One of the oldest known dog breeds, the Pug has been a four-pawed pal to people for the past two millennia. Each year, fans of Fidos celebrate our bond with this tiny but mighty dog breed with its own special holiday: National Pug Day!
When is National Pug Day?
National Pug Day is held every October 15. It is one of many dog and cat holidays founded by Colleen Paige and was launched in 2012.
Celebrate National Pug Day over on Twitter with hashtag #NationalPugDay.
Famous Pug Statues
A pair of bronze sculptures in the Place d’Armes created by Montreal-born artist Marc-Andre J. Fortier are meant to depict cultural disparity in the country. Along with a couture-clad woman cradling a fluffy French Poodle who looks down her nose at the English- Bank of Montreal, a stylishly-suited man with an English Pug gives a haughty gaze to a building revered by French Canadians, the Notre Dame Basilica.
Playfully squirting streams of water, a pack of 27 pups (including a Pug!) are perched on a three-tiered fountain in Toronto’s Berczy Park, making a big splash with dog lovers.
Once saved from assassins thanks to the bark of his faithful four-legged friend Pompey, the tomb of William The Silent (Prince William of Orange) includes a carved image of the Pug resting forever at the feet of his favorite human.
Fun Facts About Pugs
In observance of the pet holiday, we’ve fetched a few fun facts about Pugs:
Able to boast of 3.9 million followers on Instagram, not only is Doug the Pug a celebrity who has starred in a Katy Perry music video and provided the voice of Monchi the Pug in the animated feature film The Mitchells vs. The Machines, he also uses his star wattage to shine a spotlight on children in need through the Doug The Pug Foundation, which raises funds for kids fighting cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.
The lucky pupils at Paoli Public Schools in Paoli, Oklahoma have a Pug as their mascot.
According to the American Kennel Club’s annual list, the Pug is the 29th most popular dog breed.
Long live Pugs! The life span of a Pug is approximately 12 to 15 years.
Pug coats come in two colors: fawn and black.
In Tibet, Pugs have been the four-legged friends of Buddhist monks.
Pugs in History
A sovereign who knew that dogs rule, Queen Victoria had many canine confidants during her long reign, including up to 36 Pugs! Although some of their names have been lost in the mists of time, royal watchers do know that the beloved monarch chose the monikers Fatima, Minka, Olga, Pedro and Venus for a few of her barking buddies who belonged to the Pug breed.
In 1981, a Pug dubbed Dhandys Favorite Woodchuck (although he answered to Chucky) was crowned top dog at the The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
The breed began as a companion for Chinese emperors.
Lovers of literature might recall that Jane Austen wrote the character of a Pug as the canine companion of Lady Bertram in her novel Mansfield Park.
Pugs in Movies
- The Adventures of Milo and Otis — Did you know that the character of Otis was named in honor of the late singer Otis Redding?
- The Big Wedding — A plethora of Pugs shared screen time with a-list animal advocates Diane Keaton, Amanda Seyfried and Katheirne Heigl in this 2013 comedy.
- Breakin’ All the Rules — Two Pugs (Chin-Chin and Ling) tackled the role of Rufus, sharing screen time with actor Jamie Foxx. Promoting the option of pet adoption, one scene features Foxx’s character adopting four pugs from the Glendale Humane Society.
- The Campaign — Pugs Mittens and Cupcake provided laughs in this 2012 political satire.
- Kingsmen: The Secret Service –Jack Bauer (JB for short) was the Pug chosen by Eggsy in this 2014 action flick.
- Men in Black — A Pug dubbed Mushu portrayed a Remoolian disguised as a Rover called Frank in the hit Will Smith/Tommy Lee Jones sci-fi action flick and its sequel, Men in Black II.
- The Mitchells Vs. The Machines — Monchi the Pug (whose sounds were provided by Doug the Pug) was based on the director’s childhood barking buddy, a Pug named Monchichi.
- The Nut Job— Maya Rudolph provided the voice of Precious the Pug in this animated animal-themed comedy.
- Patrick The Pug — The real Patrick who inspired this 2018 Disney comedy received the Palm Dogmanitairan Award at the Cannes Film Festival! In the film a Pug named Harley portrayed Patrick.
- Pocahontas — Named in honor of colonist George Percy, Percy the Pug is one of the stars of the animated Disney movie
- The Secret Life of Pets — Mel was among the menagerie of animated companion animals who help dogs Max and Duke get back to their human in this family-friendly flick.
- Valentino: The Last Emperor — No documentary about the iconic fashion designer could be complete without scenes starring his pack of Pugs: Maggie, Margot, Maude, Milton, Molly and Monty.
Pugs on TV
- The King of Queens — Fans of the CBS comedy series The King of Queens will recognize Allan as the name of Spence Olchin’s Pug.
- Mighty Mike — Wrangling raccoons while trying to court the cute canine who lives next door, Mike is the playful Pug in this computer animated children’s TV series.
- Poldark — Horace Tail-wagging thespian Sonny portrayed Caroline’s pampered pug.
- Puppy Dog Pals — Animal-loving little ones enjoy the antics of Pug protagonists Bingo and Rolly in this Disney Junior series.
Famous Pet Parents of Pugs
- Mackenzie Phillips — Freddie, the actress’s rescue Pug, starred alongside his famous pet parent in a Last Chance for Animals “Adopt, Don’t Shop” ad.
- Empress Josephine Bonaparte — While imprisoned Napoleon’s wife communicated with her husband by correspondence which were hidden away in the collar of her pug, Fortune.
- Phoebe Bridgers — A black Pug named Maxine puts a song in the heart of the 2020 Best New Artist Grammy nominee.
- Gerard Butler — For many years a Pug called Lolita was the canine companion of the 300 star.
- Paris Hilton — The paparazzi magnet has been a pet parent to a plethora of pooches (among them a rescue Pug named Mugsy) over the years.
- Billy Joel — The Piano Man adopted his canine companion, Rosie (a Pug who had been saved from life in a puppy mill), from North Shore Animal League America.
“Pug” in Various Languages
- Catalan and Spanish — doguillo
- Czech, Slovak — mopslik
- Danish, German, Luxembourgish, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian, Slovenian, Swedish — Mops
- Dutch — mopshond
- Finnish — mopsi
- French — carlin
- Hungarian — mopsz
- Welsh — Pwtyn
- Italian– carlino
Adopting a Pug
Does National Pug Day have you pondering the prospect of welcoming a Pug or Pug mix into your heart and home?
You can find the dog of your dreams at a Pug-specific dog rescue (which are located throughout the United States), or check any rescue group in your area.
You can search for adoptable Pugs online at:
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