1. Pugs are the largest dog breed within the toy group breed of dogs
2. Pugs are one of the oldest breed of dogs dating back to 400 BC
3. Pugs originated from China
4. Pugs were bred to sleep on the laps of Chinese Emperors
5. Other breed names for pugs include: Carlin, Mops, Chinese Pug Dog, Dutch Bulldog and Dutch Mastiff
6. Pugs come in four colors: apricot, fawn, black and more uncommonly, silver
7. William I had a pug that saved his life
The story goes that as William I led the Dutch revolution against Spain, assassins infiltrated his camp one night to make an attempt on his life. But William’s loyal dog, Pompey the Pug, detected the would-be killers creeping toward the tent and barked to warn his master.
8. Marie Antoinette owned a pug
When the future Queen of France was still a teenager in Austria, she had a beloved pet Pug named Mops.
9. Napoleon’s wife was a pug fan
Josephine Bonaparte had a Pug named Fortune who not only was a loyal pet, but a useful one too. While Josephine was imprisoned at Les Carmes after the onset of the French Revolution, she used Fortune to carry secret messages to her family.
10. William Hogarth included a pug in his self-portrait
In 1745, the famous English painter and satirist William Hogarth created a unique self-portrait. In it, Hogarth is depicted as a painting within the painting, while his loyal pet Pug sits in the foreground. The title of the self-portrait is “Painter and His Pug.”
