Lens And Leash: Who is this adoption story about?
Sean May: Bronson, my 5 year old male Pug Schipperke Mix.
Bronson – Photo By Pure Imagery San Diego
Lens And Leash: What made you decide to adopt?
Sean May: We had adopted a French Bulldog (Sunny) about 6 months before that and the trainer we were working with recommended that we get a puppy to help her fulfill her motherly instincts, since she was bred in a puppy mill and never got to raise any of her pups.
Bronson With His Sister Sunny
Lens And Leash: When and where did you adopt Bronson?
Sean May: We adopted Bronson in June 2013 from the Salt Lake County Animal Services.
Bronson On His First Day In His Forever
Lens And Leash: How old was Bronson when you adopted him and do you know anything about his life before you adopted him?
Sean May: He was approximately 6 months old when we adopted him. They said that he was a stray running around the streets of Salt Lake City. We found that to be very odd since Schipperke’s are a pretty rare breed. Since he was completely black, he was on the top of the kill list at that time so there was a “Tuxedo” event going on at the shelter. This meant that any black animals could be adopted at a very low fee to increase the adoption rates. We learned that all black animals have a very low chance of being adopted and they are almost always the first to be euthanized.
Photo By Pure Imagery San Diego
Lens And Leash: What made you decide to adopt Bronson specifically?
Sean May: My sister had 2 pugs at the time and we absolutely loved their personalities. We were looking for a pug and Bronson came up on Pet Finder. The listing said he was a pug but from the pictures he really didn’t look anything like a pug. My girlfriend at the time said that she was going to go see him on her way into work. I got a call later that day from her saying that we were going to adopt him but I had to pick him up in a couple days because there was a complication during the first neutering surgery. So I actually never met Bronson before picking him up. He was still affected by the drugs from the second neutering surgery and he was so scared when I picked him up but he was ready to come home with me.
Lens And Leash: What is your favorite quirk about Bronson?
Sean May: There are a couple; he squeaks when he yawns, he sits on his hind legs with his front paws in the air (I call it the Buddha pose) when he wants something and he crawls up onto my shoulder whenever I’m sitting down.
Bronson In The “Buddha” Pose – Photo By Pure Imagery San Diego
Lens And Leash: Did you have to do any training with him after you adopted him?
Sean May: Yep, we worked with a professional trainer for the first couple months since we were already working with a trainer for our other adopted pup.
Photo By Pure Imagery San Diego
Lens And Leash: What tips or pieces of advice would you offer to people that are looking to adopt for the first time?
Sean May: When adopting a puppy, you may run into some issues with potty training and messes in the house so you might have to be very patient but it is all worth it in the end.
Bronson “Putting Up” With His Sister Sunny Sitting On Him
Lens And Leash: Would you adopt again and would you adopt from the same shelter/rescue?
Sean May: Yep, I loved how the shelter did a special event for black dogs.
To learn more about the Salt Lake County Animal Services, click here.
My husband and I also had a Schipperke/Pug mix. Her name is Lovey, and when my husband moved away, Lovey went with him, and I kept her sister, a black pomeranian. Lovey was the most well behaved and smart dog either of us had ever seen, and the combination of the two breeds was wonderful. At the time we got her from a small pet shop and there were about 10 in the litter. They were all in a child’s playpen and they were just 8 weeks old, and you never saw such a bunch of CUTE! They all wanted us to pick them up, but my husband searched until he found the smallest puppy and luckily it was a female. I didn’t really care about which, but he wanted a female, not for breeding, just because. We did have her spayed at an early age, as we did the Pomeranian. It seems unfair to a dog to not have them neutered because it causes so many problems with them when the females are in heat, and a male dog will naturally want to wander away if there is a female anywhere near, so the only sensible thing to do is to neuter. No muss, no fuss. I am so pleased to find another Schip-Pug online that I just had to write to share my love of the combination of these two breeds. I would recommend to anyone wanting a puppy not to hesitate to pick one of the awesome dogs.