In Loving Memory of Ian - March 11, 2001 - June 8, 2013

 

Ian Adrian McLeod Crissman

 

 

 

To be lycanthropic is to be misunderstood....Ian Adrian McLeod Crissman

 

 

We remember the day we brought Ian, aka Tutti, home. It was a Friday night, Mother's Day weekend. We had been wanting to bring another pug baby into the family and our son, Hunter, offered to contribute as his Mother's Day present. We drove to Tonganoxie, KS and knew immediately that Ian was to be our baby.

 

To say Ian was special is an understatement. He immediately fit into the pack (then Dexter and Trevor), but was certainly his own pug - as it were. We called him the master of shenanigans and hijinks. He had an incredible sense of humor and kept his brothers on the hop! The elders (especially Trevor) looked after him and showed him the ropes. And Ian was a fast learner! We also discovered that Ian was fiercely independent, A little "babying" from his older bros was fine, but a guy has his limits. Ian was our little rebel. But even under that tough-boy persona, we knew he was a cream puff underneath. In later years, Ian became, what we call, a sous-Beta or assistant to Trevor. He would help tend to and look after the youngsters.

 

When Mackie came to us Father's Day weekend in 2002, Ian found his compadre and partner-in-crime. Those two were joined at the hip and could get into all kinds of mischief together!

 

Ian or Tutti as we aptly nicknamed him (and you can probably guess why) had a proclivity for howling, baying at the moon, and all things wolf. It was not surprising that his favorite movie was The Wolfman (1941, starring Lon Chaney, Jr. as the misunderstood Larry Talbot) and nearly every remake since. Ian may have been 100 percent, all natural pug, but he embraced his earlier ancestors with vigor.

 

Ian loved music and while he seemed to appreciate anything from Bobby Darin to Sting to Pitbull, his signature song was Livin' On a Prayer, By Bon Jovi.

 

Ian loved to pose for the camera and when it was time for a photo shoot, Ian was always the first to sit. In fact, he would be the last to come in - he would have sat all day and given me more poses and attitudes than any supermodel. And all for the low, low price of a few cookies. (and between us, he would have done it for free) As it happens, one of his photos actually made it to the Dr. Phil Show for a holiday special which aired Dec. 10, 2009.

 

Another one of Ian's passions - Pug Parliament. You might say he was our Pug Parliament Ambassador! He so enjoyed greeting and meeting each and every pug guest and as I recall, he was the most vocal about starting up the organization in 2003. Every year, he (as well his his brothers) donned his best finery and circulated the crowd, visiting, playing, making sure water bowls were filled and fresh, and of course, hoping for that dropped treat from a human!

 

Every year, every day, and every minute with Ian was nothing less than a miracle - as it has been with all our Pug boys. When we learned he had an inoperable brain tumor in April, 2013, we held him fast and promised to make his days the best we could. And like Dexter, he taught us something about grace and dignity and courage. On his good days, we laughed and reveled in his antics. On his not-so-good days, we did our best to make him comfortable. And when Saturday night came, he looked at us with pleading eyes and we knew.

 

We believe Ian is now at the Bridge with Dexter and many of his pug friends who have crossed. We are sure he's already been proclaimed "Ambassador."

 

Tutti lived and loved and gave so much joy - Godspeed, my little pug boy - you are in our hearts forever.

 

Ian as a baby Ian daydreaming

 

Ian and his stick Ian and the flying ears