Hugo is a Boxer from the hood! Young and restless, spoiled and curious, loving and friendly with everyone who gets in contact with him. His life is full of adventures and we believe that one day he will conquer Hollywood! Just check out his poses!
- NAME: HUGO
- AGE: 5 YEARS OLD
- BREED: BOXER
- FAVOURITE PLACE TO HANG OUT: COUCH
- RESIDENCE: TORONTO, CANADA
- THE HEAVY (WEIGHT) BOXER FROM THE HOOD
Hugo is a special dog, and this is not just something his humans would say about him, but everybody in the hood. He is no celebrity by origins, but with his 36kg and his looks, nobody can ignore him. Plus, being extremely social and cooperative, all the children in the neighbourhood love him and he loves them… heavily!
Luckily, despite his weight and cheerfulness, he never had complaints about biting or hurting anyone. We are not counting here the superficial scratches. When it’s play time, you don’t care about a tiny wound, do you?
HUGO, THE POET
When asked about Hugo, John, one of his humans 😊, said that he was a poet! He likes to sit on the porch and check out the passers-by. He grew up with John’s loving family, calm and peaceful. They did not stimulate the innate hunting impulses, attack or aggressiveness, instead they gave him comfortable couches, hugs and kisses.
Gabi, John’s wife, takes care of him as if he were their second child. And no, this is not an obsession as some people might think, it is the purest motherly feeling, especially since taking care of Hugo was not the easiest task. But before we talk about the very special relationship between Gabi and Hugo, let’s hear the story about how he joined the family.
MIHNEA, THE BLACKMAILER
Mihnea, the family’s first (human) child was begging every day for a pet, up to the point of constantly fighting with his parents over it. The ultimate blackmail, that Mihnea would go to the shelter and bring home a cat (despite his father’s allergy to cats), put John in front of a tough negotiation. To buy more time, John agreed that, if Mihnea could find: A Boxer dog, not older than 3 months, beige, who had all the vaccines, no tail and…cheap, he would agree to getting a pet.
It took Mihnea two days to find Hugo and when he did, he called his father saying that he found the right pet, but they needed to go and get him straight away, which they did. On the way back to the house Hugo hugged Mihnea without letting him go. They still have the same love for each other, even though Mihnea is now a student, living in the campus.
GABI, THE LOVING MOTHER
Which brings us back to the other humans in Hugo’s life…
When Hugo was five months old, he got a nasty virus and he almost died. He was in the hospital for two days. Gabi was the one who looked after him 24 hours a day until he got better, and he never forgot that. In that first year of his life, he practically grew up in Gabi’s shadow. So, no wonder that Hugo is the first one Gabi asks about when she gets home. The feeling is mutual, once Hugo hears the words “Gabi is coming home” he jumps on the couch with a view to the window and waits for her.
The trauma of almost losing Hugo made Gabi very aware of his health, she takes him to regular check-ups and makes sure every night, before they go to bed, that everything is alright. In exchange, he enjoys every single bit of attention he gets, the toys, the clothes, food, hugs, Hugo takes everything for granted, just like a typical spoiled brat.
JOHN, THE STORYTELLER
As a proof of what he can get by with, here they are, two pictures with him after destroying a couch.
In his defence, according to John, our storyteller, the couch was old and one of the corners was broken, so you could see the filling through a hole. One afternoon, a couple of years ago, Hugo was alone in the house for a few hours and then he found it! The only thing Gabi and John could do when they got home, was to hoover the carpet, chop the frame of the couch into little pieces and put it in the garbage bin. John admits it was their fault, not Hugo’s, as they saw it coming, but hoped it would never happen.
Another time Hugo saw the door to the bio garbage opened and he decided to check out the place. He found a bag full of old schnitzels that Gabi had thrown away. Let’s not forget that Hugo is a dog, so he did not think twice before devouring the bag in its entirety, content and plastic wrapping altogether.
It is very difficult to describe what the owners experienced during the following three days, every time Hugo was going outside to empty his bowels, but one can only imagine!
OLD DOG, NEW TRICKS?
They say, “you can't teach an old dog new tricks”, but in John and Gabi’s case the question is, do they want to? With Mihnea off to the university, Hugo is now the kid, full member of the family “with access to all the couches”. In the morning, if John is the first one to go to work, Hugo will take his place in bed next to Gabi, looking for a warm cuddle. Is there a better way to start the morning?
Author: John, Hugo’s Human
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