Pug Puppies Blog

The Pug has been one of the preferred breeds of people today because of their small and cute appearance and minimal grooming requirements. They gained fame in numerous eras and even today through exposure in films such as “Men in Black.” Aside from that, there are some fascinating secrets that this breed has kept making this a classic case of big things in small packages. Here are some of those secrets about the Pug.

1. Since the early 1800’s, Pugs are known as Carlin in France. Carlin actually is a character in a play that wears a black mask. The French then associated the black markings in the Pug’s face as the mask of the character.

2. Despite resembling a small bulldog, Pugs in fact belong to the Mastiff breed, a large dog breed. Pugs were created after the rare mastiff, Dogue de Bordeaux, was cross-bred with a smaller dog around 200 B.C.

3. Although Pugs have straight, short coats, they still need to be brushed regularly. This is because they are heavy shedders and must be brushed at least once a week.

4. Pugs are said to be noble because of a legend involving the dog and Prince William I of Orange. According to the story, during a war between Spain and Holland, a Pug alerted the prince by waking him before the Spanish Army could assassinate him in 1572. After saving the prince’s life, the Pug became the official dog of the House of Orange.

5. Another story concerning royalty would be the tale of Josephine Bonaparte and her pet Pug, Fortune. The dog served Josephine by delivering secret messages concealed in its collar to her husband Napoleon Bonaparte and vice-versa. It is however disputed if the account of Fortune accompanying Napoleon to war is true because of how the famous French leader despised dogs.

Ever wondered why this little dog is called a Pug? Well the origin of the breed name can be traced back to the travels that this little dog made throughout the centuries…from its native China. They were bred to be lapdogs for the Chinese Emperors during the Shang Dynasty (1766-1122 BC), in Eastern China. They were then known as “Lo-Chiang-Se” or “Foo”. The Pug became popular in Tibet after that, where Monks kept them as guards of Temples. After that, their popularity spread to Japan, and finally to Europe. The breed was first imported in the late 16th and 17th centuries by merchants from the Dutch East Indies Trading Company and became the dog of the Dutch Royal family. Lastly, they were imported to England, where their breed name originated from. The word “pug” comes from the old English word: Pugg, which was an affectionate term for a playful little devil or monkey. This old form of the English word developed further and the one “g” was dropped to leave the word as “Pug”. Another thought may be that the word pug is a slang term for Puck, which was also a word from the Old English grammar, meaning mischievous spirit of Nature. Either way, the pug was percieved to be a mischievious, playful little dog. It’s name is rather fitting!