Today is going to be a bit of a different blog post sharing a bit about my personal life. These past two weeks have been particularly difficult as our pug, Prince, suddenly passed. He was our whole world and our little baby. He was 9 years old, and we were lucky to be with him for 6 of those years. Prince shared with us his unconditional love even when we felt undeserving of it. They say there is no love like pug love, and I can attest to that firsthand. Here’s a bit about our Prince – world traveler, snuggle bug, and the stinkiest boy.

From Cambodia to Boston

Prince was originally my parents’ dog while they were living in Cambodia. My dad had him brought from Thailand to Cambodia where he lived a sheltered life. He slept in their kitchen and took naps in the sun during the day. I fell in love with Prince the first time I met him in Cambodia. He was a rambunctious little pug puppy who wanted nothing but love, attention, and play time. Despite my parents’ best intentions, they never let him on the furniture or cuddle in bed – and anyone who knows pugs is familiar with how much affection they need.

When my parents had to leave Cambodia, I offered to adopt him. Jeremiah and I already had our chihuahua mix, Basil, for about 5 years at that point and thought he would do well with a brother. Because Prince has a short nose due to being a pug, no airline would fly him from Asia to the US in the cargo hold. He was grossly overweight and couldn’t fit in the cabin. Fortunately, Royal Air Jordanian allowed short nosed breeds to fly in the cabin and thus began Prince’s around the world journey.

Prince flew from Thailand to Jordan to New York all within the span of 48 hours. My parents picked him up at JFK and drove him up to Boston feeding him McDonald’s chicken nuggets along the way. He took the longest pee I’ve ever seen in my life when he jumped out of that car, and it made us love him all the more.

Prince’s Health Journey

When we received Prince he had a host of issues. He was overweight, had patches of fur missing, had scabs and rashes around his neck, and his skin smelled terrible. He also wasn’t properly socialized or house trained, but we were ready for the challenge. We took him to the vet, gave him medicated baths, made sure he ate diet kibble, and started taking him out for leashed walks. It wasn’t long before Prince was like a new dog. His personality started to shine once more and he had more pep in his step.

The first time we took him to the dog park Prince did not leave our side. In fact, he tried to pee on Jeremiah’s shoe because he didn’t want to stray too far. Since he would only follow us, we began walking laps around the dog park to try to get him some exercise. Eventually he grew comfortable enough to stray from us, do his business, and then come back and sit down by us. It was like watching a baby take their first steps. There were many “firsts” for Prince and we were like proud parents cheering from the the sidelines.

A Charming New England Life

Out of the 6 years we had Prince, 5 of them were spent living in apartments in Boston. He first came to us when we were living in Newton, MA. We had a small apartment with a tiny unfenced yard. He encountered his first snow living here and spent many a weekend outside with us while we barbecued. When our chihuahua, Basil, would bark at the parades going by our apartment, Prince would be right beside him assisting him with his timid barks.

After a few years in Newton we decided to move to the suburbs. We rented an apartment in Marlborough, MA with an actual fenced in dog park on property. Here Prince figured he could get away with being as lazy as possible and still have his parents love him – and it worked. He refused to go outside often to the point where we’d need to carry him outside. Once in the dog park and the leash came off, he knew what to do. If we pretended to leave while he was still on the far end of the dog park, he would come sprinting – faster than I’ve ever seen a pug run. It was a great way to get him some exercise!

In the years we lived in New England we took the dogs out for many adventures. We took Prince to upstate New York where we stayed in a converted barn for the weekend. We took him to Maine twice celebrating Christmas at the White Barn Inn. We even took him to the Trolley Museum where he rode the trolley! He wasn’t a fan of the beach, but it was another first we could add to his list. A few times we drove all the way down to Virginia to visit my parents where Prince was spoiled rotten.

A Pug in the Caribbean

When we were deciding to move to the Caribbean, making sure the dogs would be happy was a large factor in our moving here. Instead of renting apartments we wanted to live in a house with a yard for the dogs to run around in. I made sure there were reputable vet clinics on the island and that we could still get the same kibble they’re used to eating. We wouldn’t be taking them to dog parks (they don’t exist on the island) but they would have the most space they’ve ever had inside and outside to enjoy.

I wrote about the process of flying the dogs to Curacao in my 2023 recap blog post, but in short it was easy. United had the least restrictive size and weight requirements for in-cabin pets so we flew from Boston to Newark to Curacao. Prince immediately adapted to the tropical environment. He loved to lay in the sun, pee on the deck furniture, and look for dead lizards to eat. We spent many a weekend commenting on how relaxed Prince looks in the sun while we were doing yard work. While the other dogs would want to go back inside and escape the heat, Prince always wanted to be wherever we were.

The First Signs

Prince enjoyed his new life in the Caribbean for a little over a year. In the last few months he showed some signs that we took as him being a lazy pug, but in hindsight we think were actually signs of back pain. His walking was a bit slower and we would have to usher him more to walk around outside to do his business. There was a day when he was slightly limping but it went away the next day. He wasn’t able to make any solid poops for months despite having the same kibble, switching to a bland diet, trying grain free alternatives, and giving him digestive powder from the vet. He also stopped jumping on the couch some days, but he never ever cried or whined in pain so we never thought to mention it to the vet.

A few weeks ago, I was cleaning his ears holding him firmly when all of a sudden afterwards he lost total control of his back legs, bladder, and bowel movements. He started screaming and writhing in pain like we’ve never seen before. It was terrifying and heartbreaking. At the direction of our vet we gave him a painkiller we had previously for Basil, but nothing stopped his screaming that night. Over the next week we took him to the vet several times. The x-ray showed that he had a severe herniated disc and would be on pain management until his spine could heal. The medicine helped… until it didn’t. He was on a concoction of various anti-inflammatories and painkillers – anything to help him sleep so he would stop screaming in and writhing in his bed. It was painful to watch but we were committed to having him heal so we could start trying to get his legs to work again.

At the direction of our vet, we put him in his crate with the door open so he wouldn’t move around so much. With less stimulation in the crate, it seemed to help him sleep more. He still wasn’t eating any solid food, and we had to syringe water and wet food into his mouth as he wasn’t hungry or thirsty on his own. He wasn’t screaming and writhing anymore though, and we thought that was great news. Two days of crate rest we woke to the impossible. Prince had passed in his sleep just a few feet from us in his crate.

Saying Goodbye

To be honest, this is all still very raw. We didn’t get to say goodbye to him. We weren’t expecting him to pass as we thought he was on the mend. We were simply inconsolable that day. I started to think about all the things I should’ve done. I should’ve seen the signs earlier, I should’ve kept him from jumping off the couch, I should’ve syringed him more food, I should’ve kept him next to me instead of in the crate, etc. All the things anyone grieving starts to think when processing a loss.

Cremation is not common on Curacao as most people will either bury their dogs or call the trash company to dispose of their deceased pet. Our vet had recommended a place that did cremations though, and we felt it important to keep his ashes with us. Prince was cremated that day and returned to us in a paper soup container. We keep him on our windowsill so he can still enjoy sunbathing next to his favorite toy, his blue rubber bone. He used to chew on that bone every single night in bed without fail.

Since his passing, it has been an adjustment. The house is quieter and lonelier without him even with 3 other dogs in the house. The other dogs are fairly independent and don’t like cuddling much, but Prince was our shadow. He always followed me into the bathroom, the kitchen, my office, anywhere I was. He slept on my pillow every night so I’d wake up face to face with him most mornings. He was the best loving pug I’ve ever known, and I’m so grateful for the time I got to share with him. Losing a member of the family is never easy, but the memories of him will stay with me for the rest of my life.