn’t here very long but in the time he was he had blended in beautifully and made good friends with everyone.

We love you Walt! And we hope you enjoyed your time with us. We will always remember you and will be forever changed for having you in our lives.

-Robbi (mum), Richard (dad), Denny, Charlie, Phoebe, Maggie and Munchkin.

Our sweet, beautiful, brave Samson is gone. His fight is over.

Most of you probably already know this by now, but I have been unable to write anything until today. Though even now I am sobbing.

We never knew Sammy as a healthy dog. I wish I had – he must have really been something in his prime. Considering how stubborn and resilient he was even in sickness, he must have been a force to reckon with when he was healthy. We jokingly called him our little boxer. His front legs and neck were pure muscle. They had to be considering his poor balance. Richard would sing “So You Wanna Be A Boxer” from Bugsy Malone to him. His eyes would light up and his tail would wiggle. He was happy here. And loved. We were a family. I know he never had that before and it gives us great comfort to know that we were able to give him a loving environment that he could call his home.

As is always the case, we really were hoping for more time with him. We knew his brain tumor would eventually take him from us, but we still weren’t fully prepared to let him go. He began having seizures a few months ago which we knew was a sign of the tumor’s progression. But he hadn’t had one in a while so we thought we had more time.

On Wednesday, Dec 3rd he had a restless night and in the morning he was not right. He perked up a bit as the day went on but wasn’t 100%. Thursday morning he was worse. He had suffered a stroke. He seemed slightly better Thursday night but then Friday morning he was worse again. He stopped eating and drinking. He seemed to decline as the day went on. That evening he had another seizure. His breathing became increasingly labored. The spark had gone from his eyes. It was time.

Friday night, surrounded by those who loved him, he went peacefully into that good night.

He was a beautiful, spirited boy. We were so lucky to have known him. He has touched our lives deeply. I miss him terribly but know that he is at peace, finally able to run again and breathe easily.

Thank you Sammy for sharing your life with us.