Fresno Bee

Friendly canine faces

Pug group prizes these dogs for their inner beauty.

By Mary Lou Aguirre / The Bee

Pops investigates at the Hanford home of owner Karen Stoker, founder of the Southern Central Valley Pug Group.

HANFORD — What's not to love about a companion with protruding eyes who wheezes, snorts and grunts? On top of that, he or she provides boatloads of affection.

It's pug love.

Karen Stoker of Hanford knows all about pugs — she has three — and has founded a new club called the Southern Central Valley Pug Group. Officially, the group of pug owners began meeting last month at the Cody Kelly Bark Park in Visalia. It meets at 1 p.m. Sunday.

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Stoker began inviting others to join by listing the group at the Web site Meetup.com. The site offers a variety of clubs to join and sends e-mail reminders that a meeting will take place.

For Stoker, who moved here from the East Bay, it's been a way to meet people and their beloved pugs.

"I've met so many nice people," she says. "It's a nice time. The pugs all run in circles."

Stoker and her pugs — Pops, Lily and Winnie — live in a quaint Hanford home built in 1904. She made sure the dogs had plenty of yard to run and play in. Inside, her dogs have their choice of sofas and a recliner to catch a nap.

It's a lot like having three children," she says. "It's gloriously hectic. They all have different personalities."

The pugs love company and greet guests with attention and licks.

"They're funny and happy," Stoker says of the breed. "You rarely see a depressed pug. To them, life is sunshine, laughter and kisses."

She became a fan of pugs after seeing the 1989 movie "Milo & Otis," which featured the adventures of a cat and pug. She brings out the video of the movie, which is among the pug memorabilia in her home filled with antiques. Stoker has framed photos, collector plates, figurines and a professional family photograph of her and the pugs on display. One of the benefits of starting the pug group has been meeting people from Pug Rescue of Fresno.

Stoker and her pugs will attend "Pug-Apalloza 2006" on April 9 at the Not So Purrfect Angels Cat Sanctuary, 7312 E. Church Ave., in Fresno. The fundraiser will benefit Pug Rescue of Fresno. Tickets are $8, $5 for children, free for pugs.

Occasionally, a growl will be heard from below Stoker's dining room table.

It happens when one pug gets too close to another's bone. Lily barks at the sound of an ambulance siren.

Stoker, 48, says her pets have provided companionship since the death of her husband, Jerry, in 2004.

"Being a widow, I have felt alone," she says. "My dogs are my friends, children and companions. Their loyalty is unequal. They also keep my feet warm at night."

She moved here one year ago to be closer to her son, Deon Puzey, 24, a Navy petty officer 3 at Lemoore Naval Air Station.

"My son thinks it's funny that I treat them like kids," she says. "But of course, he accepts them."

The pugs lead a charmed life. They drink Alhambra bottled water and have two large wood crates filled with dog toys. The trio get gifts on Christmas and on birthdays.

Like any mother, Stoker takes offense when her kids are made fun of.

"To call pugs funny or ugly looking is an affront to decent pug owners," she says. "It's uncalled for."

The reporter can be reached at maguirre@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6482.