What is it with pugs?

[Flippetydip]

Didn't want to derail the "name the pug" thread by being unfriendly but I don't get the attraction. They are overbred to the point of being disastrously unhealthy from everything I've read and seen.

My daughter (6) loves them (sadly for her, we have the extreme opposite - a greyhound!) but I have told her we will never have one as the vets' bills would be sky high.

Fucksakes you have just said all I wanted to say! Thank you.

Our pug does not have breathing issues, is slim and healthy and walks around 3 miles a day. Her breeder is reputable and actively health tests.

She is funny, loveable and just wants to be a mammy's girl 😁

Yes pugs have been around for a long time but they didn’t look like they do now!

The breathing difficulties and eye problems are a relatively recent thing since idiots decided they look cuter that way and selectively bred them to encourage those traits

The old style of pug looks like what other idiots call ‘puggles’ - pug beagle crosses.
It’s all gone full circle now. People are making a designer mongrel to bring back the way the breed used to look

What a massive generalisation to say greyhounds are boring dogs! Not in my not very humble opinion they're not. in my experience they are aloof yet affectionate, lazy yet run like the wind, thin yet terribly greedy, inquisitive yet not terribly bright - so many things but not boring.

I haven't been rude about pugs at all. I've just said I can't understand the appeal when they are so over-bred that it causes health issues. I stand by that and the picture above nicely illustrates the point.

I really dislike the look of dogs with short snouts even putting on one side the health impact. They may have nice natures, but that's true for virtually all dogs really. It's bad news for any breed of dogs to become popular, because they get over bred, attract puppy farmers or get bought by stupid people because they are fashionable. Far too many people do virtually no research before buying dogs which is weird given the massive emotional investment most of us make in our dogs. Given that the market clearly isn't working in favour of dog welfare I'd like to see some serious legislation put in place.

If I had a dog I would have a pig because they really are ideal people dogs. They love people. My doggie loving friend who has several dogs has a rescue pug, he does agility, she says he needs more walking than her collies.

I think it's very unfair to teach your children to make horrible remarks about other people's dogs. That's just juvenile and smug of you for no reason. It's not helping anyone.

I agree the very flat faces are not right. But I also think that Herman shepherd who won crufts was deformed. The problems not with pugs it's with ridiculous breed standards and needs addressed properly not by sniping and one upmanship.

You'd have a "pig"?

Gotta love auto correct!

I'd actually love a pig too...😁

Damn dh and his allergies

To be fair, I'd rather have a pig than a pug.

There are a lot of sweeping statements in this thread which has turned out to be more about rescue vs puppy that pugs.
I agree that pugs are overbred to the point of poor health and I think that's cruel and because of that I think breeding for aesthetics is generally wrong.
I'm pretty certain that those who say rescue is the only way to go have never actually tried to rescue a dog (from a reputable shelter) as a city, small garden dwelling first time dog owner.
We got a puppy in May this year after exhausting the rescue route. I'd never owned a dog before and wanted to be sure I could give one a good home so I researched breeds carefully and I chose a breed that would work for us, I also wanted a dog with a known history so that I could be confident that I could manage its behaviour. Breed specific rescues basically said they would only rehome a puppy with us (and that puppies generally don't come into rescues). I think we did the right thing and in the end we got a puppy. He's turning out to be a well adjusted dog with no massive behaviour issues (because we put the time and energy in) and as a first time dog owner that really matters to me. Next time I'll definitely rescue (a similar breed) but by then I'll be far more experienced and a much better fit to rescue a dog.
My biggest concern about the whole dog ownership thing is that while everyone tells you who hard it is to have a puppy and how much time it all takes they generally don't talk about all the time, effort and consistency you need to put into training. I think that leads to a whole load of dogs being dumped when people who buy them as accessories don't do the training and end up not able to cope when the cute puppy phase ends (where I live it's beagles, doodles and dachshunds that seem to be worst affected)...

I agree it is the breeders wanting some strange perfection I am sure original pugs were not so flat faced buggy eyed. I to would love a pig i would love it and scratch its tummy 😊

I've a half pug half chihuahua,she goes like the wind..no snuffling ,no panting.like a rocket of lead,nothing has caught her yet..we only have a small house ,(so a gray was out of the question,but my daughter was desperate to have one.)we needed a small dog,and she fitted the bill.came from a family who owned both dogs...this was the second and last litter ,we would of rescued a dog happily,but every dog we showed an interest in ,we were told no as I have a young child...she actually looks like a very small boxer dog 😀

Photo please! She sounds great

"Oh there are thousands of dogs in rescues!" Yes but they make you jump through all sorts of hoops and so on. You can be rejected for whatever reason. I totally understand why they're so scrupulous but it can be a very drawn-out process. I've seen threads on this forum about people really wanting to rescue a dog but are finding the process incredibly frustrating. I agree that the puppy farming trade is horrific and people shouldn't support it, though. I just don't get the people who breezily say that there are loads of rescue dogs waiting for a home as though you just walk into a rescue and pick one up in two seconds flat. It's similar to adopting children in that sort of regard.
FWIW I don't particularly like pugs either. They're not cute, they're kinda ugly to me with a squashed face and snuffly breathing. People just like small breeds you can stick in a handbag; chihuahuas don't have squashed faces yet they're still popular.

I know this is not what the thread is about but this whole thing about rescues being drawn out and exacting and making you jump through hoops - we did not find that at all with ours. It was incredibly straight forward and yes, we live in a city, yes, we have small children, yes, we have a small(ish) garden. Almost terrifyingly easy.

I can see how it might be more difficult for people living in cities/small properties etc to get a rescue dog. Can also see why those people would want smaller dogs.

I feel very lucky that we had the space and time to offer a rescue- and he was only 4 months when we got him, so still a puppy. I was prepared for a rocky ride given that we didn't know anything of his background, other than he was rescued from Ireland (as were almost all of the dogs in the particular shelter we went to). But he couldn't have been easier. Initially, there were the inevitable toilet issues, and general over-excited puppiness, but that was short-lived, and he was then very easy to train, and has a lovely nature. All of this post was really just an excuse to post a photo of this magnificent beast

Buying a puppy from a breeder creates a market for puppies which encourages ruthless, horrible people to breed dogs in appalling conditions.

Ruthless, horrible people will do ruthless, horrible things. Likewise, stupid and lazy people will do stupid, lazy things. If you make it harder to get a puppy from a reputable breeder, dogs will become a more valuable commodity, as a PP said, even if the reputable breeders don't put their prices up just to make a few more quid. Dog theft will become a huge problem. The stupid, lazy people will still buy dogs, and will still refuse to care about where they come from. Owners will become terrified of their dogs being stolen and will be less likely to walk them off lead, let them out in the garden etc making their dogs' lives much less fun, increasing the behavioural problems and resulting in the dogs being put into rescue centres.

I don't know what the answer is. Maybe licences should be brought back, and they should be as hard to get as a driving licence. Prove you know how to care for and train your dog, about dog body language, that your dog has come from a breeder who did all the necessary health tests on the parents and the mother hasn't had too many litters, etc. Would all cost a fortune though and be difficult to enforce.

Thing is with a dog licence it should probably be renewed every so often. And just because one has a driving licence doesn't mean they're a good driver, people can study and pass the test but be shit drivers. And I do have to say that just because something is illegal doesn't mean the criminals stop; people still got abortions before they were legalised, people still drank when the Prohibition was in force in 20s America etc. It'll just force things underground so-to-speak and encourage a black market trade across Europe/further afield etc.
It's a bloody difficult issue.

Rescues not always suitable I wanted young dog or puppy due to needing get used to equipment .I was turned down because I am in a wheelchair and no other adult so tried older dog from rescue and it did npt work it was scared of essentisl equipment

So in end by word of mouth I found someone that works their dogs amd only breeds when need bring another pup on (have noth parents KC history but they dont register as are working dogs rather than show

My boy is now 3 and does not blink at wheelchair or my lift or various noisy equipment and walks next to my chair he actually picks thibgs up i drop and opens cupboards for me .Does not pull which at 37 kg is essential

Saying that as a puppy bloody hard work amd cried a few times

Pug wise i know some witout problems some with but they do make me laugme as are like chubby clowns (would not own personally

One of the issues with Pugs is that many people believe they know some without health problems, but it's simply that they don't recognise the signs.
The phrase 'normal for the breed' is thrown around, but their normal is not what most people consider an acceptable level of health. And it wasn't normal for them 100 years ago, either.
Dogs deserve to breathe freely, not over heat, have teeth that fit in their mouths, and so much more that Pugs have been denied in the name of 'cute'
The same goes for French Bulldogs and Bulldogs.
It's all a bit sad.

Absolutely agree AllTheAnimals. The videos doing the rounds of pugs or bulldogs snoring and unable to sleep make me incredibly sad, as does the ignorance and denial of their owners. this blog has a lot of information for anyone interested.

* On the other hand there’s an explosion of backyard breeders of dogs like huskies. Unless dog breeding becomes more expensive and less of a money spinner to the owners it’s not going to become more responsible.*

I work with an awful woman who has started to breed huskies. When the litter was born she was ecstatic they were girls as she ‘would get more money for them’. She kept asking me if I wanted one, despite me telling her a million times that I cannot and will not support backyard breeders just in it for the money and that I also have several small children and work full time!! It didn’t matter to her what kind of home the pups went to... just as long as she got the money!!

She is also involved with an MLM - just out for money.

Oops bold fail for the first paragraph!!

I actually think the issue is less to do with making things more difficult for breeders, which is basically impossible to police, and more to do with educating people not to buy from these people.
It should not be socially acceptable to randomly breed your pet dog for money, nor to take up ‘hobby breeding’ to earn holiday money.
Of course it should also be unacceptable to buy from someone who keeps hundreds of dogs in squalid conditions to make money from their puppies, and while most people don’t want to do this in reality many still do.

I’ve got two French bulldogs and I bought them because I like the way they look and they’re temperament suits me, they are companion dogs and don’t need ridiculous amounts of exercise.

So far they haven’t had any health problems but I did buy from proper breeders.

I hate the snobbery on here from people with ugly so called pointy dogs and if you said any of the things you’ve said on here to me you’d be told where to go

Frank and Stella