First, some basic stuff, like dates:

          I was born on November, 25, 1996, and joined my family in July, 1999.  I got my AKC Canine Good Citizen rating in May 2004, and was certified a therapy dog with Caring Canines in June, 2004.

My favorite food treats:

          My number one favorite treat is peanut butter.  I only get this as a special treat, and it is definitely my absolute favorite.  I also like: carrots, broccoli, corn on the cob (Dad holds the ear for me), green beans, watermelon (this is my second favorite, especially on hot summer days), oranges (my Dad lets me have only one or two pieces) and an apple slice or two when Mom is making a pie.

My favorite likes, dislikes and activities:

          Going to work as a therapy dog is the greatest even though it's a lot of work.  I love meeting people, performing tricks for them and having them pet me.  I love to walk with Mom at 5:00 a.m. when the air is cool and brisk. I like walking and playing in the snow, but water, except to drink, is something to avoid at all costs.  This includes rain, bath, puddles, the ocean, and lawn sprinklers.  I like to soak up the sun on the lawn or at the front door.  Helicopters, airplanes and large birds scare me, but everyone assures me that these things are OK.  Riding in the car is the best, especially when I can ride on someone's lap and look out the window.  In the fall it's fun to run through the neatly raked stacks of dry leaves Mom and Dad gathers for me.  (At least I think they are for me.)  Investigating Grandma's yard is always a good time.  On very cold winter nights it's great to be allowed on the bed.  Sometimes my favorite activity is absolutely no activity at all.

My favorite friends:

          Some of my favorite friends are: my Caring Canine visiting partners, all the pets and people in the neighborhood, the folks at Pug Rescue of New England(*), the dance lady at school, firemen and police officers I see on my walks and, of course my extended family.

A little of my history:

          When I was young I was with people that did not want me.  They said I was very, very naughty.  A vet took me to Pug Rescue of New England(*), and they helped me find a family that was willing to adopt me.

          In the beginning, was very afraid of almost everything, noises and fast moving things scared me, and I did not like getting too near people.  My new parents wanted me to wear a harness and leash, but I gave them  lots of trouble getting on the harness.  If they got it on me, I could get it off in two seconds.  I also behaved terribly when riding in a car.

          My new Mom and Dad and their two daughters kept telling me that everything was OK and showed me that good things can happen when you behave nicely.  Putting on the harness and leash meant I would be going out for a walk and riding in the car meant something interesting might happen soon.  I discovered that one of the daughters had an awesome lap and the other gave a super dog massage. I got lots of walks with each of the family.  I decided that trying to be well behaved was a good thing, and, guess what, all kinds of good things began to happen!  Visits to the pet store, meeting and greeting dog and human buddies on my walks and toys to play with were rewards for being a good boy. Mom and Dad would take me to visit Grandma who has a big fenced in yard that I can run around in, and I'm the only one that she lets dig in her garden.

          My family taught me fun things to do for treats: sitting, laying down, shaking hands, twirling like a dancer.  After a few years, my Dad thought that we could celebrate my good work by taking part in a school performance of the Nutcracker ballet.  I did three pirouettes in the prologue scene.  The dance lady invited me to come back and help in a dance routine with the music from Men In Black.

          Dad and I often visit my other Grandma in a retirement community and I like visiting with the people there very much.  Dad thought that visiting with people might be a good job for me.  We polished up our skills and started my AKC Canine Good Citizen rating.  We applied to and joined Caring Canines Visiting Therapy Dogs.  And, I really like this job!  We visit so many nice people and I get lots of attention.  We also get to work with some great Caring Canine buddies.  When Dad pulls out our visiting stuff, I really get excited and can't wait to get going!

(*) NOTE: If you would like to adopt (or surrender) a pug or if you just like pugs, please visit this web site: www.pugrescueofnewengland.org.  They have a picture of me helping dancers with their performance!  Other breeds have similar sites on the Internet as well.

A note from Joseph's Dad:  Joseph and his family wish to thank all who helped Joseph along his way to having a great job.

Read about Joseph and his sister, Lilo:  Rescued Pugs to the Rescue