Pugs exemplify everything that is wrong about breeding dogs for cute, toy like looks rather than for soundness and ability to work. Their fiat muzzles make it difficult for them to breathe well. Their deformed skills cause their eyes to bulge, often to the point of popping out. They have problems with their eyelids not closing completely, and chronic dry eye. Eye problems are exceedingly painful, and 5he pain is constant. The dogs suffer immensely. Do you still think that smashed looking, bug eyed face is adorable, knowing that? If you care about dogs, and humane breeding practices, look up Brachycephalic Ocular Syndrome.
I want to cry every time I see a pug.
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Lovely article. We have had two pugs; lost both in the last two years. They were almost 15 and 16. They brought us such joy and we were lucky to have them in our lives for so long. No disrespect intended to anyone, but we always said any other breed was "just a dog." Only pug owners would understand.
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I always wonder about pure breeds and mixed. How much motivation is "what can I get from this dog", vs "what can I do for this dog". Shelters seem at one end of this spectrum as there is no self interest. Pure breeds seem more on the other, showing what you can get, and the result is monetizing and control of genetics. Of course this can be wonderful as work breeds have given us service, police, army, rescue, support dogs. They have an important job, and treated as such and seem to sense that.
At what point though does monetized breeding for show move to the unethical. I think the breathing and genetic problem issues start to pop up here.
The question I feel should be asked is, what am I getting out of this dog and what is the dog getting. Having a husky in warm climates, breeding a teacup sized dog, a beagle indoors only, etc, is this best?
I know everyone loves their dog and they're wonderful. Although I don't have one, I live in a city, I'd only keep one in the country. These are quite intelligent creatures we hold power over. Are they getting equal to what we're getting from them.
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Love this. Fantastic!
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Can I plug Puggles?? Our pug-beagle mix is the sweetest, goofiest member of our family. And no breathing issues because of the beagle genes.
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Yes, pugs rule. My truest soul mate dog was Sydney, a beautiful tall fawn boy. He lived to be 17 and his spirit is still with me. Mathilda our black pug gave him a run for his money. Both were rescued! Rescue those adult dogs. They steal your heart, your food, and the show. Thank you....
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Our black pug Poppy brings us pure joy every day. And with her tongue permanently on display, everyone she sees stops in their tracks to ask “is it always like that”? The answer is yes and she’s no worse for wear. Note to interested potential pug owners-black pugs only shed a minimal amount compared to fawns as they are considered to have a “single coat”. We hope to add to our pug family soon.
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@Edye Abrams. It is true that black pugs shed less than the fawns, we've had both. Since I am overly fond of black clothes, the hair doesn't show as much!
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Where no one wins by a nose.
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We currently have our third pug, I hope I can take care of one until the day I die. Our daughter also has two pugs. There is just something addicting about them. They can be stubborn little buggers and they shed a lot but other than that they are a perfect family dog. They are good city dogs because they don't need a lot of exercise. I loved this, and I sent it to everyone in our family.
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Yes, they have a lovely personality.
As a vet I am biased as I only see those brachycephalics that do not do well. But on a regular basis my heart breaks when I have patients that are suffocating, that can't in fact run as much or as long as they would like, that can't even go for a short walk during the day in the summer as they can't breathe. It breaks my heart that we have to perform surgery in order to allow them to simply breathe.
All those pug lovers out there: look at how the breed looked like 100 years ago. That's how you would want them. And do not dare to give me that "other breeds have problems, too". Yeah, they do. But very few breeds are made with a desire to deprive the dog from the very basic needs of life.
In addition to the respiratory problems, brachycephalics also come with neurological problems as the genes responsible for the short noses are linked to malformation of the vertebrae, pugs, like other small breeds, often have knee problems, due to the bulgy eyes, they have eye problems- they can simply pop out, they often times have ceratitis because of lashes or skin folds constantly poking them, the skin folds result in dermatological problems, French Bulldogs, another very popular brachycephalic breed, is prone to atopy, an immunological condition.
So, yes, other breeds have problems, too. Just like the pug has other problems as well. But no problem is as cruel as keeping them from breathing freely. You torture what you love and aren't even ashamed
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Thanks to the writer and the NYT for this wonderful sketch. Pugs are pure joy.
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Elvis has left the building... This is divine!
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I had two, Rocco and Freddie, adopted at 10 years old when their original owner passed away....Rocco lived to 13, Freddie to almost 16....such wonderful dogs....still miss those guys!
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Pugs are the very best. Or maybe, just @goji_and_kiko are the very best.
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I am the owner of two gorgeous pugs. They can't do heat, but they love running and being outdoors. Our girls are sleek and athletic when compared to the stereotype of the lazy "couch pugtato."
I think certain owners want their pugs to be fat, happy, lazy things confined to the couch and bed. This actually is very dangerous to their health. Good on these German groups for trying to shake-up the pug stereotype!
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People. Are. So. Odd! ...and delightful.
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While I really like pugs and understand their appeal, every time I see one it always seems to be gasping for air. Plus, pugs and Americans are a dangerous mix as pugs can get fat (and unhealthy) very fast if they eat what their fried-food-loving owners eat. That said, my ex's mother had a pug named Louie but to me he looked like a Pugsly.
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I’m partial to Boston Terriers, which I grew up with... but pugs aren’t that different.
I think it would be cooler if the pugs all drove little old timey race cars... can you picture them with the little scarves and goggles?
Admit it, you want to see that now.
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Husband and I used to go to a restaurant outside Hartford CT.
called THE CORNER PUG
Good food and lots of Pug tscthochkes as décor.
7
One of my neighbors in NYC has five pugs which I see him taking on walks. They all have leashes but sometimes he drops the leashes and just calls them to follow him. And they follow him like baby ducks trailing the mama duck. They are so cute and smart and very well behaved.
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@susan
We have had 3 pugs and one of those three lives today. Well behaved is a word I would never associate with a Pug. They are prone to being independent and ill behaved at all times. They are dogs but in name only. I will be very sad when the current passes on. They are a breed apart...
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What a wonderful article about Pugs. We have two, and my daughter's pug is with us also as she vacations. Today they climbed up on the sofa and put all the cushions on the floor. But you can't be mad at them since they are having a nice pug party. Each week I vacuum up enough Pug hair to create a new dog, but that is their only drawback. Pugs love people. We love them back.
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Had a pug for 14 years. And being bred for companionship, Ivan took his job very seriously. Pugs rock.
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At first I thought you were going to force pugs to race like greyhounds. And then I thought, "Yeah. Right."
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We love our pugs! Bad Buddy even has his own Twitter account @pugbad They love to run and play, and they do know when to take it easy.
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@Matt I will check out Buddy's Twitter.
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Short legs? My corgi and I are still laughing at that description.
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Our companion, Pearl Pug Pie, has just travelled with us through 5 states in every imaginable condition to get to Santa Fe for a visit. She is not big on the cold Fall temperatures, but really doesn't care where she is or what is going on, so long as she is with us. Multum in Parvo (a lot of dog in a small package) indeed!!
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Our pug, Raisin, was purchased as a puppy in Thailand by our daughter and brought to our home in New Jersey. Raisin has different characteristics than an American-bred pug... a more pronounced "face" and a much larger body. Plus, Raisin's DNA test results showed a 75% pug and 25% pekingese mix... we've been told that this reflects the typical royal mix favored by early Chinese breeders.
In terms of the other comments on this article, I echo the issues of constant shedding, crankiness toward some home visitors, and wonderful companionship!
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Love that name!!
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@Chris Boose
Thx Chris... not everyone gets it!
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What a great article to read first thing in the morning! So charming. In fact, I think this will the only article I read this morning...
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Pugs.....my nephews family had a pug. Wonderful dog except at family gatherings Lexi the pug would nip my heels and another nephews wife’s heels! No one else out of two dozen people! Between her and I we worked out a mutual protection agreement. We’d watch and warn one another as we were being stalked!
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@BillOR
Not a bit surprised. Pugs do the strangest things. Mine has recently become a television addict. I have a big screen at the foot of the bed, and I've abandoned it to my pug, who gets as close as he can, which ruins my view, seeing as I can't see through a dog. I now use the laptop while he watches the 60-inch. Some shows carry more interest than others. He has an inordinate fascination with JFK assassination footage, the Zapruder film. Scampers right to the edge of the bed, leans forward and growls menacingly (as menacingly as a pug can), as if he's going to do something about it. He had no reaction at all to any of the candidates in last night's presidential debate. Not sure whether that is a good thing or bad thing...
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@August West
This fits right into my theory that a group of pugs trained by the CIA tried to warn the Secret Service of a plot to assassinate Kennedy in early 1963.
But being that they were tiny cute dogs wearing suits and sunglasses, the Secret Service didn’t take them seriously... that and the fact they couldn’t talk and their writing skills were terrible, they were marginalized and their adorable warnings ignored.
Most pugs will growl at the Zapruder Film because they remember a frustrating period in pug history where they almost got to change the course of world events, but were stymied once again just like at Pearl Harbor and the Bay of Pigs invasion (a cat ended up getting a medal for that one, but nothing for the pugs).
Most pugs enjoy keeping abreast of world events... you should let your pug to check out various news programs (please, just not FOX unless you want it to attack the TV), or even try reading the Times to him... he may have some interesting insight and opinions.
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@ThatGuyFromEarth
Sure. Mostly, he likes cooking shows.
Can't blame him, really. After all, getting blamed for the Bay of Pugs fiasco has a way of leaving a sour taste in a breed's mouth -- they were ready and willing, it's not their fault air cover was lacking, which enabled the dastardly Cubans to push them back into the sea by tossing dog biscuits into the surf. And so my pug, mostly, is apolitical. The only way I can get him to vote is absentee.
8
I can't decide which part of this story I like best, the fact that there is such a thing as Order of the Pug or that so-called humane investigators ordered the race canceled. If you don't know that a pug "races" when a pug feels like it and there is no way to force a pug to run--even, I suspect, if you used an electric pug prod--then you don't know enough about dogs to tell anyone what to do.
Save for shedding, pugs are creatures of pure delight. Never met one that didn't have a personality unto itself, and more personality that lots of people. Thanks for publishing this.
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I meant "Thanks for pug-lishing this." Apologies for typo.
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@August West Couldn't agree more. Pugs are amazing little critters and I'd have a grumble if I could afford it. Truly the court jesters of dog royalty. The Order of the Pug. You can't make this stuff up.
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Oh, after cancelling the pug race, they actually made the owners run - with the pug on their arm :)
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Thanks, Ms. Eddy. Good story, good pictures. Well Done.
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And its a photo finish to see who won by a nose...
Better call it a tie.
22
Pugs and other brachycephalic (short faced) dogs have significant and very well known health issues. Anyone perpetuating these breeds without actively seeking to out-breed these easily correctable problems should be ashamed of themselves; starting with the breeders.
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@Joe Bao
Oh, give it a rest. My rescue pug is the best dog in the world, taking the title from my prior rescue pug, RIP. Breathing problems? They sneeze unexpectedly, right in my face, and not feeling a bit guilty for covering me in pug snot. And, frankly, I don't care.
Understand that pugs, like other purebred dogs, have issues, but can we just have a bit of fun, for once, and leave the hand wringing for another day? Thanks.
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@Joe Bao The vast majority of brachycephalic dogs live normal lives. The Animal Rights crowd likes to exaggerate issues that a small minority has which can be corrected by their elimination from breeding stock. So thanks for the suggestion of cross breeding, but I'll stick with my beautiful health tested champion dogs that have very flat faces.
31
@Joe Bao And boxers are cancer factories and cavaliers have hydrocephalus and cockers go blind and dalmatians get kidney stones and...the list is endless. Every single breed has its own issues. Give it a rest.
24
I've heard that the pug is the only dog that was bred for human companionship, for the Chinese emperors. All other dogs have a purpose such as hunting, herding, guarding, pulling a sled, and rodent control.
The pug has no other purpose but to be our companions. This could explain the extreme loyalty of the pug's admirers.
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@Kerry Girl What about Boston terriers?
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@Kerry Girl
Ask any pug owner what happens when you take a pug to the park or playground. Folks, especially kids, flock. They are absolute people magnets, they know it and they love it. Put simply, a pug's purpose is happiness. And there is no greater purpose, really.
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@Phillip Selmer I've got it covered: my dog is a Bugg--a Boston-Pug cross!
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