Grumble is what these pugs do not

Dogs are more than people’s best friends — they provide us with opportunities to make even more friends.

A grumble of pugs meet at Cafe Bones in Leichhardt’s Hawthorn Canal Reserve every Saturday morning. They are members of  the Pug Grumble group in the Inner West. Naturally, their owners are, too!

So, guys, what's the agenda for the day? Photo: Louise Donnelly

These pugs are anything but pugnacious. They come here seeking fun and playing

hide and seek at the back of the cafe. And they are never short of treats.

Peta Rogers, who initiated Pug Grumble, says while they have been meeting at the Reserve and Cafe Bones for over three years, she doesn't see themselves as a club, more as a group of like-minded people — and equally like-minded pugs. She has two pugs named Knuckles and Peggy.

Recalling how the group started, Peta says when Knuckles was a puppy they would go to the local off-leash dog park at the Reserve for Knuckles to play, and over the months met a number of other pug owners.

Janet feeding the pugs. Photo: Louis Donnelly

Hide & seek at the back of Cafe Bones. Photo: Louise Donnelly

Clockwise from bottom left: Cody, Mouse, Norton, Grace and Buddy. Photo: Louise Donnelly

“Pugs and other flat-faced dog breeds have a particular way of playing and I find they tend to gravitate towards each other and so we became friends through our pugs,” Peta says.

“We have participated in the RSPCA Million Paws Walk as a group for the last two years. We also meet for breakfast and events such as Dog Lovers’ Show. We love our pugs, and all dogs, so we have a lot in common and enjoy sharing our love of pugs with each other.”

Asked why there seems to be so many pugs living in the Inner West, Peta says while she loves all dogs, the pug is the right breed for her and people living in the Inner West. 

She says while they are tough and love to play, they also love to sleep and cuddle. They are quiet and don’t bark all day, and thus are good dogs to have in an area where the houses are all very close together. 

“They don’t start fights and won’t chase other animals. I’ve even met some who are best friends with cats, and Knuckles loves my pet parrot so much that she lets him sit on her back and clean her fur,” says Peta.

Many in the Pug Grumble group seem to have more than one pug in the family — Knuckles and Peggy, Norton and Mouse, Grace and Cody, Biscuit and Pikelet, and Max and Macey, just to name a few. Why all this buddying?

Peta says pug owners all have their reasons but for her, she couldn’t stand the idea of Knuckles being home alone all day whenever she’s at work. Pugs, she says, are very social dogs and can sometimes get separation anxiety if left alone for too long. She got Peggy from a rescue shelter two years ago when Peggy was six.

Pepper lapping up Cafe Bones special Puppuccino. Photo: Louise Donnelly

Peter and Ella - quality time. Photo: Louise Donnelly

“Pugs really have a big dog personality in a small body. What makes me incredibly happy to have a pug is the effect they have on everyone who meets them. I can be walking down the street with my girls and people's faces will light up when they see them. They make me and everyone else smile and laugh and there is nothing better than that.

Peta says being in the Pug Grumble group is a wonderful way to get to know people and the sense of community within the group is great.

“I have met some wonderful people just from simply owning a pug — or two — so I can thank my pugs for some of the best friendships and support I have,” she says.