Awkward & Annoying Situations Made Better with Pugs - Small Talk

I am the worst when it comes to small talk! I am bad with eye contact, I can never think of interesting things to talk about, I bring up topics I really shouldn't, and I can't help but use idioms that I realize halfway through I don't really know. I am capable of having normal conversations with people once I know them better, but even then there are still some people that I just don't click with and as a result our conversations continue to be awkward and stilted. I dread holiday parties and work events.

But I have never met a pug that I didn't love and there is never any awkward conversation or weird lulls. It's either filled with happy talk or comfortable, content silence (although pugs are rarely silent).