Pug
A fawn Pug, the most common coloring. |
| Other names |
Chinese Pug
Mops
Puggu
Carlin
Dutch Bulldog
Mini Mastiff |
| Country of origin |
China[1] |
|
|
|
|
The Pug is a small breed of dog with a wrinkly, short muzzled face, and curled tail. The word "pug" may have come from the Old English pugg or "puge", which were affectionate terms for a playful little devil or monkey. [2] Pug puppies are often called puglets.[3] The breed is often summarized as multum in parvo ("much in little"), describing the Pug's remarkable personality despite its small size.[1]
Description
While most Pugs appearing in eighteenth century prints tended to be long and lean,[4] modern breed preferences are for a square, cobby body, a compact form, a deep chest, and well-developed muscle.[5]. Breeding preference goes to "button" Pugs.[6] The legs are very strong, straight, of moderate length, and are set well under. The shoulders are moderately laid back. The pasterns are strong, neither steep nor down. The feet are neither so long as the foot of the hare, nor so round as that of the cat; well split-up toes, and the nails black. Dewclaws are generally removed.[5] The lower teeth normally protrude further than their upper, meeting in an under-bite.[1]
Coat and color
Their fine, glossy coats can be fawn, apricot, silver or black.[4] A silver coat is characterized by a very light coloured coat, absent of black guard hairs. Some breeders call "smutty" Pugs silver. A "smutty" Pug typically has a very dark head, with no clear delineation at the mask, and dark forelegs. The markings are clearly defined. The trace is a black line extending from the occiput to the tail.[5] The tail normally curls tightly over the hip.[4]
Pugs of different coat types shed to varying degrees, but they all shed quite a bit year round. Fawn Pugs, which have both an undercoat and an overcoat, are the most notorious for shedding. Pug owners have gone to great lengths to control this Pug characteristic. Partial solutions to the problem involve using special shampoos, supplementing or changing the Pug's diet, or even trimming the Pug's coat. Alternatively, regular coat grooming can keep the shedding down.
Temperament
The stern expression of the Pug belies its true sense of fun. Pugs are sociable dogs, and usually stubborn about certain things, but they are playful, charming, clever and are known to succeed in dog obedience skills. Pugs are sensitive to the tone of a human voice. While Pugs usually get along well with other dogs and pets, they generally prefer the company of humans and require a great deal of human attention; they may become anxious or agitated if their owner disregards them.[citation needed]
History
Origins
Bred to adorn the laps of the Chinese sovereigns during the Shang dynasty (before 400 BCE),[4] in East China, they were known as "Lo-Chiang-Sze" or "Foo"[4][7] (ceramic foos, transmogrified into dragon, with their bulging eyes are very Pug-like). The Pug's popularity spread to Tibet, where they were mainly kept by monks, and then went onto Japan, and finally Europe.[4]
This breed may also be referred to as a "Lion Dog" or "Foo (or Fu) Dog" due to its resemblance to Chinese guardian lions just like the Pekingese dog breed from China of similar origin and resemblance to Chinese guardian lions which are considered a guardian spirit.
Sixteenth and seventeenth centuries
Hogarth with his Pug, Trump, in 1745.
The breed was first imported in the late 16th and 17th centuries by merchants and crews from the Dutch East Indies Trading Company.[4] The Pug later became the official dog of the House of Orange.[4] In 1572, a Pug saved the Prince of Orange's life by barking at an assassin.[1] A Pug also traveled with William III and Mary II when they left the Netherlands to ascend to the throne of England in 1688.[4] This century also saw Pugs' popularity on the rise in other European countries. In Spain, they were painted by Goya,[4] in Italy Pugs dressed in matching jackets and pantaloons sat by the coachmen of the rich,[4] and in Germany and France. Pugs appear several times as footnotes to history.[4] Sometimes, they were used for Scent hounds. They were used by the military to track animals or people, and were also employed as the guard's dogs.
Eighteenth and nineteenth centuries
The popularity of the Pug continued to spread in France during the eighteenth century. Before her marriage to Napoleon Bonaparte, Joséphine had her Pug, Fortune, carry concealed messages to her family while she was confined at Les Carmes prison. The pet was the only recipient of visiting rights.[8]
The English painter William Hogarth owned a series of Pugs, to which he was devoted. In 1745 he painted his self-portrait together with that of his Pug, Trump, now in the Tate Gallery, London.[9]
In nineteenth century England, Pugs flourished under the patronage of the monarch Queen Victoria.[citation needed] Her many Pugs, which she bred herself, included Olga, Pedro, Minka, Fatima and Venus.[4] Her involvement with the dogs in general helped to establish the Kennel Club, which was formed in 1873.[4] Victoria favoured apricot and fawn Pugs, whereas the aristocrat Lady Brassey is credited with making black Pugs fashionable after she brought some back from China in 1886.[1][4]
The Pug arrived in the United States during the nineteenth century[4] (the American Kennel Club recognized the breed in 1885)[4] and was soon making its way into the family home and show ring. In 1981 the Pug Dhandys Favorite Woodchuck won the Westminster Kennel Club show in the United States, the only Pug to have won since the show began in 1877. The World Champion (Best in Show or BIS) at the 2004 World Dog Show held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was a Pug, Double D Cinoblu's Masterpiece.
Health problems
Pugs have large, expressive eyes and a
wrinkled face with a long tongue. Improper care of the wrinkles may sometimes cause adverse health effects.
Since Pugs lack longer snouts and prominent skeletal brow ridges, they are susceptible to eye injuries such as puncture wounds and scratched corneas and painful Entropion.[4] Pugs also have compact breathing passageways, leaving many pugs unable to breathe properly or efficiently or their ability to regulate their temperature through evaporation from the tongue. These complications can lead to accelerated injury or death should they be left in hot locations where cooling cannot properly take place such as cars on hot days or in outdoor conditions in temperatures over 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27°C).
Pugs living a mostly sedentary life can be prone to obesity, though this is avoidable with regular exercise and a healthy diet.
Pugs can also suffer from a chronic form of granulomatous meningoencephalitis (an inflammation of the brain) specific to the breed called pug dog encephalitis (PDE). There is no known cause or cure for PDE, although it is believed to be an inherited disease.[10] All dogs tend to either die or are euthanised within a few months after the onset of clinical signs, which usually occur anywhere from 6 months to 3 years of age.[11]
Pugs, along with other brachycephalic dogs (e.g., boxers, bulldogs), are also prone to hemivertebrae.[12] The screwtail is an example of a hemivertebrae, but when it occurs in other areas of the spine it can be devastating, causing such severe paralysis that euthanasia is a serious recommendation.
The Pug, like other short-snouted breeds, has an elongated palate. When excited, they are prone to a "reverse sneeze" where the dog will quickly, and seemingly laboriously, gasp and snort. This is caused by fluid or debris getting caught under the palate and irritating the throat or limiting breathing. "Reverse sneezing" episodes are not harmful to the Pug, and can usually be resolved by lifting the dogs head and blowing a short, strong breathe into the dogs nose which can clear the fluid/debris from the palate. Alternatively, one can just give them a second and they will work it out on their own.[citation needed]
As with all small breeds, some problems may arise in pregnancy and during birth. The most common problems include the need for a Caesarian section birth and new mothers being uninterested in the puppies, sometimes accompanied by the mother not opening the birth sac.
As Pugs have many wrinkles in their faces, owners normally take special care to clean inside the creases, as irritation and infection can result from improper care.[13] It is very important that the drainage from their eyes is cleaned from their wrinkles. They tend to sniff the ground a lot, so dirt and other debris can be trapped inside.[citation needed]
Pugs are one of several breeds that are more susceptible to Demodectic mange, also known as Demodex. This condition is caused by a weakened immune system, and it is a minor problem for many young Pugs. This causes pugs to catch diseases much more easily than regular dogs do. It is easily treatable although some Pugs are especially susceptible and will present with a systemic form of the condition. This vulnerability is thought to be genetic, and good breeders will avoid breeding dogs who have had this condition. Inbreeding can cause some pugs these problems.
An investigative documentary carried out by the BBC found significant inbreeding between pedigree dogs, with a study by Imperial College, London, showing that the 10,000 pugs in the UK are so inbred that their gene pool is the equivalent of only 50 individuals[14]
Pugs in media and culture
- In a May 23, 2007, web issue of The Onion, pugs were lampooned in a fake news article titled Dog Breeders Issue Massive Recall Of '07 Pugs.[15] The piece satirized pugs and pug breeders by speaking of the dog and its characteristics as a faulty product, "evidenced" by a fictional quote from the American Pug Breeders Association director, "While pug owners are accustomed to dog malfunction, the latest animals are prone to more problems than just the usual joint failures, overheating, seizures, chronic respiratory defects, and inability to breed without assistance. The latest model Pug is simply not in any way a viable dog."[15]
- The movie The Adventures of Milo and Otis is about the adventures of a pug (Otis) and his friend Milo the cat.
- Men In Black and Men in Black II featured Frank the Pug.
- In The Clique Series, Massie Block owns a black pug named Bean.
- Disney's Pocahontas features Percy, Ratcliff's pet pug.
- On the show George Lopez, George's dad, Manny Lopez, named a pug after George's mother, Benny Lopez.
- Vodafone Essar, formerly Hutchison Essar/Hutchison Max, uses Cheeka a pug to symbolize the company in all of their advertisements.
- The comedian Maria Bamford features her pug, Blossom, in much of her material.
- In the sitcom 'Friends' Phoebe's mom gave Phoebe a pug puppy saying, "However hard it would be to give up this puppy, it would be a 1,000 times harder to give up a baby."
- The sitcom The King of Queens featured a pug named Alan. Its owner was Spence Olchin, played by Patton Oswalt.
- The rhythm-action video game Elite Beat Agents features a miniature pug called Sam during the level based on Deep Purple's Highway Star, as well as numerous other points in the game.
- Naruto features a pug named Pakkun. It is one of many "Ninja Hounds" summoned by Kakashi.
- The Molly Moon series features a black pug named Petula who enjoys sucking on rocks.
- Lady Bertram, in Jane Austen's Mansfield Park has a pet pug, which she adores more than she does her own children.
- Zlatan Ibrahimovic has a pet pug.
- In John Cena's movie 12 Rounds he has a pug named Shorty.
- Marie Antoinette (2006 film) features the pug Mops, Marie Antoinette's dog who is later taken away at the Austrian/French border. She is later shown with several other dogs, including a black pug, and eventually has Mops returned to her at the Palace of Versailles.
- The web comic Sheldon has a pug named Oso as a secondary character. The book Pugs: God's Little Weirdos is a collection of the pug-related strips.
- Actor Gerard Butler is also known to have a pug named Lolita.
- In the book series and movies Eloise by Kay Thompson the main character Eloise has a pet pug named Weenie as well as a turtle named Skipperdee.
See also
References
External links
