By Isabel Merriman
Bugg is a ten-month-old shepherd/retriever mix. He was delivered by Friendship APL in Elyria to Scott Smith, Kate Riley, and their dogs Bam Bam a shepherd/retriever mix rescue, and Lady, a border collie mix.
During the pandemic, the couple decided they wanted to rescue another dog. "We had submitted an application to Friendship APL and joined the puppy deliver adoption page," says Kate. The couple did not have a specific breed in mind when searching for a new addition to their family. However, when they came across Bugg's litter on Facebook, they were on board since they already had a great experience with the breed. Scott was the one who picked out Bugg from his litter. "Scott was supposedly taking a nap and then yelled downstairs that he got us a black puppy named Tucker (now Bugg), and he was very excited," says Kate. Since the couple adopted through a delivery page, Bugg was delivered to their home.
Bugg is energetic and loving. He loves playing. Bugg rarely stops playing except for the occasional power nap. Bugg is not one to play fetch. Instead, he prefers to chase Lady "while she plays fetch and jumps over her when she's running back with the ball," says Kate. Bugg loves to pounce and snuggle on the couch. Additionally, he has started to enjoy laying and rolling around in the leaves outside. Bugg has helped Bam Bam, their three-year-old shepherd/retriever mix, break out of his shell.
Greg contacted Kate after she posted a picture of Bugg on Facebook. Kate was shocked when Greg reached out to her about the book. "Greg asked me to fill out a survey. When I got home, I immediately called my husband and told him I made a huge mistake." She was worried about how Bugg would behave during the shoot. "When we showed up, I was convinced we were going to waste Greg's time, and Bugg wasn't going to be cooperative." She soon realized that was not the case! It took a little bit for Bugg to warm up to Greg. However, he loved peanut butter. Kate says, "Greg was super nice and calm and didn't rush trying to get Bugg to warm up to the whole situation. He calmed me down by saying Bugg was doing great, and by the end of the shoot, Bugg was sitting between Greg's feet and didn't want to leave!" Although Kate had her concerns before the shoot, Bugg was one of four dogs who made the book's cover!
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