CHAPTER LIII THE PUG Ir is not uncommon for people to be misled by sound as to fact. Quoting from " Hudibras" in confirmation of this statement: Το Agrippa kept a Stygian Pug go from Butler to Gay, we find these lines: Poor Pug was caught, to town conveyed, There sold. How envied was his doom, Howell, writing in 1660, says: "My pretty pug, ma belle, m'amie." This appears to have been, at the time, a commonly familiar and endearing form of address. From the more pleasing poetical allusions and illusions let us turn to the practical naturalist. Richardson says: "The Pug is a flat-nosed dog, so called from its resemblance to a monkey." Bell, author of "British Quadrupeds," says: "The Pug, which has somewhat the aspect of the Bulldog, is a small variety with the same projection of the lower jaw, the same close, short hair, and similar conformation of body. It is, however, the very reverse of that savage race in disposition, being remarkably timid, and though possessing little sagacity, tolerably good-tempered. It is useless in the field, and kept only as a pet, for which purpose, however, it is greatly inferior to most other dogs." Although the word pug originally meant an imp, or little demon, the name is not applied to the dog in a sinister sense, but with a kindly feeling, as we playfully call a spirited child a little imp, as that most kind-hearted of poets, the Ettrick Shepherd, wrote of his children: My imps, though hardy, bold, and wild, As best befits the mountain child. This point has been dwelt upon because so many present-day writers have copied "Idstone's" errors. Every writer on Pugs since the issue of "Stonehenge's" work, in 1859, has informed his readers that twenty, thirty, or fifty years ago-according to the date of their writing-the Pug dog was exceedingly scarce, and, indeed, all but lost. There is no need to lament any such scarcity now. As soon as the tide of fashion turned and again set in for Pugs, the creation of the supply commenced, and now, like so many others, the Pug market is overstocked, and everywhere, in town and country, these animals abound. "Idstone," writing in 1872, hazards the opinion, or, rather, expresses a doubt, whether we could produce half a dozen specimens equal to what existed a century ago. "Idstone" apparently undervalued the Pugs of the day when he penned the remarks quoted; and ever since there have been dozens of first-class Pug dogs shown, and there are and always have been a very much greater number in private hands which are never exhibited. There are, however, still too few good ones, an immense quantity of mediocre ones, and a superabundance of "weeds." The fact is, dog shows have given a tremendous impetus to breeding. Yet, very few who take up dog breeding as a sort of "hobby that can be made to pay" seem to have any idea that there are certain laws of breeding which must be followed if success is to be attained, and that, together with the exercise of a grasping spirit, which will turn every pup, however worthless, into coin of the realm, fills the country with rubbish. It is quite certain that there are far more puppies of this and other breeds born than ought to be allowed to live. Many are so weak in vitality that they are sure, if they live at all, to grow up diseased and "weedy," and a majority are so wanting in the essential qualities of the breed that no one with a real desire to improve our dogs would think of rearing them. But such dogs are reared and bred from on account of a supposed value attaching to their pedigrees, and so faults are propagated and intensified. Much has been written on the origin of the Pug, but all seems to be merely conjecture. One writer says we first obtained the Pug from Muscovy, and that he is an undoubted native of that country; another, that he is indigenous to Holland; whilst others assert the Pug to be a cross between our English Bulldog and the small Dane. Dogs of Pug character are widely distributed a dog nearly akin to him is met with in China and Japan, he is well known in Russia, a favourite in Germany, plentiful in Holland and Belgium, and common enough in France. 99 66 From the date of his resuscitation in this country his history is much clearer, and by the aid of the Stud Books and other means will be kept so. In "Dogs of the British Islands Stonehenge" states, and no doubt on the best authority, that in the decade 1840-50, among other breeders who attempted to bring the Pug up to its former distinguished position in this country, foremost and most successful was the then Lady Willoughby d'Eresby, who succeeded, by crossing a dog obtained in Vienna with a bitch of a strong fawn colour imported from Holland, and afterwards by carefully selecting from their stock dogs for breeding, in establishing the once celebrated Willoughby strain. The same excellent authority states that the pale-coloured Morrison strain is lineally descended from a stock in the possession of Queen Charlotte, and through them, no doubt, to inherit the blood of the favourites of King William III., who, it seems, from historical memoranda, first established the breed in this country. The late Mr. Morrison, it is assumed, obtained the breed through the servants of the Royal household, and by careful breeding established a strain that bears his name. It appears, therefore, that both the Willoughby and Morrison strains were strong in Dutch blood, the Morrison being the more purely Dutch. No doubt there were many other sources to which the present race of Pugs is partly due, but it is not now usual to call every fawn or stone-coloured Pug a Willoughby, and the paler yellowish ones Morrisons; the two strains have been frequently united, and in a class of twenty almost every shade of colour between the two that mark these strains is met with. The popularity of the Pug seems to have been at neap tide at the beginning of last century, if we may judge from the following remarks of a cynical writer of that period: "Perhaps in the whole catalogue of the canine species there is not one of less utility, or possessing less the power of attraction, than the Pug dog; applicable to no sport, appropriated to no useful purpose, susceptible of no predominant passion, and in no way remarkable for any extra eminence, he is continued from era to era for what alone he might have been originally intended-the patient follower of a ruminating philosopher, or the adulating and consolatory companion of an old maid." With these views and sentiments Pug-lovers, whether "ruminating philosophers," maids, or matrons, are not likely to be in sympathy. One would suppose the writer to have been a cantankerous old bachelor, caring for nothing but his pipe, his Pointer, and his gun. In the First Edition of "British Dogs" were quoted the opinions in detail given by many eminent breeders of that time; but as since then the Pug Dog Club has been formed, and has practically adopted the late Mr. Hugh Dalziel's description (printed below), although with important omissions, it is needless to repeat the letters now. "The general appearance and symmetry of the Pug are decidedly square and cobby; a lean, leggy dog and a long-backed, short-legged one are equally out of harmony with the ideal Pug, which, although not so graceful in contour as the Greyhound and some of the Terriers, should yet be so well proportioned that each part is, as to size, in harmony and conformity with every other, and in combination forming a symmetrical whole. Condition, which materially affects a dog's chance in the judging-ring, alters the general appearance, and destroys the symmetry when it represents extreme poverty or excessive obesity. The Pug is a multum in parvo; but this condensation, if one may use the word, should be shown by compactness of form, in well-knit proportions, and hardness of developed muscle. The head should be round and short, the skull well domed and large, to correspond with the general size-bigness is the better word-of this delightful little ladies' pet. The muzzle must be short and square (a pointed muzzle is a serious drawback). The nose is short, but the Pug is not up-faced,' like the Bulldog: his nose should be decidedly of the snub variety, but not retroussé. The protrusion of the tongue is a deformity often arising from partial paralysis of that useful organ, and apt to appear in all short-faced dogs; but it should always be looked on as a fault. The ears should be small, thin, soft, and velvety, and black in colour. Some are carried flat, and close to the face, called the ' button ear'; others have the ears partially thrown back, the edge again slightly folding forward, and a portion of the interior shown. This corresponds with a variety of ear of the Bulldog called the 'rose ear.' I prefer the 'rose' to the 'button' ear in both breeds, the latter giving a dull, heavy, almost sulky look to the countenance. The eyes are dark in colour, very large, bold, and prominent, globular in shape, soft and solicitous in expression, and very lustrous, and, when excited, full of fire. There should be no tendency to water, or weep, as it is called. It was formerly insisted that there should be a black mole, with three hairs growing out of it, on each cheek. Stonehenge,' in his valuation of points, gives five for this. 'Idstone' lays it down as important, and hundreds have re-echoed the opinion. A mole on each cheek is not peculiar to Pugs, but will, on examination, be found in every breed, and is easily enough seen on all smooth-faced dogs. The mask is the black colour of the face. The more intense it is, the better, and it should include the eyes, running in a straight. line across the forehead; the more sharply defined this mask is, the better, as the contrast between it and the body colour is thereby more strongly marked. Separate from the mask is a black patch, or thumb-mark, and no Pug can be considered absolutely perfect without it. The loose skin of the head forms into wrinkles, which alter in depth with the varying emotions of the dog; when seen at their greatest, they give a frowning look to the face. The lines of these wrinkles can be traced when the skin is stretched, or smooth, by deeper shades of colour. The trace is a dark line-the blacker the better-running along the back, right to the end of the tail. It should be clearly defined, and narrow, ĝin. to 1in. at broadest. The colour of the pure Morrison was a yellow-fawn, the pure Willoughby a cool stone or light drab; but the two strains have been much interbred, and good Pugs of many various shades are now met with. What is called the 'apricot fawn' was in vogue with many; but the great consideration is to get the colour-whatever its shade-decided enough, and with a very pronounced contrast between it and the black of the mask, trace, and vent. The commonest fault in colour is smuttiness, the mask spreading over the whole head, the trace extending down each side, and the fawn hairs of the body being more or less shaded with black. A correspondent informs me that Mr. Beswicke Royd's family, who for many generations owned a very fine breed of Pugs, now lost, had one pair-the last—that invariably threw one pure white pup in each litter. The eminent veterinarian Blaine records a similar instance in a Pug bitch of his own, which in three consecutive litters had one pure white pup. A white Pug with good points is a curiosity, and the production of a strain of them does not seem impossible. Four or five specimens were benched a few years ago. A great fault with many Pugs shown now is coarseness of coat. The coat should be fine, smooth, soft, and glossy. The skin is extremely loose, and when a handful is taken, the coat, although thus handled, felt against the grain, should be neither hard nor woolly. The neck is short, thick, and fleshy, and with the skin loose and free; although there is seldom a decided dewlap, still there must be an abundance of skin, or the head will be void of wrinkles. The Pug is wide across the chest, wide through the barrel, and square in the quarters; the back is fairly broad, and the whole body stout and thick-set. The legs must be straight, and well under him, of moderate length. The dog should stand about 12in. high, and at that height should weigh about 15lb. The legs should be strong, and the feet rather long, or hare-shaped; the toes well split up, and the toenails black. The tail is of great importance. The more tightly and closely it is curled over the hip, the more is thought of it; and in a winner nowadays the double curl is almost indispensable." The following is the description of points adopted by the Pug Dog Club: Symmetry.-Symmetry and general appearance, decidedly square and cobby. A lean, leggy Pug and a dog with short legs and a long body are equally objectionable. |
