U of O fraternity holds charity event for Pugalug Pug Rescue
Siyuan (Emily) Fu | Fulcrum Contributor
Photos provided by Benjamin Sammut
Students and pug lovers gathered at Morisset Terrace on Oct. 17 to participate in Hugs for Pugs, a charity event hosted by the University of Ottawa’s Lambda Theta chapter of Sigma Chi fraternity.
For a $2 donation, partakers were able to give a hug to either a pug or a fraternity brother. All proceeds went to Pugalug Pug Rescue, a Toronto-based rescue centre that shelters and re-homes abandoned or surrendered pugs with the help of donations. Since 2005, they have successfully found homes for almost 250 pugs.
Benjamin Sammut, a Sigma Chi brother and the event’s organizer, said the idea for Hugs for Pugs occurred to him when he heard that the rescue had recently met with some financial struggles and could not afford surgeries for some of their pugs.
“I currently have three pugs adopted from Pugalug, so I’ve been associated with them for a while now,” Sammut explained. “Helping them was really important to me and my family.”
The undeniable star of the event was Sammut’s nine-pound, five-year-old pug named Cocoa, a successful Pugalug adoptee who was brought to the event from her new home in Orangeville, Ont. by Sammut’s parents, Andrea and Joe, to enjoy the afternoon and put a face on the initiative.
According to Andrea Sammut, the “cute factor” plays into many purchases and adoptions of pugs that don’t last.
“People will often buy cute pug puppies from unreliable breeders, stores, and off of Kijiji, but when these pugs have health problems from unreliable breeding that their owners didn’t expect, they end up being tossed out,” she said.
Cocoa herself was found abandoned in an apartment and needed surgery on her legs after being rescued.
“Pugalug is very careful with who they send their pugs to,” said Andrea. “They have home inspections and intake inspections so that the pugs don’t risk being homeless again.”
Matthew Staton, a first-year U of O student and pug-hugging participant, agreed.
“Pugs tend to have a lot of health complications as a breed, so it’s great that [Sigma Chi] is raising money for surgeries,” said Staton. “This is a fantastic cause, and Sigma Chi has done a great job with bringing attention to it.”
Hugs for Pugs is one of Sigma Chi’s three main philanthropic events. The other two are the annual Derby Days (a fundraiser for the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario) and Homeless for the Homeless.
“Ben has done a really good job running this event,” said Trevor Patterson, the fraternity’s philanthropy chair.
Sammut has high hopes of making Hugs for Pugs an annual U of O event as well.
“We’ll judge it by its success, but that is the long-term goal,” he said, and added that people who were not able to attend the event can raise awareness of pugs in need by “donating, fostering, and maybe eventually adopting.”
By the end of the six-hour event, Sigma Chi-Lambda Theta had raised more than $560 for Pugalug Pug Rescue—good news for the organizers, but even better news for the pugs.
