I have had both...
Our previous Pug was Lucy who we were lucky lived to 12 very loved years with us. We spent two years researching breeders and met her uncle and aunt and decided to get her from a particular breeder.
-By one year old she had two different Opthomologists who managed to save her eye. For the rest of her life it was constant checkups and daily eyedrops.
-Multiple episodes of knee problems.
-Allergies and hot spots.
-Tons of "backward sneezes" which is known for bracheocephalic dogs.
-Cancer diagnosis at age 9 which led to a few surgeries and then we decided to put her on good pain management and just loved the snot out of her until we lost her.
So... We lost Lucy last January, then my Father-In-Law, then several aunts, my wife got diagnosed with M.S. etc. Could not stand the way things were going. Lucy often attended "PugALug" events so I started to watch the dogs which came into the system.
This poor guy was put into rescue and stayed in this box the entire first day. The story broke my heart because I felt the same way at the time. I had followed his journey from when they first talked about this incoming gentle giant (as far as Pugs go he is huge; especially compared to Lucy who was tiny):
So, I put in the application with references etc and we were lucky enough to get chosen for a home visit and ultimately he became our dog when the adoption became finalized.
This big fella was a beacon of light in what was a dark year:
He took his time getting used to us and it took a good 8 months for him to really be "ours". I had no idea what his words were for going to the bathroom etc.
I have all of his vet records but I have no idea who bred him etc. He was 8 when we got him and I always told him that he was "8 and great" and now he is "9 and fine". Poor bugger had fleas twice in his life and was mauled by another dog at 5 and almost lost his eye. Expensive eye drops again and I watch that eye which is probably 90% blind like a hawk. Guy is robust though. Has allergies but we have learned a lot from them.
I look forward to getting home from work every day so I can spend a couple hours just chilling with him. He actually loves other dogs even though he was badly mauled. Just loves dogs and children. So... We would love to get him a buddy but the ongoing debate. I would love to adopt another dog. My wife wants another black Pug puppy... Gah... I hated the puppy training. Multiple grades of dog school which was enjoyable and every progression Lucy made was something to celebrate. Then again... It sure is nice to give a good dog a good home and just have them settle in. I can't fix the crap that happened in this Pug's life before we adopted him; but we sure can make his golden years as good as they can be.
There are lots of lovable mutts out there who need good homes. However, there are also a lot of breed specific rescues and there are amazing dogs in these places needing homes. One of the supervisors at my work lost his Newfoundlander and adopted one from "NewFriends" or something like that which is a Newfoundlander rescue. He also rescued a Burmese Mountain Dog from a Burmese rescue group. Great way to have your cake and eat it too. Get the breed you want and you have an idea going in what their health situation is.
I know that Buddy will not be with us super long but I know to value and treasure every moment with him. When Lucy got her cancer diagnosis I made a point to enjoy every moment with her. Tears flow easily if I linger on her pictures too long but the healing is coming along.
A puppy is no guarantee of a long life with a dog. I have seen a lot of people lose dogs at a young age due to some weird genetic issue or something or other. At least we got 12 years with Lucy. Sad how many dogs die before 5 (although I see a lot less of that with the mutts).
