Hi there! My name is Kristy and I am the person behind Pugoween. I am a pug mum to senior pug Ref and albino pug puppy Jellybean, as well as a foster carer & volunteer for Pug Patrol Rescue Australia. You may know me from my blog The Pug Diary or my shop Pugs & Co. I am also a photographer over at KMB Creatives.
I started Pugoween in 2016 after I organised my first fundraiser in December 2015 and realised it was a little too close to Christmas for it to be really successful. I loved the idea of pugs getting dressed up to raise money for charity and what better time of year than Halloween. Although Halloween has never been huge in Australia, dressing pugs up was just too fun to not make it big. And so the Pugoween event was born.
Pugoween is held in Wollongong as I run the Wollongong Pugs pug meet group which is a small group of pug parents who come together on the 2nd Sunday of the month with their pugs to enjoy a morning of pug rumbles.
Being able to raise money for pug rescue means the world to me. It is a small way that I can give back to the rescues that do so much for the breed. As a mum of a rescue pug, I can’t thank them enough for their hard work.
So far I have raised over $13k for pug rescue.
The reason Pugoween is the most important event in my calendar each year is because of my pugs, Ref & Serina. They are my entire world.
Ref is a 12 year old boy that I have had the pleasure of having in my life since he was an 8 week old puppy. I was very naive when I got him but he opened me to an entire new world with the pug community, especially the pug rescue community & the health of pugs & wellbeing of all pugs.
Serina was an 11 year old girl that I was incredibly lucky to adopt in 2016. She came to me as a very scared little girl, her history not known when she arrived into pug rescue due to being pulled from a puppy farm by RSPCA. She needed a safe and loving home to become the pug that she truly was. I gave her that and she gave me her unwavering devotion in return. Serina passed away on 2.11.2022.
I am now the proud pug mum to a gorgeous 6 month old albino rescue pug, Jellybean.
Over the recent years, I have truly understood why pug rescue needs so much money to care for the pugs in their care. I have experienced numerous health problems with the pugs, mainly Serina and have spent thousands of dollars on their care. They are worth every cent just as is every pug in the care of pug rescue. I will continue to raise as much money for pug rescue as I possibly can.