When one little pug could no longer produce babies for the puppy mill that she was at, the owners completely abandoned her. Left with nowhere to turn to, one animal shelter gave her a second chance at life. You won’t believe the kind of life she is leading now!
20. Puppy Mill
For the first seven years of her life, Fergie the pug was living at a puppy mill. Life inside of a puppy mill is not good for any dog as mill’s are seen as inhumane ways to breed dogs. So it is safe to say Fergie’s life didn’t start out easy.
19. Cramped
Throughout the seven years, Fergie was kept inside of a tiny cage that barely gave her room to breathe. She was forced to produce litter after litter for the mill and was never allowed to keep or see any of her puppies. They were all taken away immediately.
18. Health Problems
Since she was treated so poorly, Fergie began to develop a variety of health problems. Over the years, Fergie lost an eye, became deaf, developed deformed feet, and also developed horrible arthritis. The poor pup was riddled with health issues.
17. Sweet
Still, throughout the years at the mill, Fergie remained a sweet and loving pug. No amount of health issues could take away from her sweet demeanor. She was truly a fighter…
16. Abandoned
When Fergie could no longer breed any more puppies the mill completely lost any need of keeping her. She was promptly abandoned and then rescued by West Suburban Humane Society in Downers Grove, Illinois. The dog was so traumatized that she couldn’t stop shaking at the shelter…
15. Traumatized
Poor Fergie was so shaken up by her entire life experience that all she did was sit in the back of her cage at the shelter and shake. She refused to eat and or play or do anything at all! That’s when the shelter realized that she needed a temporary home.
14. Foster Home
The shelter decided that they would go on and look for the perfect foster home for Fergie to stay at. Eventually, they found the a home where Fergie could relax and begin to act more like herself. They saw an immediate change in her demeanor.
13. A Change
“She changed the minute she got in the door,” Jenny, Fergie’s foster mom, told The Dodo. “First night she was scared but the next morning she was completely different.” Once Fergie realized that she was in a caring home, her protective and loving nature started to shine through.
12. Foster Siblings
Fergie immediately got along with her bulldog foster siblings. Her foster mom instantly noticed just how protective she was of them and would always want them to be by her side. She also noticed that Fergie had a particular fondness for three toys that soon became her ‘babies’.
11. Great Mama
“She was a great momma, even with her fake babies,” Jenny said. “Always kept an eye on them and made sure they were always by her. For being the smallest, she was very protective over [her foster siblings] Georgia and Lincoln.”
10. Protector
“She made sure they were always safe. If someone knocked on the door she was first in front of them. We had to move her crate in Lincoln’s room because he would cry at night. Once we did he slept peaceful. She gave him a sense of calmness.”
9. Fergie Mama
Fergie soon received a brand new nickname from her foster family: Fergie Mama. The family only felt it was right since Fergie had been a mama her entire life and wanted to love and protect everyone around her. Finally, it was time to find Fergie a permanent home.
8. Facebook
Finally, it came time to find Fergie a forever home and the shelter decided to rely on Facebook to spread the word. They uploaded a photo of Fergie and provided a brief description of her. Many people liked and commented on the post but only one woman actually showed interest in adopting.
7. Couldn’t Refuse
“I saw her picture in a rescue advertisement and to me she was the one-eyed little wonder that I couldn’t refuse to adopt,” Elissa Bulgatz, Fergie’s mom, told The Dodo. Elissa headed over to the shelter immediately where she finally met Fergie in person and the connection was instant.
6. Falling In Love
“I fell in love with her the second I went to visit her. It’s still crazy to me that no one wanted to take a chance on her but me; it’s like it was meant to be.” Elissa knew that as soon as she saw the photo she needed Fergie in her life. Fergie’s foster mother also informed Elissa all about Fergie’s tragic past.
5. Home
“I was so curious to see how Fergie would react when I brought her home,” Bulgatz said. “Would she act like she did in the shelter? Would her personality change? When I adopted her, she knew. She found a family, she was home.”
4. Happy Pug
Since arriving in her forever home, Fergie has been the happiest pug around! She loves her new mama and adores her home. This is what she had been waiting for her entire life. Fergie’s maternal instincts are still around as well!
3. Still A Mother
“She got her ‘fake babies’ at her foster home from digging into a bin of toys to find three ‘babies’ at the bottom and she hasn’t let them go since,” Bulgatz said. “She licks and plays with them every day and will get stressed when she can’t find them, she’ll cry and pace back and forth until she finds them and then she’ll do a happy whine and lick and lick.”
2. Amazing
“I’ve never seen her interact or have any affection to any other toys, so it’s pretty amazing how much these little things mean to her and it shows just how good of a mother she was to her babies that were taken away from her.” It seems that Fergie was always meant to be a mother.
1. Lovable Dog
“People fall in love with [Fergie] when they meet her and they can’t help [but] have the biggest smile on their face when petting her,” Bulgatz said. “Once I explain her story, they fall in love with her even more. People walk away from her wanting a dog as special and compassionate as she is.”