Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Pug
- This article is about the dog breed. For other meanings of Pug, see Pug (disambiguation).
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The Pug is a small but robust toy dog breed with a compressed, wrinkly face.
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Appearance
The Pug's appearance is characterized by a flat, wrinkled face, compact body, and curled tail. Pugs have four color variations: fawn with a black mask and ears, entirely black, silver, or apricot. (The AKC currently recognizes only fawn or black for show dogs). The breed generally stands between 10 and 11 inches (25–28 cm) tall at the withers with an ideal weight range of 14 to 18 lb (6.3 to 8.1 kg).
Temperament
The Pug is a very sociable dog, as well as being extremely smart and quite stubborn. The Pug is popular as a housepet, as it requires little exercise and is easy to groom, although they shed substantially more than other dogs of similar size. They are also compatible with most children and other animals.
Health
Because they have extremely short snouts, some Pugs easily scratch their corneas, and can develop breathing problems. They are also prone to skin infections if the crevices in their face are not kept clean. Teeth and mouth problems are also caused by the flat faces. Pugs are prone to obesity, and can reach unhealthy weights. Pugs can also suffer from a fatal disease specific to their breed called Pug Dog Encephalitis (PDE), which is a chronic form of Granulomatous Meningoencephalitis (GME) (an inflammation of the brain). PDE is suspected to be an inherited disease in Pugs and research is ongoing. The disease progresses rapidly, and there is currently no known cause or cure.
History
Pugs were originally bred in China to be royal companions. For this, Pugs are also called Chinese Pugs. There are some rumors that Pugs were bred to be food, but this is unlikely and hasn't been proven.
Miscellaneous
Famous Pugs
Josephine Bonaparte had a Pug (which met a rather unfortunate end with the chef's Bulldog). The dog's name was Fortune and was used by Josephine to send Napoleon secret messages.
Pugs in the arts
A Pug (Frank) appeared in the popular movies Men in Black and Men in Black II. Celebrities such as Maura Tierney, Carol Kane, and Tori Spelling have appeared in TV and print ads with their Pugs. A Pug was also one of the stars of the movie The Adventures of Milo and Otis.
Winston Churchill, whose wife called him by the nickname "Pug", wrote a short poem about a Pug:
- Poor Puggy-wug
- Oh, what is the matter with poor Puggy-wug
- Pet him and kiss him and give him a hug.
- Run and fetch him a suitable drug,
- Wrap him up tenderly all in a rug,
- That is the way to cure Puggy-wug.
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