Pugtona

Three days away from the blog... it is hard to get back into the swing of posting. We have been a tad busy with silliness at the Towers over landscaping, Pugtona weekend and a KC Symphony concert on Sun. At least it gives me plenty of fodder for writing.

This weekend’s newspaper headline in Springfield, MO could have read: "Loud Snorting Heralds Arrival of Pug Invasion". For the 7th year in a row, Springfield MO has been invaded by pugs and pug people. Pugtona weekend has become as important to pug people as Daytona is to race people. The attendance figures were not in as of this AM, but I am sure there were 2-300 people there and at least as many pugs all running around the Best Western Coach House Motel.

The purpose is two fold, to raise money for Southeast Pug Rescue and for pug people and their pugs to meet and have a good old time. Many of us met over the internet in some of the various Pug web forums like the now defunct PugZone, Pugzoners, and the current Pug Village and PugStories. What started out as a Pugnic among some local friends has become the premiere national pug event. People and pugs have come as from as far as California, Oregon, Arizona, Mississippi, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Maryland, Ohio, Michigan, Oklahoma, Illinois and this year even Ontario. All united in our devotion to our dear little creatures that have taken our hearts.

The main event is a picnic, silent auction and party. We set a large penned off area, set up our chairs and socialize all day. Pugs weave in and out of the mass of legs. As Susan put it, "anyone who has not been there will not understand through a picture, most pictures are just of ankles and pugs." It is one of those events that a picture can not capture.

We had a grand time this year. The rain stayed away for the most part, it only dampened the area before and after the main event. The pugs were well behaved as were the people. I saw many of my old friends like Joy, Gail, DeAnna, Susan, Leah and Linda. Linda from Memphis, brought me some good Memphis style dry rub for my pork chops YUM!

Every year a group goes to Lambert's restaurant on Sat night for dinner. This is another place that has to be seen to believe. Always packed, it serves down home country food, no diet plates here. The main draw is that the wonderful hot rolls are wheeled out on a cart and then thrown to the customers. Other servers come around with "pass arounds" like fried potatoes, okra, macaroni and tomatoes, etc and give you a scoop or two. No one leaves hungry. We have a blast.

The admission fee, the proceeds from the meal tickets, the silent auction, the live auctions and such raise a ton of money for rescue. Abused, abandoned and puppy mill pugs have a chance at a better life through the efforts of Pugtona. When one sees pugs like Howie, his legs bent because he spent 4 years in a cage, riddled with cancer or Candy Man, a big black pug 18years old, tongue hanging out because he has no teeth, who spent nearly 13 years in a cage, or maybe one of Linda's latest rescues, afraid of people through abuse. One can then see the beauty and true purpose of Pugtona and why people of all walks of life travel hours and even days for an afternoon pug party.

You can check out some Pugtona pics here:

www.shutterfly.com

email sign in address is yjacobson@gmail.com

password is pugtona06