The little black pug named Oreo

My family loves pug dogs. The breed has been in our family since my mother got her first pug when she was 17. His name, of course, was Pugsley. After the character on the Addam's Family. Over the years we have had pugs in our house. Starting with Butch when I was 5. Then there was Daisy, Barnabas, Josette, Mulligan, Willamina, and Olivia. My daughter, Amira has been around them since she was a baby, like me. Our first pug, Pugsley lived till he was 15 years old. By the time Pugsley passed we had Butch. The breed has been in our family so much that at one point we had Pugsley, who became my grandmother's dog, Butch, and My Aunt's Pug Augustus a.k.a Gus. Our love for pugs has now passed down to my children. Since she could talk my daughter has wanted a pug. She would say to me, "Sometimes I start absentmindingly stroke the side of the bed. Like there is a pug there." Yes, she said pug and not just a dog there. We lived in an apartment since she was 2 years old. I remember the days of having Butch in an apartment, and I didn't want that for our dog. My mother had a sizeable yard so naturally she had her pugs still. When my daughter turned 10 years old, we got a house. After a while we were able to afford to get a dog. She had been begging me for a pug for years. Now was the perfect time to get one. A few months before Christmas I began to scroll through sites that were selling pugs. I was financially ready for a dog too. A long time ago we bought our first black pug, Barnabas. He was a beautiful pug. My mom bought him with her tax return that year. Just in time for Mother's Day.

He became my pug. I named him after the show Dark Shadows. We officially named him Count Barnabas Chumley. The Chumley was handed down to the male dogs from Pugsley. Never had any of us had seen a black pug before. I fell in love with them. Flashforward some 20 years later, I was going to get my daughter a black pug. Not just for her, but for me as well. Finally, I found the one. I set an appointment to travel to Northwest Pennsylvania to a family who had a litter that would be available in time for Christmas. My mother and I traveled to meet the family. It was a 2-hour trip into the Mountains of Pennsylvania. The first time I saw our future pug was 2 weeks before Christmas. There were 8 dogs in total. All male, 6 black and 2 Fawn. The one I wanted for my daughter was kind of cowering in the corner. He was shy at first. I picked him up and he began to lick my face. Right away I knew he was the one for us. He was wearing a purple collar. Which so happens to be one of Amira's favorite colors. He would not be ready until the following Friday. He had another round of shots before they could give him to me. I paid for him in advance, and we left waiting in anticipation for the day we could give him to Amira. Now all this time we were keeping this from her. My daughter never really asks for things at Christmas. She always says to me that I give her all she needs already. So, this was going to be a big surprise.

The week waiting for him was horrible. We were so excited the whole time that my son Gabriel almost let the secret out the night before we were meant to get him. The next morning was December 19th, 2019. Amira left for her last day of school before the winter break. As soon as I saw her bus leave, I left to go pick up my mom and head to Northwest Pennsylvania. The whole ride my mom and I were talking about our plan. We would get the dog, head back to her house so she could bathe him, while I get the kids. My sister had stayed home from work as well. She would hold onto to him while I brought the kids over. My mom had gotten our new pug a Santa suit since it was right before Christmas. I went home and waited for the kids to get home so I could take them over my mom's. My son was even on pins and needles, He really wanted to tell his sister that she got a dog. When we arrived, I got my phone ready and went on Facebook live. The kids walked in before me as I started rolling. I came up to my daughter and said, "What was the one thing you have always asked for at Christmas." Her immediate response was a Pug. Her face was turning red then my sister brought out her Pug. The expression on her face was utter Joy. She had told me in the past if she were to get a pug she would name him Oreo, her favorite cookie. I made it known to her that his name was Oreo, and he was a little boy. She couldn't say anything. Amira was holding back her tears of happiness. Finally, after 12 years of asking she got the one thing she always wanted, a Pug named Oreo to call her own.