The SCFS Pug Bug!

Woof Woof!! This is the Pug Bug: (from left to right) Sierra, Cody, Frankie and Sydney! Help us travel to where the Pug breed originated...China!!! Please move us from cache to cache all the way to China to see all the sights and then help us get back home to Santa Clara, California, USA!

"Multum in parvo"*

My husband, eclipsehome and I love our 4 pugs soooooooooooooooo much we just had to make a TB for them! Help us celebrate this wonderful, adorable, sweet, friendly, energetic, hilariously entertaining and down right awesome breed by helping the Pug Bug travel to the Pug's birth country of China! In case you were curious, here's a little background and history on the PUG!

The Pug is a small breed of dog with a wrinkly, short-muzzled face and curled tail. The breed has a fine, glossy coat that comes in a variety of colors (fawn, apricot, silver, black and on rare occasions white) and a compact square body with well-developed muscle. Strong willed but rarely aggressive, the majority of the breed is very fond of children and sturdy enough to properly play with them. They can be quiet and docile but also vivacious and teasing depending on their owner's mood. They can make good watchdogs as they are always alert and can be yappy. Pug puppies are often called puglets :)

The Pug is of Chinese origin and dates back to the Shang dynasty (before 400 BCE). The exact origins of the Pug are unknown as Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China, destroyed all records, scrolls and art related to the Pug at some point during his reign which lasted between 221 BCE–210 BCE. Pugs were prized possessions of the Emperors of China, living in a most luxurious atmosphere and at times were even guarded by soldiers. Records show that the Chinese bred three different types of short nosed dogs: the Lion dog, the Pekingese and the Lo-Chiang-Sze. The Lo-Chiang-Sze, Lo-Sze or "Foo Dog" as it was affectionately nicknamed was the ancient Pug.

The Pug's popularity spread to Tibet, where they were mainly kept by monks and then went onto Japan and finally Europe. The breed was first imported in the late 16th and 17th centuries by merchants and crews from the Dutch East India Company. The Dutch traders brought the Pugs to Holland and to England. The more refined Pug that we know today must be credited to the English. This happy little dog was enjoyed by many Monarchs of Europe and to this day is a favorite with royalty and discerning people all over the world.

The American Kennel Club first recognized the breed in 1885. The Pug's popularity grew by leaps and bounds but then dwindled by the turn of the century. A few dedicated breeders kept the breed going and slowly the pug reappeared on the American scene. The Pug is currently enjoying a rather steady growth rate in popularity. He is not so popular as to be common nor so unknown as to be rare.

*Pugs have been described as "multum in parvo" meaning "much in little", referring to the Pug's personality and small size.