Bucky's Galatic Wisdom

Preface: All You Need

You may be wondering if this is another of those charming tomes which sets out to explain that all you need to know in life can be learned by interaction and observation of pugs. Well, that would certainly put you on track and you’d be half right already. Of course you can’t be all right without benefit of more time and effort with understanding pugs. I wish the most success possible!

Some days are just too busy, too crowded, and it seems like everything is completely incorporated. In such times, the mind needs something substantial to center itself on less we sink deeper into some meaningless aspect of whatever is currently fashionable.

We’ve all felt the wonder of giving in to a creative urge or to simply stay still and admire the beauty of things. Such an effort involves clearing the mind of complexities and there where you’d least expect, profound things may develop.

Everything I need to escape from the stress and heaviness of the world can be learned from observing and interacting with Bucky. Bucky does not communicate intelligently with spoken language and neither reads nor writes. This does nothing to blunt his impact. Bucky is a Pug dog living around the turn of the twenty-first century on the planet earth.

I’ve tried by best to impart what I’ve learned from Bucky in these pages and if I’ve succeeded to even a small percentage, I’m certain the world will be a better place and this will be time well spent for you and I.

The musings that follow occur in no particular order but rather follow the way of the pug which is sometimes described as “like a butterfly”.

I have no desire to steal the thunder or teach the reader about the spirit and wonder of pugs except by the examples I’ve noticed and the extra bits and snippets of knowledge that have occurred to me along the line. Therefore, I’ve tried to keep things simple in the telling and at the end of each chapter I will offer some things to consider before moving on. It is most probable that you’ll need to have your own encounter with a pug in order to receive the spark of imagination and creativity necessary for total enlightenment on these subjects but you never know for sure. Useful knowledge comes to people in many different ways.


Chapter 1: Mythology

The planet Zorcon is in the outer galaxy beyond the grasp and knowledge of earth people. From here, rumors existed that there were other planets encircled by moons made of pure cheese. Pugs left Zorcon in search of these moons and though they were in fact misguided, they eventually found the way to earth and discovered seemingly infinite varieties of cheese . They decided to stay and made inroads into earth culture in roles resembling that of a court jester or the emperor’s prize pet. Since a pug is a natural clown anyway, it was an easy life and eventually led to the situation which exists today where pugs are not expected to do anything to earn their keep.

Some things to consider:
How did pugs travel?
What was life on Zorcon really like?
How did the pugs communicate with each other?

Chapter 2: Earthly Origins of Pugs

Why pugs? This is the type of question that comes to you when you are not physically or mentally connected with a pug. You’ve heard about how different breeds of dogs have evolved over time to serve some purpose be it herding, hunting, protecting, or whatever. Again you wonder, what purpose for pugs? They are not especially useful as working animals. It is believed that the earthly origin of pugs was in China perhaps two or three thousand years ago. They were supposedly kept as companion animals for emperors or monks. These are the type of people known for pursuing wisdom which brings us to the simple conclusion that pugs had a part in the pursuit of wisdom. This little dog can more than earn his keep in the same manner today if we only allow the message to come through all the noise of the modern world.

Some things to consider:
How on earth could anyone practice meditation if a pug lived nearby? They are so well known for barking, snoring, or going mad for attention.
Do pugs have a Chinese temperament? If so, how is it expressed?
Are there perhaps some ancient texts that would provide more background for the role of pugs in the establishment of civilized society? Where would one go to look for this evidence?

Chapter 3: Living In The Now

The way most humans experience life in their minds is sort of like a compendium swinging from the past to the future and back again. What happened to me? What might happen to me? This perspective is very foreign to pugs who live in the one true eternal moment which is called Now. This is why you would seldom notice any sign of stress on a pug’s face. The pug is either snoring or making a mad dash toward the most interesting thing life has to offer. The fact that this “interesting thing” might change in midstream is of no consequence whatsoever to a pug.

Some things to consider:
Isn’t it horrible to think that one could exist without having pleasant memories of some past event or not?
What would it be like to experience concepts such as “good” and “bad” without any more emotion than one should assign to red light and green light?
What must it be like when even your dreams are in the Now?

Chapter 4: No Need to Be Exact
A lot of the complexity and bother in life comes about because of the need to be exact in describing things that seem to be important. As usual, the pug offers an example of a better way. When a pug needs to explain something or answer a question, there is a simple response that always suffices. “About that much!” This thought is communicated either through brain waves (helped by eye contact) or with the human simply annunciating these very words for the pug such as “well, it’s about that much”. Just as important as the thought, that action is, and the required action in this instance is to move on. Don’t linger or make further attempt to expound or explain yourself or anything else.

Some things to consider:
Practice “about that much” by cutting short some of your explanations. Let others have the honor of filling in the blanks sometimes.
If you are aware that something is going to happen a certain way regardless, what difference will it make if you say something about it?
How does it feel when your “short and sweet” response is both respected and understood?

Chapter 5: The Value of Being Insistent

We’ve all heard the saying that you there are times when you can’t get something unless you ask for it. Pugs take this concept a step farther to help insure a better chance for success. When a pug wants something, there are three basic strategies:

Eye Contact - Pugs have large googly eyes that plead for something like there is no tomorrow. If one doesn’t immediately give in to this, a sense of guilt will come along with the wonder at what bad karma might result from continued denial of this pug.
Paw Contact – Basically the pug will step on your toes. Not only can this cause a bit of pain, but one there is some concern for the welfare of the pug. Better give in.
Barking – Eye and paw contact are not mutually exclusive, so prepare for the possibility that the pug may keep up both of these strategies while beginning to bark. The pug may also attempt to make circles around you while barking. The best way to shut the pug up is to give in.

Some things to consider:
The next time you really want something and require the assistance of another in obtaining it, try using something other than words to drive home the necessity.
Why are pugs a very rare sight in a obedience school?

Chapter 6: The Value of Being Flexible

What would an exercise in galactic wisdom be without some contradiction? Pugs definetly achieved their standing in the world today by being insistent, however, they also can be very flexible. Or should I say whimsical?

Anyway, in ancient times pugs spent a lot of time in chasing butterflies. If you’ve every tried this, you’ll know that it is hard to catch something that travels an unpredictable path. Pugs learned to chase butterflies and keep at it so long as it were fun. There is always that certain moment when it is best to give up, and pugs developed this into an art. So after going this way and that, the pug might suddenly turn and run off in a different direction as though something more important just occurred to him. That which was learned in butterfly chasing became a skill that pugs have employed in other parts of their lives.

I’ve convinced after observing Bucky over a period of years, that not even he would know just what prompted the sudden change of direction or in fact, what will happen next. Instead, the pug just heads out and keeps moving until the eyes come upon something new and exciting.

Some things to consider:
When you find yourself in a rut, try heading off in a different direction and keep going until something new or worthwhile appears.
Instead of living a life filled with dogged determination, you should sometimes just give up when you don’t get what you are after and transfer your energy toward obtaining a new desire.

Chapter 7: Catch Me if You Can

Pugs have a great need to be sought after or even chased by humans or other animals. They will find a way to make you want to get your hands on them and hold them up for the whole world to say “look here at this ridiculous pug”. Before you can have this honor, you must catch them and this may not be an easy task. They instinctively head for small, tight, or cramped places that also afford easy access to get in and out of. Pugs are proud of their ability to make people run in circles. They show off this pride by stopping to taunt their pursuer before throwing their head back and running down the random path of life.

Some things to consider:
Rather than standing still to argue with someone, try teasing and then moving away from them. Before they tire of the chase, they might learn something about what you were trying to say without all the words or friction.
When you catch a pug, you must be ready for strong displays of affection. Likewise, in human interaction try giving out a little love and then find out if people are more agreeable to your wishes.

Appendix: Some more specific observations about Pugs
A Pug is a type of dog that is thought to have been bred specifically to sit in the lap of luxury. They come in shades of black and fawn. Their eyes are big and buggy and the nose is flatter than a green onion pancake. Their bodies are soft and furry, and not much larger than a piglet when full grown. They have little tails that curl up over their backs. The tail can wag too, but doesn't make a big production of it. The tail will come down between the legs if there is any sense of shame, but it is not desirable or even natural for a pug to feel shame. They are by nature self assured and happy.
A pug has nice, sturdy paws that always seem a little larger than what you'd expect from a small dog. You'll often find them stepping around in a circle, carefully approaching a visitor and then dancing away from the person's outstretched arms, if only to return a moment later and step squarely on their victim's toe. And who can forget? Pugs are noisy little animals! They'll bark when alarmed or hungry and they'll bark when being playful. A pug will bark before asking a question and a pug would rather bark than listen to what anyone has to say. A pug has a little sausage shaped body and he uses sturdy paws to brace himself on the ground. Yet still the effort does not provide enough stability to keep him from lurching back or forward when barking. If you need an image here, think of a toy cannon that jumps back from the force of firing.
Now less you get the wrong idea, these little fellows have plenty of other ways to communicate besides barking. In fact, I've come to believe that barking is a type of physical therapy (get the "willies" out) for pugs and an outright nonsensical use of language. Pugs have more delightful ways to express themselves. There's the "roo" which resides on the calmer side of the vocal spectrum. The roo is used for gentle scolding as well as declarations of grandeur. The roo is repeated in a sing-song manner with some notes sustained for emphasis. The head is listed upward and the eyes gaze out with the general air that this speaker has something important to say. The roo is the pug's small voice, but watch out for it will disarm and charm the listener and thereby give the pug yet another source of power.
Next we'll speak of the pug's eyes which are large and very expressive. They are often used to lull one to a false sense of security. What we're speaking of here is the proverbial calm before a storm! The pug has his own weather system which manifests as spray. The pug will step in close and proceed to walk across arms, legs, stomach, shoulders, chest, etc. until at last he stands no more than an inch from your face. This is where the trauma of the inspection begins and any good pug worth his weight in popcorn will allow the tension to rise until it becomes unbearable. Suddenly its over! A blast of pug spray right in the face and now the view of the pug's rear-end as he walks back across your body in whatever manner might suite his fancy. Don't bother him now unless you want to restart the whole process. Anyway, he's just looking for a place to rest. A pug's favorite lounging area is alongside a knee or ankle where upon the little head can lie peacefully. A nice, warm, and cuddly companion you have there now, yes? Pug spray may contain some somnambulant chemical quality that allows a person to relax and go with the flow, or perhaps you can come up with a better explanation for why someone would allow themselves to be stomped and sprayed?
Pugs belong to the group of dogs with flat faces. Essentially, this means the pug is a noisy breather and pound for pound, a truly world class practitioner of the art of snoring. As we've learned already, the pug will charm or otherwise maneuver his way to a prime spot beside you where you can easily imagine an engineer calling "all aboard for the sleepy town express!" And so it goes, a large assortment of snoring and blubbering sounds emanating from one sleeping pug. Perhaps every now and then he'll lookup to bark at something real or imagined. Older pugs are less likely to bother investigating such disturbances as they have learned that life in general is cozy, serene, and not likely to change during naptime.
Why does a pug exist? Well the true answer to this question revolves around the depletion of cheese and other favorite pug eats but let's try and dig deeper, shall we? I'm convinced that pugs have worked out their own very practical philosophy. I call it "living the Now". There are toys and children to chase, and leaves falling along with any number of mundane disturbances in the world. A pug will leave his course to give chase to such wonders only to be redirected again and again by this glorious thing called Now. Watch him go! The head is tilted back, the ears flop wildly from side to side, and the paws grope for traction. What pleases a pug more than taking up the chase? Excepting mealtime, nothing pleases a pug more than to have someone chase him. That's why a pug will move subtly away from you whenever need to pick him up or want to give him a pat. He wants to make you work for it. "Get the pug! Get that pug!" shout various family members. If we chase for a noble purpose (a bath) or just plain fun, the pug makes the most of the moment. Pugs are slow to embrace major concepts like maturity and I think all this chasing provides a constant emphasis on keeping things new and exciting. "Live for the Now and never a dull moment to grow old" might serve as a motto. Often, I've watched the pug make his rounds and I remain convinced that even he doesn't know what action belongs to the next moment. Whatever it will be, the pug is ready with a spirited response.
The End

Created by Bill Keys
billgkeys@yahoo.com