They also have really soft fur. My neighbor had a pug whom I adored. Sadly, Gizmo got out of the house one July 4, and because of all the fireworks, apparently managed to run far enough afield that he couldn’t be found in spite of all my neighbors’ efforts to find him. His person was heartbroken and so were the other neighbors who knew him, as well as his miniature-poodle companion.
One factoid not mentioned upthread is that they shed like a mofo. Keeping them well-brushed not only makes them happy (they are attention whores), but will cut down on your vacuuming time.
We lost the last of our three pugs to old age about three or four years ago, and I still occasionally find the odd pug hair in an otherwise well-cleaned area.
I can’t imagine life without pugs.
We have two at the moment, siblings but not litter mates (the girl is a year older than the boy.) They are the most delightful pets I’ve ever owned, and I’ve had a lot of pets - dogs, cats, birds, etc. The combine the best of both dogs and cats. They’re incredibly playful, and seemingly never get bored with their toys or each other. We’re treated to them showing off almost every night for an hour or so while they chase their toys, each other, and have custody battles over the nylabones.
Then they get tired, each pick a human, and flop down on our laps or next to us for the night, waking up only to get a few pets or a drop of whatever we’re drinking or eating.
They’re cute as little buttons, and incredibly expressive.
Drawbacks are few and far between, and can probably be trained out of them if you put some work in. We’re lazy, so ours tend to bark when people come to the door. This is actually useful as our doorbell is kind of soft.
Health wise we’ve had no real problems. They get stinky anal glands every once in a while, but this seems to be managed by giving them extra fiber in their diet (raw pumpkin or All-Bran in the mornings). Never had any ear or breathing problems. They shed, but they don’t seem to shed any more or less than any other dog or cat I’ve had.
They curl up under the covers next to me and snooze at night if I let them.
Yes, they snore, but not loudly. I have no problems with it, but Mr. Athena does. But he’s an incredibly light sleeper - anything keeps him awake.
By all means, get a pug. Or two. They’re the best.
Our pug used to walk around with her tongue hanging part of the way out. It was awesome.
Also, be careful not to come face to face with a pug…it will sneeze all over you.
–FCOD
-
Get husband in the same room with a pug so he can see how cute they are.
-
???
-
Profit!
They have cool little bodies but I don’t dig a dog with a pushed-in face and buggy eyes.
I had a co-worker who got a little pug pup. One of her kids accidentally slammed the sliding door on his head and took his buggy little eye out. Poor little dude.
My aunt has a pug that lost an eye when a neighbor’s lawnmower launched a rock. Now she is known as “Sofie the Pirate”.
Come on, you can’t tell me this isn’t adorable
–FCOD
I’m surprised to hear everyone calling them sweet. When I was a vet tech, they were probably the most universally loathed breed of dog we saw. Nasty, mean little fuckers who usually needed a muzzle for even the simples thing, but couldn’t be muzzled because they would suffocate (which it sounded like they were doing all the time anyway). Honestly, just about every one I had to deal with was aggressive. They are very cute as puppies, but the horrible sound they make when they breathe would drive me insane. And yes, they shed a lot. I’ve never understood the appeal, but people who have them seem to like them, so YMMV.
Wow, I’m shocked by this. I’ve never heard of a Pug being aggressive like that. Of course, my experience is limited compared to yours, but I’m still shocked.
It’s true that they sound like an old man with Emphysema. I could see it becoming annoying. Sometimes if they get winded it sounds like they’re going to die. Personally I think it’s a cute noise, but I’m kinda weird.
–FCOD
Nope, sorry…I can’t get into 'em. They sound and look like they’re gasping their last. It’s like they’re in a perpetual stranglehold.
Poor Sophie!
Wow, maybe you have different pugs where you live. My vet and his staff go ballistic over the puggies when I bring them in. He’s told me that they were one of his favorite breeds because they always were so mellow and happy all the time.
As far as the breathing… mine don’t snuffle at all when they’re just breathing. Right now both are laying on the couch in my office, and you’d never know they are there by sound alone, they’re completely silent. It’s only when they sleep & snore that they make noise, or if they get really excited while playing or something. They definitely don’t sound like they’re suffocating all the time.
I can’t imagine a mean or aggressive pug. They’re little love bunnies.
There are condos and townhouses near the dog park I go to that have size restrictions on dogs and pugs are extremely popular with them because of their size and temperament. They’re not known as being yappy high strung dogs and as they get older they’re not extremely active. Unlike my dog.
I wasn’t a pug lover until I was around a lot of them. Some days there are 10 pugs at the park. They’re very happy friendly little dogs. Very affectionate and they seem to all have completely different personalities. I have noticed that most of the pugs over the age of 3 seem to have a tendency to be overweight. So, it’s something you have to watch.
People’s taste in dogs is so different. My sister loves bulldogs. I think they’re great dogs but I don’t see anything appealing about them. Sorry if I offend anyone that has one.
I happen to be drawn to terrier breeds for some reason. Probably because I’m a masochist. They’re high energy, independent dogs dogs that aren’t for everyone.
If you want to see a cute movie with a Pug, check out Otis and Milo.
To each his own, I suppose
Sofie didn’t seem to care. I’ve found that most of the time animals don’t seem to mind losing eyes or even limbs. They just adapt. My wife and I had a rat with only three legs and no tail, and he didn’t seem to care at all. In fact, he could move around better than some of our four-legged rats!
[nitpick]Milo and Otis. Very cute movie![/nitpick]
–FCOD
Y’know, that’s not impossible. Maybe Renee works in an area with a particularly bad pug puppy mill nearby and they’ve got a slew of bad-tempered pugs who are fairly closely related.
Thank you everyone! I am still just dreaming of a pug. I believe I am allergic to cats; no official test but I get a prickly feeling in my eyes and my throat gets scratchy when I am in a room where cats hang out. I wasn’t sure about dogs. So I went next door and was hanging out in the TV room where my landlords and their dog lie around most of the time and my throat starting feeling clumpy pretty quick. If I vacuumed a lot would that help or not? Or if I bathed the dog regularly?? I hate to have to be on yet another pill in order to have a furry pet.
Depends if you’re allergic to dander (skin flakes) or to fur. Most people are only allergic to one. If you’re allergic to dander, then frequent bathing can help. If you’re allergic to fur, then a hypo-allergenic dog might help. Some dogs which are less likely to trigger allergies are:
Poodles (all sizes)
Soft coated Wheaten Terriers
Kerry Blue Terriers
Bedlington Terriers
Bichon Frise
Schnauzer (all 3 sizes)
Irish Water Spaniel
Afghan Hound
Portuguese Water Dog
None of those dogs shed. My westie doesn’t shed but she’s not on the list. Westies are prone to having allergies though. My last westie had to get allergy shots every spring.
I like the Bedlington too, but I don’t know if I’d keep up with the regulation haircut.
Well, that’s the thing…dogs who “don’t shed”, don’t shed because their hairs grow so long before falling out that we cut them off first. And since their growth cycle is so long, we don’t notice when they fall out (because they do fall out, just more slowly than most dog’s hairs). You’ll often hear people say that poodles and other hypo-allergenic dogs have “hair” not “fur”. Technically, there’s no distinction, other than what we call fur that gets really, really long before falling out is “hair”, and what we call hair that falls out when it’s still short is “fur”. It’s the same keratin strands either way.
But the upshot is that any dog with “hair” that doesn’t trigger as many allergies is going to need haircuts or become a dredlocked mess.
Oh, yeah, I would get it groomed but not necessarily with the puffballs on ears and tail.