K-9 LifeSavers

While many of us love our K-9s, few breeds inspire the worship from their owners like pugs.  Though there are certainly those who aren't fans of these noisy, little dogs, those that have pug love, show it with pride! So what is it about these guys that inspire such allegiance?

The pug was originally bred to adorn the laps of Chinese sovereigns during the Shang dynasty around 400 BC, though references to pug-like dogs date back the writings of Confucius in 551 BC. The exact origins of the pug are unknown as all records relating to the pug were destroyed by the first Emperor of China for an unknown reason.  We do know that some of the characteristics of the pugs, such as the flat forehead and face of wrinkles were developed because Chinese emperors wanted to create lucky symbols on the dogs' foreheads.

The pug was imported into Europe in the 16th Century by the Dutch East India Company. It is said that the pug became the official dog of the House of Orange in 1572 after a pug saved the Prince of Orange by alerting him to the approach of assassins.  A pug also traveled with William III and Mary II when they left the Netherlands to ascend to the throne of England in 1688. 

Pugs gained some other notable fans in Europe such as artists Francisco Goya and William Hogarth, whose self-portrait with his pug Trump hangs in London's Tate Gallery.  Before her marriage to Napoleon, Josephine had her pug carry concealed message to her family while she was confined in prison, as the pug was the only one with visiting rights.

In the 19th Century Queen Victoria owned and bred pugs, and her patronage to the breed (and dogs in general) helped establish The Kennel Club in 1873.  The pug arrived in the United Stated around this time and was recognized in the newly formed American Kennel Club in 1885.

While the pug has a distinct history, most owners would agree that pug loved comes more from the natural comedy of these little dogs.  Often summarized by the Latin phrase multum in parvo (much in little), these dogs have lots of personality for their small size. They are strong willed, but rarely aggressive and generally make a good family dog. While they are alert dogs, they may not be the best watchdog as they have a soft bark, muffled by their lips. Beyond that, they love people and would be more anxious to great an intruder than to scare them off.

While pugs do aim to please their owners, training may be slow, as they may take a little while to understand what you are asking of them. For all of that, they are natural clowns and show offs - many do actually enjoy the costumes they are so often dressed up in, especially if it gets them attention and applause.  They also make noises that will have you laughing - they snort, snarfle and snore and often will pass a lot of gas. 

Though pugs have short hair, they will shed - a lot. They also tend to have a number of health problems including overheating, obesity and other more serious structural conditionals.  For all of that, pugs tend to live an average of 14-18 years, so you are likely to have a longtime companion in a pug. 

And if you happen to think that pugs are the cutest things in the world, don't be discouraged by those that call them ugly! As one pug lover put it, "Some people don't appreciate Picasso's works either."