PUGS WERE BROUGHT TO EUROPE IN THE 16TH CENTURY
Pugs made their way to the Western world in the 16th century, when they were imported from China primarily by Portuguese and Dutch traders. Later, when King William III and Queen Mary II took the English throne in 1689, they brought Pugs with them to English shores. (Source)
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THE PUG IS THE LARGEST BREED IN ITS GROUP
Kennel clubs assign the Pug to the toy group. Although "toy" is not a precise classification, this group is made up of the smallest breeds of dogs. Of these small breeds, the Pug is the largest. So among small dogs, it's very big, but it's still pretty small. Get it? (Source)
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ONLY ONE PUG HAS WON BEST IN SHOW AT WESTMINSTER
In 138 years of Westminster Kennel Club Dog Shows, a Pug has won the coveted Best in Show title only once. In 1981, 3-year-old Ch. Dhandy's Favorite Woodchuck, aka Chucky, beat out 2,910 other dogs to take the top prize in the contest. (Source)
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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. (Source)
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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. Pugs were commonly known as Mopshounds at the time, so Marie essentially had a Pug named Pug. Marie Antoinette: not that creative. (Source)
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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. (Source)
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