Pugcasso. Pugerfish. Pugs dress up for annual PugFest

It’s not even Halloween, and the pugs are ready for their close-up.

Devil pugs. Doctor pugs. Cheerleader pugs. Lady pugs. Shrek pugs. And that’s just for starters.

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Yvonne Goldman

Pugcasso is his name.

PHOTOS:

• PugFest 2007
• PugFest 2008
• Send us your pug photos!

IF YOU GO

• What: PugFest 2008
• When: Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Where: Gwinnett County Fairgrounds, 2405 Sugarloaf Parkway, Lawrenceville
• Cost: $6 for adults and $3 for children under 12; no charge for pugs/dogs
• More info: www.rescuepug.com

About 700 of the wrinkly, short-muzzled dogs will descend on the Gwinnett County Fairgrounds this weekend for PugFest 2008, one of the largest fundraisers for rescued pugs and pug mixes in the Southeast.

Started about 15 years ago, PugFest will attract about 1,500 dog lovers from as far away as Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, said Randi Tucker, a volunteer for Southeast Pug Rescue & Adoption, which is hosting the event.

PugFest offers grooming services, raffles, a silent auction and a bake sale, but the main event is the costume contest, Tucker said.

“People go crazy for this contest,” she said. “They build scenery and they build props.”

PugFest raised about $25,000 last year, and “I hope we raise as much [this year]. But with the economy, I’m concerned,” Tucker said.

Movies, commercials and the dogs’ loving nature have made pugs popular, but some owners can’t handle the dogs’ medical and companionship needs. Those owners will give the dogs up for adoption, leave them in a shelter or let them go stray, she said.

“People don’t know how much work it takes,” she said. “We have to do a fundraiser.”

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