Celia Piper
I have three passions in life: surgery, travel and pugs. I was able to combine two of those passions into a career and now I am getting to serve the other passion, making my life very full and complete. I started my medical career as a Certified Surgical Technologist (20 years) and then advanced to a Registered Nurse (14 years and counting) in the Operating room and as the Database Coordinator RN for Surgical Services. I was able to combine my love of Surgery with traveling as I became a Travel CST (14 years) and a Travel RN (10 years). I have lived in 19 states, visited all states (except Guam, Washington and Oregon), and worked in 29 hospitals across the United States. I love cruising and immersing myself in other cultures (I have visited 18 countries and always looking to go to more).
I got my first pug in 2011 and Roco was the love of my life. He was from a backyard breeder situation and over his lifetime I learned all about the many pug issues and had many visits to vet offices across the US. But, through it all, Roco showed such courage and never held a grudge. He taught me so much about unconditional love and saw me thru the many dark times in my life (divorce and my parent’s death) and was my constant travel companion. The fact that I get to help a pug rescue organization is my greatest accomplishment and I am honoring Roco’s memory every day.
I found my current husband, Will, in Lubbock, Texas on a travel assignment. He was not a dog person, much less a pug person but Roco taught him the pug life. He will never say no to anything that I want to do whether it is fostering, adopting, or an event! Roco was my first pug but not my last, he was followed by Dallas (a chug) and Perry (whom I lost during routine dental cleaning after only 1 year of adoption). After Perry, I adopted a mother daughter pug duo from Tennessee (Frankie and Bella). Both girls needed dental, and I was scared to take them to a vet. But on a recommendation of another pug owner, I visited Westcreek Animal Hospital and Dr Arnoff put me at ease about dental surgery and recommended I check out DFW Pug Rescue.
From there it is all history, I became a transporter, a volunteer at events, a foster (14 pups last year), Pug-O-Ween 2024 main chair, a foster failure (Tidwell & Rockefeller) and currently Director of Community Events.
I love working with vendors and venues and I love working with my event team to come up with fun pug events. It makes me so proud when the pug community comes out to our events and has a great time. I love knowing that I am playing a small part in fulfilling the mission of DFRPRC’s motto: No Pug Left Behind.
If you see me, Will or my crew (Frankie, Bella, Dallas, Tidwell, Rockefeller and whichever foster I have) at an event, please say hello. I truly love talking about pugs, my pups and the events. I appreciate the opportunity I have been given to serve the pug community.
Interested in volunteering with DFWPRC?
Questions about volunteering?
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