Brady: The Valentine's Day Pug

Brady was Joe's gift to me on our first Valentine's Day after we got married. I had wanted a black pug for a long time, so I was very excited!

Comfort toys and Dumbo Ears

Joe and I both believe it is likely that Brady has some mental problems, or at the very least had some bad experiences when he was a puppy. We got him when he was young but he had been sold and returned by one set of owners before we got him. We don't know why they returned him or what happened to him, but when he got him he was an extremely terrified, nervous, sensitive little dog.

First, we have comfort toys. Brady grabs a toy, crams into his mouth and keeps it there until he is comfortable any time he is scared. He does this the most when people come over, and sometimes he will do it when we come home. He does it far less now, but he used to do it all the time. It is sometimes amusing watching him, he does not care what the toy is, it just needs to be close. I've seen him use socks and my slippers if he is in a clutch and they are closer then a toy! Size is also not an issue. In fact, I think the bigger the better. We used to have a couple toys that were larger then Brady, so when Brady used them the comfort toy worked really well- it protected him from even being seen!

Second, we have dumbo ears. This, combined with crouching and the comfort toys are the three major signs that Brady is upset. And when any of the three happen, we immediately comfort him. This has been our way of dealing with it from the beginning. Brady needs comfort more then anything else in the world. So, when he is scared, we provide as much comfort as possible so he knows he is safe. He is the most cuddly, squishy and huggable of all of our dogs. You can tote him around like a baby, thus why he is always our Baby Brady. He is also the smallest of all our dogs.

Brady grew attached to Otis before Otis grew attached to Brady. For the most part, Otis was not too keen on this little black pug we just threw into his life. Now they sleep together, play together and I don't know what would happen to Baby Brady if Otis was not around. I'm pretty sure Otis is his hero. And according to the photo above, he also makes a good pillow. Tell me Brady does not have the cutest sleeping face in the whole wide pug world? :)

Brady may be sensitive, but the little pug has some serious spunk too. Brady's whole entire world changed when we got Max. He became a ferocious little beast. I think Max became a giant comfort toy and combined with his already profound dependence on Otis, he now had something even bigger to protect him. Brady plays and fights with the Doberman's as though he was a Doberman. He can play fetch and run as fast as they do and when we let them outside to play, Brady will run and jump up on Max to antagonize him into playing. Having the Dobermans has allowed Brady to more fully experience his potential. He has gone so far from being a terrified little puppy who used comfort toys as a means of protection to a brave little pug who uses his friendship with all of our dogs as a mean of play and enjoyment.

Can you spot Baby Brady trying to play with the big pups??

Our relationship with each dog is completely different. And while Otis tends to get the congeniality vote, Brady is the pug that people veer to after time. Brady is the dog for the nurturers in the world, the people who love to comfort and take care of things. Brady is often the first dog we will pick up and the dog that gets a free pass to jumping on the couch for a quick pet even though we explicitly forbid this. There is just something inherently innocent and lovely about him. Joe and I love Brady so much, I can't imagine not having his sweet, wrinkled face to smoosh and kiss every day!