Hungry Pugs & Cats Who Fetch w/ Elise Hu

Summary

The Nightly Podcast – June 16, 2026
Episode Title: Hungry Pugs & Cats Who Fetch w/ Elise Hu
Guests: Elise Hu, Kimmy (Caller)
Hosts: Josh Gondelman
Theme: Lighthearted tips, stories, and late-night musings about pets, with a focus on food-obsessed dogs (especially pugs) and a surprising cat that plays fetch.

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Episode Overview

This cozy evening edition of The Nightly centers on the comedic and practical realities of living with food-motivated pets, specifically pugs. Host Josh Gondelman and special guest co-host/podcaster Elise Hu field a relatable pet-parenting question from listener Kimmy about her hilariously hungry pug Trogdor, spiraling into stories, advice, and playful banter about animal personalities, dog training struggles, and even talented cats. The episode blends warmth and wit, offering concrete suggestions along with genuine pet appreciation.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Listener Kimmy’s Hungry Pug Dilemma (01:30 – 08:30)

• Kimmy describes her issue:

  • Trogdor, her pug, is “getting quite chubby” and steals food at every opportunity—even jumping on tables for scraps, aided by a toddler who finds it funny. Their vet is “a little judgy” but unhelpful.

    “He is getting qu quite chubby and the vet is giving me a hard time. But I am really struggling to train him to not grab food the moment it's applicable to him or even jump on the table if we're not looking to eat my toddler's leftovers.” (Kimmy, 01:50)

  • Kimmy is pregnant and managing a two-and-a-half-year-old, making constant vigilance challenging.

• Host relatability:

  • Elise shares she has a big golden retriever, Oscar, who is also notorious for snatching food.

    “He sees it as a real badge of honor if he can successfully steal food and often from right in front of Me... So I share this struggle. I join you in this struggle, Kimmy.” (Elise, 02:29)

  • Josh affirms pug food motivation:

    “We are a pug household. That's true.” (Josh, 01:48)

• Pet humor highlight:

  • The group commiserates over pug snoring and how "it’s really generous of them to be so ardently proclaiming that they... are alive and they're thriving.” (Josh, 04:40)
  • “It's nice always knowing where he is. You know, he's easy to locate.” (Kimmy, 04:55)

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2. Training Tips & Pet Management (04:59 – 08:30)

• Elise’s advice – Place Training:

  • Suggests teaching a “place” command using a dog cot, so the dog is directed away from the table during meals.

    “Place was a real game changer. So if you can get do some place training... it did not take long. And I will say Oscar is not the brightest bulb... and so for him to have learned place and then mastered it such that we can actually have a meal in peace, I think that's been a game changer.” (Elise, 06:34)

• Josh’s perspective – Manage environment:

  • Sometimes removing temptation is most realistic (especially with toddlers and busy households):

    “Maybe it's just making sure that as much as you can... there is as little for the pug to grab as possible rather than if you can't teach the dog to be better about it.” (Josh, 05:08)

• Kimmy reflects:

  • Will try placing a dog bed in view of the table so Trogdor feels involved but contained.

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3. The “Third Act Twist”: The Sneaky Father-in-law (07:52 – 10:24)

• Kimmy’s additional challenge:

  • Her father-in-law secretly feeds Trogdor despite health concerns.

    “I am regularly catching my father in law sneaking him food. And I've tried to explain that like, you know, this is not good for him.” (Kimmy, 08:11)

• Healthy treat substitution (Josh, 08:30):

  • Suggests channeling relatives’ desire to indulge pets into healthier treats—e.g., carrots, snap peas—as a win-win.

• How to persuade human accomplices:

  • Elise recommends two angles:
    • Explain that pugs are prone to health issues, especially hip/joint problems, when overweight.
    • Frame it as the pug “playing” the humans:

      “I feel like your father in law is getting played here.” (Elise, 09:15)

    • “Maybe that is helpful just to peel back a layer of the onion and explain to him like this is a ruse.” (Elise, 09:15)
  • Josh jokes:

    “This pug is fishing with a ph.” (Josh, 10:34)

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4. On Dogs’ (and Cats’) Genius Moments (11:03 – 13:44)

• Trogdor’s “secret skills”:

  • He can always find the button to put down a car window, leaving Kimmy uncertain about his real smarts.

    “The one thing is he can always find the button to put down a window in any car he's in. That's the one thing that makes me wonder if he's smarter than I think.” (Kimmy, 11:11)

• Cats who fetch:

  • Elise reveals her cat, Abraham Lincoln, fetches better than her dog and can open sliding doors.

    “The cat can play fetch and can open sliding doors with his face and his paws. Yeah, it's a really smart cat and the cat fetches better than the dog does.” (Elise, 11:31)

  • The panel marvels at animal intelligence and the possibility of training cats like dogs.

• Pet name backstories:

  • Oscar was named for the Academy Awards; his littermates also got “silver screen” names.
  • The cat Abraham Lincoln was named after his tuxedo beard markings and his arrival on Presidents Day.

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5. Closing Good Nights (14:41 – 15:39)

• Memorable, affectionate sign-offs:
  • Kimmy: “Good night to Oscar. Good night to Abraham Lincoln. And good night to Maggie. I will play this episode for Trogdor...”
  • Josh: “I'm gonna wish a sweet goodnight to Strong Bad, the Internet character of the mid aughts. Good night, Strong Bad, wherever you are out there answering emails.”
  • Elise: “I'm gonna say goodnight to your father in law, Kimmy. May he be persuaded to stop feeding Trogdor too much.”

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Notable Quotes

• On pug snoring:

  “I really appreciate the loudness of pugs snoring. It's really cute when they're taking naps and like you can hear them from across the apartment or the house. It's very loud snoring animals.” (Elise, 04:21)

• On the battle of wills with pugs:

  “It is part of it is just like a battle of who is more stubborn, who is person or pug. And occasionally I was able to win that struggle.” (Josh, 05:08)

• On animal intelligence:

  “The cat fetches better than the dog does. So I'm sort of like, what's going on here?” (Elise, 11:31)

• On falling for the pug's act:

  “This pug is fishing with a ph.” (Josh, 10:34)

• On pet-centric sign-offs:

  “May he be persuaded to stop feeding Trogdor too much.” (Elise, 15:24)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:30 – Kimmy introduces Trogdor, the food-motivated pug
• 02:29 – Elise describes her own food-obsessed golden retriever
• 04:21 – Pug appreciation: snoring and pet presence
• 05:08 – Josh’s “battle of wills” with his pugs; practical advice starts
• 06:34 – Elise’s “place training” success story
• 08:30 – Managing father-in-law (human) accomplices with healthy treats
• 11:11 – Trogdor’s genius car-window moment
• 11:31 – Elise’s cat Abraham Lincoln: fetch skills and intelligence
• 13:44 – Origins of Abraham Lincoln’s and Oscar’s names
• 14:41 – Group goodnight segment

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Episode Tone & Style

• Warm, playful, supportive: The hosts and guest mix humor and empathy, creating a nonjudgmental, bedtime-appropriate atmosphere.
• Conversational and candid: The stories and advice feel lived-in and honest, not clinical.
• Inclusive: Listeners are invited to call in and share their own wandering late-night thoughts.

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This episode is ideal for pet-lovers, parents, and anyone who enjoys stories of everyday comedy and connection—especially those managing the delightful mayhem of hungry pugs, creative cats, and indulgent relatives.

Transcript

[A]

Audio for sleep by hatch.

[B]

Hello and good evening everyone. I'm Josh.

[A]

And I'm Elise. Welcome to the Nightly from Hatch where your late night thoughts go to rest.

[B]

As you know, this summer we have welcomed lots of fun, wonderful co hosts into the pillow fort and this week I am joined by a podcaster, journalist and all around wonderful person. I'm so excited that she's been here with me all week. Elise Hu. Hi Elise.

[A]

Thank you for the warm welcome. I've had so much fun getting to hang out in the pillow fort with you too. And tonight we're going to add someone else. We're going to talk to a caller and if you all want to come on the show to talk about anything that's on your minds, all you have to do is email us or send a voice memo to thenightlyach co. So please send us any observations or insights or things that you're thinking about. Anything. We love hearing from you.

[B]

As you said, Elise, we have a caller right now and I can't wait to hear what's on her mind and I can't wait to chat about it. Please welcome to the nightly Kimmy. Kimmy, how are you?

[C]

Hi, Josh. Hi, Elise. Thanks for having me. I'm really excited.

[B]

Oh my gosh. Thanks for joining.

[A]

Welcome.

[C]

And my late night thought I think is especially applicable to you, Josh and Elise, I'm very excited to hear your insights because I have a pug. Josh, I know you are also a pug lover. Is that correct?

[B]

We are a pug household. That's true.

[C]

We are similarly a pug household. He's the sweetest dog. His name is Trogdor. He's a real goober. But our big problem is is he is getting qu quite chubby and the vet is giving me a hard time. But I am really struggling to train him to not grab food the moment it's applicable to him or even jump on the table if we're not looking to eat my toddler's leftovers.

[B]

Oh my gosh. Trogdor.

[C]

So I have a vet who's very frustrated with me and I'm really at a loss on how to train him. I would love any insights.

[A]

Oh my goodness. I totally relate to this problem. I also have a goober and he's a big one. He's a golden retriever. And so I think he probably is like 70, 75 pounds now and very hungry. Just eternally hungry. And like he sees it as a real badge of honor if he can successfully steal food and often from right in front of Me like if I have a sandwich in front of me at, on the table, like if he can kind of, if I just look away, he'll try and snatch it so. Or successfully snatch it. So I share this struggle. I join you in this struggle, Kimmy.

[C]

Thank you.

[A]

What has the vet suggested or what have any trainers that you have talked to suggested?

[C]

The vet just always looks at me and says, has he been getting food he shouldn't. And she doesn't have a lot of suggestions. I probably need a new vet. She's a little judgy, little shamey.

[A]

A little shamey, I was gonna say.

[C]

And I have a two and a half year old. I'm rather pregnant and so I'm not fast on my feet. And the two and a half year old thinks it's so funny to see our tiny flat faced pug eating a piece of toast.

[B]

I will say in the defense of your two and a half year old, they are correct. That is really funny.

[C]

And so our normal moves are obviously have no food out on the table. The moment we're done, we move everything. I can put him outside, but there's a lot of plants in the garden. He'll start snooting around. And so we're hitting a real like which is worse situation. And I'm just trying to figure out how can I teach him to not jump on the table when we're not there. And I just can't. I see him waiting for us to leave. It's just chaos.

[A]

First, can I do just a pug appreciation? I really appreciate the loudness of pugs snoring. It's really cute when they're taking naps and like you can hear them from across the apartment or the house. It's very loud snoring animals.

[B]

Yeah, they. I think it's, I think it's really generous of them to be so ardently proclaiming that they. Their eyes are closed but they're alive and they're thriving.

[C]

It's nice always knowing where he is. You know, he's easy to locate.

[B]

Totally.

[A]

But as for the training question, Josh, as a pug owner, have you had any experience with this and what have you learned?

[B]

Yeah, our previous pug busy was. She was very food motivated. Our current dog, Maggie is not. She doesn't care about people food. She just wants attention. And busy. We would have to be really careful about. Not like it was more a willpower thing because she wouldn't get up on the table but she would, she would whimper so pathetically when we would have dinner. Like as if she hadn't been given food in weeks is how she would do it even if she had just eaten dinner. And so it was like a test of willpower to not just go like, here, have my whole dinner. And so I think it is part of it is just like a battle of who is more stubborn, who is person or pug. And occasionally I was able to win that struggle. I think if you can't teach, well, this is my thing. And like, we're the kind of people that we have a real hard time disciplining a dog. And so we just like try to remove the preconditions for bad behavior as much as possible. So, like, you know, I think maybe it's just making sure that as much as you can, obviously you are pregnant and you have a little. A little kiddo already kind of rumbling around, making sure that there is as little for the pug to grab as possible rather than if you can't teach the dog to be better about it. What do you think, Elise?

[A]

One area of success that we had with training Oscar, my golden, was place training and getting him a place, you know, one of those raised little dog cots and then teaching him to go to place so that now when it's mealtime in the kitchen and he wants to beg or just lurk and stalk us for the opportunity to steal food, we tell him one command, it's place. And he knows to go and sit on place or go down, you know, on place and just rest there for the entire meal. So we're not all like vigilant the entire time because otherwise, you know, the girls are kind of like trying to protect their food with two arms, just like they're blocking a potential foul. Right. So place was a real game changer. So if you can get do some place training and just. And it did not take long. And I will say Oscar is not the brightest bulb. Like, he's not the sharpest tool in the box. And so for him to have learned place and then mastered it such that we can actually have a meal in peace, I think that's been a game changer.

[C]

This is a really good suggestion. And I bet if I made his place still in sight from the table, but not where he is begging, I bet he will feel fulfilled.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

I do have a third act twist for you both.

[A]

Oh, dear.

[C]

Which is the other challenge that I would love advice on is like you, Josh, my father in law, loves the dog and is convinced he's starving even though he's a good £24, which is very big for a pug.

[B]

Oh, that's a thick pug.

[C]

Yeah, he's a little thick boy. And so I am regularly catching my father in law sneaking him food. And I've tried to explain that like, you know, this is not good for him. So have you guys had any luck communicating to errant father in laws to respect the boundaries around your dog?

[B]

So my in laws don't see our dog as much and so we do kind of let them get a little indulgent. But one thing that we did with Busy who loved treats was we would try to switch to a healthier treat. We found that she really would love a little piece of carrot. She loved like a snap pea. And so we found like healthy treats so that, so that she wasn't always getting cheese or, you know, table scraps. And I think that like sort of scratches the itch of, ooh, I want to give something to this dog so that they're happy. But it doesn't, you know, maybe they're not packing on those pug pounds so quickly.

[C]

Oh, that's great.

[A]

One of the issues is the dog themselves. Right. Like the dog itself makes himself seem like he's so hungry for sure. And so I feel like your father in law is getting played here.

[B]

No doubt.

[A]

So maybe that is helpful just to peel back a layer of the onion and explain to him like this is a ruse. So beyond the health component, we, we had this with one of the girls. The girls have a nanny who comes like three or four days a week and she just feels like he's so hungry and adds all these toppers to his dinner. And I'm just like, no, that's not, he doesn't need any toppers. And I think what was convincing was that this breed, I, we, I explained to her that this breed has real hip problems that can shorten the length of their lives if, if he gets too heavy. And so I think that's kind of helped. But if you could argue it from that angle or you, the health angle or you could argue it from the, hey, he's being crafty. He's being a crafty bug. Don't get played that argument too. That might work.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

Different methods of persuasion.

[B]

The same. If your father in law is anything like mine, you give him the same talk that you give him about clicking on links and emails from strangers.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, don't get tricked here.

[B]

Right. This pug is fishing with a ph. Right.

[C]

Okay. This is great.

[B]

I will.

[C]

Absolutely. I do think, I think he has more Faith in the pug than even I do. And I think the getting tricked way might be the move. I think he believes the dog is a little sharper than I do personally.

[B]

How old is Trogdor can be?

[C]

He is five, turning six this year.

[B]

Aww. Such a good age.

[C]

He's a very sweet boy. He's wonderful with the toddler. He's a real dope. Unless for some. The one thing is he can always find the button to put down a window in any car he's in. That's the one thing that makes me wonder if he's smarter than I think.

[B]

I'm with your father in law. This sounds like a genius pug.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, it's interesting with like animal skills and animal intelligence because we have a cat as well. I have a boy cat and a boy dog. And I wish I knew, I wish I could compare their like cognitive abilities because the cat can play fetch and can open sliding doors with his face and his paws. Yeah, it's a really smart cat and the cat fetches better than the dog does.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

So I'm sort of like, what's going on here?

[B]

Oscar can't let other dogs find out. They're gonna tease him so much.

[A]

The cat is like growing in its hierarchy. But it's really fun. My cat loves playing fetch and I just wonder if I should try training the cat in the same way that I try training the dog. And that might be a test. And because I've seen, I don't know if y' all have seen this. Like, have you gone to the pet store and seen cats walking on leashes?

[C]

Oh, wow.

[A]

So can I. So I'm sort of like, what are the possibilities here? What kind of vocabulary could I teach my cat? Abraham Lincoln or. And Abe. Abe for short. Or could I start taking him on walks? Like, do I add a harness? So things are getting, things are getting interesting in the Hugh household.

[B]

I'm sorry, just tiny follow up question for you. If your cat is Abraham Lincoln, does Oscar also have a last name?

[A]

No, Oscar does not have a last slash middle name. Okay, everybody in Oscar's litter, like all the puppies in Oscar's litter, there was a theme and it was entertainment related. The silver screen. So one of his, one of his litter mates, his brother, I guess it was his brother was named Gibson after Gibson Guitars. And then we named him Oscar after the Academy Awards here in Los Angeles. Yeah. Yes. And so I can't remember all the other names. There's like, there might be some. Somebody who is named Jane after Jane Mansfield or something like that. But there were lots of things like that. So that's how he wound up that the Abraham Lincoln name came from Abe's beard. So Abe kind of has. He's a tuxedo cat. So he's black and white.

[C]

Oh, how handsome.

[A]

Yes, yes.

[C]

He's very. He's a stud.

[A]

He's a stud and smart. But really, like, let's not focus on his looks. His personality is really what shines. But the beard, he. There's kind of like his markings form a beard that looks like Abe Lincoln's.

[B]

So cool. Oh, that's really cute.

[A]

He came to us on President's Day,

[B]

so that's so cute.

[C]

Do you think he's smart? Because he's living up to his name.

[A]

Soon he's gonna start debating Stephen Douglas.

[B]

You should hear his proclamawtions. They're incredible. Oh,

[C]

Josh, no.

[B]

Yeah, I'm sorry.

[C]

That was so good.

[B]

Thank you. It's all I have. It's all my brain does all day long. Kimmy, I really hope we were helpful with your dog dilemma. I hope that Trogdor gets his behavior together soon. And it's been such a pleasure to have you here.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Thank you for coming on.

[B]

I think it's time for us to say goodnight to you. And also, if you have anyone out there in the world you'd like to say goodnight to now, now is the chance.

[C]

Ooh. I think I need to say goodnight to both of your pets. Good night to Oscar. Good night to Abraham Lincoln. And good night to Maggie. I will play this episode for Trogdor. Hopefully he will be better behaved and we'll become friends with your animals.

[B]

Thank you. I'd love to say goodnight to you both, Elise and Kimmy. And I'd also, you know, Drogdoor reminded me I'm gonna wish a sweet goodnight to Strong Bad, the Internet character of the mid aughts. Good night, Strong Bad, wherever you are out there answering emails.

[C]

Aww.

[A]

I'm gonna say goodnight to your father in law, Kimmy. May he be persuaded to stop feeding Trogdorf too much. And good night to both of you. Thank you again, Kimmy, for coming on. Good night to Kimmy and good night to Josh.

[B]

Good night.

[C]

Good night, Sa.

[B]

Foreign.

[A]

To learn more about our phone free

[B]

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[A]

Co. You can also follow us at Hatch Podcasts.