Shuggie was given as a Christmas present to the daughter of a rich family as a puppy. He was happy there for a short time, but the owners were not prepared for his adult size, and once he grew taller than their daughter, they gave him away to a tokota shelter. Shuggie lived there for a long time, always being skipped over for younger, more energetic tokies. As he grew older, he grew more and more bitter at being abandoned, and his temperament made it harder for him to find a home. Shuggie's life turned around when he was adopted by Dr. Lance T. Barker, a geneticist living in coastal Tyonic. They quickly grew to be best friends, taking walks and lazing about on the couch together and just loving life.