Pugs was purchased in Cullman, Alabama and then trained to be a service dog for Debra Stanulevich who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Within the first year Deb's c-pap machine quit working in the middle of the night. Pugs immediately jumped into action by whining, licking her face, and barking. Pugs constant vigilance woke Deb up and she immediately ripped her c-pap mask off her face, gasping for breath. An immediate bond between the two formed from there.
A few months later Deb slurred her words, her pupils dilated and she was confused and disoriented. Pugs again jumped into action by licking, whining, and barking. The dogs activity alerted others who called an ambulance. The hospital took some tests, evaluated her situation, and sent her home. The next day Pugs alerts notified the family once again and an ambulance was called. The family requested that she be taken to a different hospital, Cullman Regional Medical Center, and Deb was diagnosed with mini-strokes.
In 2009 Deb had a breast reduction due to medical issues(disc degenerative disease). while she was recovering at home the wound bled profusely. Pugs whined and barked alerting the family something was wrong. The EMT's could not stop the bleeding and Deb was rushed to the emergency room. Her doctor met her there after the nurses applied pressure for thirty five minutes. The doctor claimed that it was old blood and released her. This went on for six months until Deb bled during a doctor's appointment and the doctor acknowledged that it was new blood, cauterized it and then sent her home.Pugs slept by her side the whole night.
The second surgery on her breasts were to fix the doctor's previous mistakes. He has left huge masses under her arms. Three days after the surgery Deb was sent to the doctor's office for a follow up where he removed the stitches. Stitches are to be removed 14 days after surgery, not 3. When Deb was home the surgery site opened up and Pugs constant barking alerted the family and an ambulance was immediately called. While the family applied pressure to the surgery site the ambulance could not find the house. Pugs busted out the door and ran down the street barking. A few minutes later Pugs returned with the ambulance following her.
The staff at the hospital's ER room were panicked. The blood would not stop flowing and they could not get a hold of a surgeon. Eventually one was located and the nurses took a white blanket and packed it against the surgery site to prevent a trail of blood down the hallway as Deb was wheeled into surgery. The family waited until she was stabilized and wheeled into her room before going home.
Pugs was home whining and barking when the family arrived home. The house was cleaned up; the blood made the home look like a murder scene. Pugs quit barking, but stilled whined all night. The next morning the family took Pugs to the hospital, but the staff would not allow Pugs to enter the hospital even though she was a service dog. Pugs was left in the locked vehicle with the engine running and air conditioner blowing for an hour while the family checked in on Deb. When the family returned to the vehicle Pugs was asleep, but still whining. Later in the evening Deb called the house from her hospital room and the family put her on speaker while Deb talked to Pugs. Finally the dog stopped whining; Pugs just wanted to make sure that her master was still alive!
In 2009 Deb fell in the bathroom and hit her head on the tub. Pugs licked her face and whined until a family member arrived home. An ambulance was called and Deb was taken to the Emergency Room for tests. Pugs kept Deb conscious enough to prevent her from slipping into a coma.
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