The Pug That Everybody Loved!

I've never really considered myself much of a dog lover but much to my surprise a short, wrinkled faced Pug  recently put that belief to the test.  It was a warm day in the middle of September and I was sitting at an outdoor patio having lunch with my friend Nancy.  As we were enjoying the weather in a shaded area away from the blazing sun, I noticed out of the corner of my eye a white coated Pug who was having its leash secured to a fence by its owner.  She apparently was about to do a bit of shopping at the grocery store and intended on leaving her dog outside.

There was a slight breeze that would reveal itself from time to time but if you didn't have the protection of the shade, the intensity of the sun made sitting outside a bit uncomfortable.  As the owner gave her dog a rub behind the ears and headed into the grocery store, you could almost immediately tell that she was going to be sorrowly missed.  The Pug started off with a mild whimper that slowly grew in both volume and duration, while at the same time stretching its head up in the air and rotating it in a telescope like fashion as it searched for its owner.  The little Pug definitely got our attention but soon we weren't the only ones. 

Perhaps it was my own ignorance as a non-dog guy but I have to admit that I was caught off guard at the number of passerbys who took a moment to pause from whatever it is they were doing to show concern for the little Pug.  Because Nancy and I were the only ones in the vicinity, we were asked numerous times, "Is that your dog?" or "Do you know where his owner is?"

At one point, a group of about a half of dozen people walked by and each and every one of them stopped to acknowledge the dog in some way.  Including a young lady who went so far as getting a plastic container filled with cold water for the Pug to drink.

By this time, the little Pug was soaking up all the attention (literally) and acts of kindness and was clearly loving it. The one that probably floored me the most had to be the guy who stopped and gave the dog a drink out of his own metal water bottle!

I'm not kidding!


After reflecting on that experience a couple days later and replaying the image of a happy little Pug bouncing up and down because of all the attention he was getting, I spent some time thinking about how much of an impact we can have if we stopped and took the time to notice others?  What kind of difference can we make to someone's day if we sacrificed a little bit of our own? The possibilities are truly endless and the ability to do so lies in our hands.

I've written numerous times about the fact that leadership isn't defined by title or position, it has much more to do with the difference and impact we can make.  The situation will always determine what that looks like so don't count on the approach always being the same.  In the case of the Pug, a rub behind the ears was sufficient but I'm guessing that the people in your world will most likely need a bit more.


See you on the court! Follow me on Twitter @TheAudman