Pug Lit from Google Books

Herein is my personal catalog of reference and other books of particular interest to me that have been scanned and made available in PDF format via Google Books. They've proved a really marvelous resource, and one which is getting steadily better, larger and more useful. While it's handy and convenient to let them store the things so they'll be at your fingertips whenever you're on the web, a cautionary type might want to download copies of at least the ones of most interest. Google is a corporation, with more rights - thanks to Big Tony and the Supremes - and less responsibilities than these anachronisms we call individuals, and they can do whatever they bloody well want to at any time they want to do it.

This is all here because either I can't figure out how to use the tools Google Books provides to do this, or their tools are insufficient and overly fussy. I'm betting the latter.

Feel free to borrow any or all of this, with the understanding that an attribution will keep the karma dogs off your ass.

On a technical note, I've attempted to extract informative or at least entertaining bits from the prefaces or other parts of some of the books. These will appear in this differently colored format which, thankfully, at least isn't blinking. These extracts may contain extraneous artifacts from Google's OCR rendering of the PDF scans into text that I've been too lazy to fix.

On another technical note, I'll occasionally add reviews, comments, etc. from sources external to the books, which will added in a wee font like this.

On a really annoying technical note, some entries will be shown in blue. These are so indicated because they exist and should - by any reading of copyright law not involving Sonny Bono and DisneyCorp - be available. Their non-availability makes me blue in the Buddy Guy way.

If you feel you must get in touch with me so you can send me mint copies of any or all of the books listed below, then send some electrons to baum@stommel.tamu.edu.

PUGS

The Sportsman's Repository; Comprising a Series of Highly Finished Engrabings, Representing the Horse and the Dog (1845, 204) - John Scott, John Lawrence

On almost every Species or Variety of the Dog, the same- difficulty recurs in respect to their origin, whether indigenous, or imported into this Country, and at what period distinguished or imported. Zoological History, on this point, is in truth, most defective. The Pug Dog is generally styled the Dutch Pug, and it is taken for granted that, the species is indigenous to Holland, since, according to universal, but dateless tradition, it was originally imported hither from that Country. Pugs indeed are numerous throughout the Low Countries, and we believe, most of the northern parts of the Continent. There is yet an obscure, but confident tradition, that pugism had its origin in Muscovy; which being granted, we may not have been far wide of the mark, in tracing it in the form of the Arctic Dog. Another, and which we deem an inconsequent conjecture, on this most important affair of origination, is the pug being, according to certain sage conjecturists, a simple, or first cross mongrel, the production of a commixture between the English Bull Dog, and the little Dane: a conjecture we feel inclined to define by the figure hysteron proteron, or setting the cart before the horse. We hold the Pug to be of the elder house; and if at this perilous antiparodial crisis, we may venture at a secular parody, the motto of the illustrious race of pugs ought to be—not we from bulls, but bulls from us. Pug-ism, in the English vulgar tongue, serves to denote rotundity, shortness, and dapperness; whether the Continental languages are sufficiently rich to furnish an analogous term, we are uninformed. We have no doubt however that, it was one of the original forms in the dog, and that there was in the beginning, an Adam Pug. But let that stand there, while we remark, that the term pug and its co-significant pompey, have been transferred in certain of our Western Counties, from the canine terminology to the Swinish, from the kennel to the sty. In the Counties of Berks and Hants, those terms formerly applied to pigs, indicated a Southern cross upon the indigenous breed, chiefly Portuguese, West India, or Chinese, the purpose of which was to reduce the length and bone of the animals, and to increase their aptitude for pinguefaction, in every-day English, for making fat. Such a cross has at length pervaded our breeds of pigs universally, yet during a number of years, the terms pug and pompey have become obsolete, without the needful substitution, by our pig-improvers, of some other terms, which we would recommend to their serious and prompt consideration ; otherwise, so great a confusion is there in our present breeds of pigs, we shall not, in the phrase of the ancients of Suffolk, know the ' rew from the sus' of the business. The chief external distinctions of the Pug Dog are, a yellow colour, of various shades, small or moderate size, round and fixed shape, full breast, short neck and legs, curled tail, round prominent eye-balls, bluff head, black muzzle, lightly pendulous ears, prominent inferior jaw, or underhung, and a grave, often a savage countenance. The comforter, or lap-dog pug, is sometimes among the smallest of the canine race : the internal properties of the Pug are, courage, not unfrequently attended with a savage snappishness, which, however, have not precluded him from the fortunate lot of being the ladies' favourite, and the family pet, his chief use in society. With our own representation of the Pug, we also embrace the opportunity of referring the reader to another beautiful and natural drawing of the pug-head, in the Sporting Magazine, for April 1818: where will also be found, a tribute to the memory of Fanny, a favourite female pug, late the property of Her Royal Highness the Duchess of York, and some time previously, entombed in the Canine Burial-Ground, at Oallands. The following Epitaph upon this favourite, is from the pen of Mr. Upton : Reader, trtad lightly o'er this mound of earth, Nor give, while here, too loose a rein to mirth. Beneath this grass, the once gay Fanny lies; Her breath now stopp'd; for ever closed her eyes. 'Tis strange, perhaps, yet not more strange than true, Fanny was lov'd by man and woman too! Nay, even babes would leave their mother's arms, To hug, embrace, and gaze on Fanny's charms ! Yet Fan had faults, and faults, as will appear, She never gave to misery a tear ;— Misfortunes, sorrows, or the prisoner's groan, Ne'er drew a sigh, nor touch'd her heart of stone ! Yet was her nature soft, as soft can be, No mortal breath'd more innocent than she. Her harmless tongue ne'er utter'd slander's sting ; The gentle Fanny hurt no living thing : Courteous, well bred, engaging, and polite ; The same kind creature morning, noon, and night: Not that she did so, by religion taught, Fanny ne'er gave religion e'en a thought. As nature prompted, she obey'd her will— From first to last, the gentle Fanny still! Alike the favourite of both poor and rich, She liv'd and died, a little—little bitch. From the same source of Sporting amusement, we draw the following Lecture on Heads, an elegant, classical, and scientific comparison between the heads of the Fox and the Pug Dog, written, as we have reason to conjecture, by a learned Frenchman, who in the course of many years sojournment in this Country, attained an eminent proficiency and skill in the English language.— [GRAPHIC] " Musing with attention and pleasure, on the beautiful engraving of the 4 Head of a Fox,' which decorates the first number of the fiftieth volume of your interesting publication, I was insensibly led by a concatenation of ideas, to consider the wide difference which exists between the heads of various animals, compared with others, and found myself lost in a maze of reflections, the result of which was, my exclaiming exultingly with the Psalmist—' O Lord, how manifold are thy works!' It is indeed astonishing, with what variety nature has moulded, not only the whole shape, but especially the mask of several species in the extensive works of creation ; and the opposite means through which she arrives at the same end, namely, the protection and preservation of the individual. Though simple, this observation, if properly considered, and minutely particularized, would yield interesting matter for whole folio Volumes; but I shall confine my reflections at present, to an instance or two, leaving other parallels for another time. While observing the sharp nose, the acute ear, and sunken eye of the fox, in the Plate above mentioned, I had not far to seek for a counterpart. Fan my little pug was dancing about me, and supplied my mind with full and appropriate points of comparison, in the diametrically opposite character of her features. Instead of the lengthened, wedgeshaped muzzle of the Ajax of the poultry yard, I find in this little snapper at cats, and gnawer of bones, a flat, roundish knob, projecting about an inch from the forehead, which rises here, with an abrupt and sudden curve between the ears ; whereas, in the other it ascends by degrees, with a gentle slope to the top of the scull. The different manner of getting their food is obviously connected with this opposition of shape. The fox, like the terrier, the pig, the mole, &c. has often occasion to turn up the ground ; the pug, which is nothing less than a bull-dog in miniature, living on the kindness and gratitude of man, whom he amuses or defends, and finding his food ready for him, does not want the sharpness of a snout, and appears perfectly satisfied with the wrinkled bluntness of his face. The mouth participates also of the same intention from nature. The thief, which slyly insinuates himself into the hen-house, and seizes upon its feathered inmates, has been provided with large chaps, sheltered under the prominency of the nose—but the assertor of his right to a bone, or to his kennel, has received a strong projecting under-jaw, in which the teeth are placed in such a curious angle, that nothing can force off his hold, unless he chuses to give it up. The eyes though keen and bright in the fox, are like two carbuncles set in deep and dark recesses; they appear significant and cunning—the eyes of a pug are projecting and brilliant: they have the shape and brightness of large pearls, and speak kindness and simplicity. The ears of this little pet, like those of nearly all her tribe, have fallen a sacrifice to fashion. In their natural state, they would have curled forward upon themselves, as if to defend the nakedness of the auditory shell. Reynard has the organs of hearing in an erect attitude : his are the ears of fear and distrust—pug's the ears of confidence and security. According to the different construction of the eye and the ear, and in conformity to the same economy of nature, which wastes nothing or does nothing in vain, the sense of smelling has been differently dispensed. The fox, by the keenness of his olfactory nerves, supplies the difficulty of seeing an object, but what is before him. The prominent orbs of the pug's eyes, starting out of their sockets, encompass so wide an horizon, that a great exquisiteness of smelling would be of little importance or use to him. Consequently bull dogs and pugs are not fit for sports, which depend on the scent, and they leave the diversion of the chase to the long-nosed family of hounds and terriers, which in this point bear a great analogy to the fox. A curious singularity attending this species of dog, is the jet blackness of the muzzle, which peculiarity procured them the appellation of Carlins in France, from a famous Harlequin of that name, who performed for many years, on the Parisian Stages, about the middle of the last century ; previously to which epoch, they were generally called doguins, small bull dogs, and roquets, which names they still retain in some parts of France. But this sable livery of their pugships is not of long duration—it is merely an ornament of youth, and fades off into a grey silvery hue, when the animal counts two years from the age of puberty : it is also remarkable that every one of this family, has one or two, and sometimes more, warts, bristling with long black hairs on each side of the face—to what purpose, to what use ? Here ends, in a blank, the ingenuity and judgment of man : he only knows, or ought to know, that Nature had her meaning in the most trifling part of her works. These bristles indeed may be smellers, a sort of conductors for the miasmatic emanators of Ixnlies, and placed there to assist the imperfect state of the olfactory organs, as in the feline kind." This Gentleman, proprietor of the Bitch Fan, to the head of which, in the Sporting Magazine, we have referred, deduces the origin of the word pug from the latin pugnus, a fist; certainly a probable derivation, as relative to the smallness of the pet pug dog : adding, if the clenched fist, with the thumb outward, be placed in profile, between a lighted candle and the wall, the shadow will give an excellent representation of a pug's head. This we have just now experimented. The Pug has been stigmatized, as possessing neither the powers of attraction, nor any kind of usefulness—' applicable (it is averred) to no sport, appropriate to no useful purpose, susceptible of no predominant passion—even the last in the whole catalogue of the canine species.' In this sentiment we can by no means concur, without considerable reserve. With respect to powers of attraction, we are very ready to acknowledge the superiority of the Spaniel comforter, indeed of the whole race of Spaniels; but on the score of usefulness, we should certainly place the pug many degrees above the mongrel varieties of curs which our streets, apparently adapted to no useful purpose whatever; whereas the Pug is capable of being made both a good guard for the house, and a good vermin dog. The following Letter, of the date of April 1817, intituled the ' End Op Poor Old Pug,' and subscribed Vox Humanitatis, will, we have no doubt, interest all those who are endowed with genuine sensibility, and we trust, prove instructive to others, who have yet that noble qualification to acquire---' A young lady of fourteen, of a feeling heart, and who, young as she is, spares no trouble in the cause of mercy, whether to fellow-creatures or brutes, caused to be brought home a deserted dog, the history of which is as follows. A woman was followed into a shop, by an ancient pug-dog of the most pitiable appearance. She said it had lived with her six and twenty years, and was an old dog when it first came into her possession. Its back and legs had been broken, and it had lost one eye, yet survived, heartwhole ! It had ever been most faithful and affectionate to its mistress, and whenever she was sick, would sit constantly upon her bed, watching her, and even refusing its food. She observed, it had long been afflicted with an asthma, which appeared but too plainly from the laboured manner in which it drew breath, and by its truly symptomatic cough. It had, beside, obviously caught a recent cold. The mistress of this distressed object, was about to bestow upon it, the final reward of its long and fond attachment. She observed, with the most perfect coolness, that she must get rid of the old dog ; and her proposed method was—to take it into the streets, lose, and desert it! It was evening, frosty, and piercing cold, and the poor animal had for so many years been accustomed to a warm room and a bed. But the head of this unthinking, and callous-hearted wretch, could entertain but one idea on the subject, that of ridding herself of a burden, without reflecting for a moment upon the miseries, to which she was about to expose an innocent and affectionate animal—to the rigours of cold, without shelter, to buffets, blows, wounds, yearnings for its lost home, lingering death by famine ! This woman of the world, totally overlooked the fellow animal feelings of the brute, and the horrible analogies of the present day, of devoted human creatures, who have perished for want in the highways and the streets. She must have been well apprized of the nature of that end, which she was preparing for her late humble and faithful friend and companion—as, how could she expect a stranger would be burdened with such an inmate, which she, its natural protector, had cast out ? It was remarked to her, by a woman of sense and humanity, that she ought, in common justice, and propriety, to give a man a small sum, to put an end at once, to the poor creature's miseries—but no, it was too much trouble! And here it is proper to repeat a condemnation of that general, unfeeling foolery, under the guise of sensibility, which induces an aversion to taking away the lives of deserted, or aged and diseased dogs and cats, in the same people, who feast without reluctance or remorse, upon the flesh of the finest, happiest, and healthiest animals daily slaughtered for the purpose!—an aversion which must, beyond all question, be placed to the account of stupidity, indolence, and hypocrisy, or a mixture of the three, which so often disgraces the streets, with the nuisance of cast-off animals in distress, and dying by inches, to the harrowing up of real sensibility. To conclude with poor Pug, he was taken by the young female Samaritan, above quoted with honour, into a warm room, and placed upon the carpet; but still the constant affections of the beast lingered after his false-hearted and treacheroas mistress, and it was really an affecting sight, to witness the animal's anxious and longing countenance, and to see him upon his hinder legs begging to have the door opened, that he might return to his beloved home! I, who can witness unmoved the sudden and easy death of any animal, am not ashamed to publish that my heart ached painfully at this sight—nor that I said within myself, may I be damned if I would desert such an animal ! I did better—I caressed it—tied a cloth gently and loosely over its head and neck, yet securely—stunned it with several heavy blows of a hammer, on the back part of the head, and instantly put it, head downwards, into a full pail of water, holding it down fast with a shovel until dead—and happy ! You, who are in similar circumstances, reflect, and do likewise."

Anecdotes of Dogs (1858, 491) - Edward Jesse

THE PUG DOG " My pug makes a bad pet; he is useless in the field, is somewhat snappish, has little sagacity, and is very cowardly : but there is an air of ion ton about him which renders him a fashionable appendage to a fine lady."—Parihan Gossip. Pugs came into fashion, and probably first into this country, in the early part of the reign of William the Third, and were then called Dutch pugs. At that time they were generally decorated with orange ribbons, and were in great request amongst the courtiers, from the king being very partial to them. It is difficult to say how this partiality arose, though it may perhaps be accounted for by the following anecdote, related in a scarce old book, called " Sir Roger Williams' Actions in the Low Countries," printed in 1618. " The Prince of Orange (father of William III.) being retired into the camp, Julian Romero, with earnest persuasions, procured license of the Duke D'Alva to hazard a camisado, or night attack, upon the prince. At midnight Julian sallied out of the trenches with a thousand armed men, mostly pikes, who forced all the guards that they found in their way into the place of arms before the Prince's tent, and killed two of his secretaries. The Prince himself escaped very narrowly, for I have often heard him say that he thought but for a dog he should have been taken or slain. The attack was made with such resolution, that the guards took no alarm until their fellows were running to the place of arms, with their enemies at their heels, when this dog, hearing a great noise, fell to scratching and crying, and awakened him before any of his men; and though the Prince slept armed, with a lacquey always holding one of his horses ready bridled and saddled, yet, at the going out of his tent, with much ado he recovered his horse before the enemy arrived. Nevertheless, one of his equerries was slain taking horse presently after him, as were clivers of his servants. The Prince, to show his gratitude, until his dying day kept one of that dog's race, and so did many of his friends and followers. These animals were not remarkable for their beauty, being little white dogs, with crooked noses, called Camuses (flat-nosed)." It is difficult to account for the origin of this breed of dogs. So far from having any of the courage of the bulldog, which they resemble somewhat in miniature, they are extremely cowardly. They are also occasionally treacherous in their disposition, and will take strong dislikes to particular persons. The passion of the late Lady Penrhyn for pugs was well known. Two of these, a mother and daughter, were in the eating-room of Penrhyn Castle during the morning call of a lady, who partook of luncheon. On bonnets and shawls being ordered for the purpose of taking a walk in the grounds, the oldest dog jumped on a chair, and looked first at a cold fowl, and then at her daughter. The lady remarked to Lady Penrhyn that they certainly had a design on the tray. The bell was therefore rung, and a servant ordered to take it away. The instant the tray disappeared, the elder pug, who had previously played the agreeable with all her might to the visitor, snarled and flew at her, and during the whole walk followed her, growling and snapping at her heels whenever opportunity served. The dog certainly went through two or three links of inference, from the disappearance of the coveted spoil to Lady Penrhyn's order, and from Lady Penrhyn's order to the remark made by her visitor. Monsieur Blaze, in his " History of Dogs," mentions one who was taught to pronounce several words. The editor of the "Dumfries Courier" has declared most solemnly that he " heard a pug repeatedly pronounce the word 'William, ' almost as distinctly as ever it was enunciated by the human voice. He saw the dog lying on a rug before the fire, when one of his master's sons, whose name is William, and to whom he is more obedient than to any one else, happened to give him a shove, when the animal ejaculated, for the first time, the word ' William. ' The whole party were as much amazed as Balaam was when his ass spoke; and though they could hardly believe their own ears, one of them exclaimed, ' Could you really find it in your heart to hurt the poor dog after he has so distinctly pronounced your name?' This led to a series of experiments, which have been repeated for the satisfaction of various persons, but still the animal performs with difficulty. When his master seizes his fore-legs, and commands him to say ' William, ' he treats the hearer with a gurring voluntary; and after this species of music has been protracted for a longer or a shorter period, his voice seems to fall a full octave before he comes out with the important word.'" In the " Bibliothtique Germanique," published in 1720, there is an account of a dog at Berlin, who was made to pronounce a few words, but the one which he ejaculated most distinctly was " Elizabeth." Sir William Gell also had a dog which was well known to repeat some words, but it should be mentioned that he never did this except his master held his jaws in a peculiar way.* It has been said of the pug dog that he is applicable to no sport, appropriated to no useful purpose, susceptible of no predominant passion, and in no way remarkable for any pre-eminent quality. He seems, indeed, intended to be the patient follower of a ruminating philosopher, or the adulatory and consolatory companion of an old maid; but is now gradually becoming discarded as a pet, and is seldom seen peeping out of a carriage window or basking in a London balcony. The Comforter, of which a portrait is given at the head of the present chapter, is a rare and beautiful little dog, apparently a cross between the Maltese and King Charles spaniel. His colour is generally white, with black or brown patches; his ears are long, and his head broad on the upper part, with an acute muzzle; the hair is long over the whole body, with the fore legs feathered; his tail is curled, and feathered with very long hairs. This is the smallest of any of the distinct races of dogs, and is frequently not above a foot from the tip of the nose to the point of the tail.

The Prize Pugs of America and England (1891, 151) - Matthew Henry Cryer

The Dog in British Poetry (1893, 350) - Robert Maynard Leonard

AGRIPPA'S PUG Quoth Hudibras - Agrippa kept a Stygian pug, I' th' garb and habit of a dog, That was his tutor, and the cur Read to th' occult philosopher, And taught him subtly to maintain All other sciences are vain. To this quoth Sidrophello, Sir, Agrippa was no conjurer, Nor Paracelsus, no, nor Behmen; Not was the dog a cacodaemon, But a true dog that would show tricks For th' Emperor, and leap o'er sticks; Would fetch and carry, was more civil Than other dogs, and yet no devil. - Butler

British Dogs, Theirs Points, Selection, and Show Preparation (1903, 662) - William D. Drury

It is not uncommon for people to be misled by sound as to fact. Quoting from " Hudibras " in confirmation of this statement: Agrippa kept a Stygian Pug I'lh' garb and habit of a dog, That was his tutor. To go from Butler to Gay, we find these lines : Poor Pug was caught, to town conveyed, There sold. How envied was his doom, Made captive in a lady's room l Howell, writing in 166o, 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, nas 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. 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 184o-5o, 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 retrousse. 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 tetter—running along the back, right to the end of the tail. It should be clearly defined, and narrow, Jin. to lin. 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 nefk 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 i2in. high, and at that height should weigh about I5lb. 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. Size ami Condition.—The Pug should be a nniltum in parvo; but this condensation (if the word may be used) should be shown by compactness of form, wellknit proportions, and hardness of developed muscle. Weight to be from 13lb. to J7lb. (dog or bitch). Body.—Short and cobby, wide in chest, and well riblxxl up. Legs.— Very strong, straight, of moderate length, and well under. Feet.— Neither so long as the foot of the hare, nor so round as that of the cat : toes wull split up, and the nails black. Muzzle. — Short, blunt, square, but not up-faced. Head.—Large, massive, round (not apple-headed), with no indentation of the skull. Eyes.—Dark in colour, very large, bold, and prominent, globular in shape, soft and solicitous in express on, very lustrous, and, when excited, full of fire. Ears.—Thin, small, soft, like black velvet. There are two kinds the " rose '' and " button.'' Preference is given to the latter. Markings.— Clearly defined. The muzzle or mask, ears, moles on cheeks, thumb-mark or diamond on forehead, and back trace should be as black as Possible. Mask.—The mask should be black; the more intense and well denned it is, the better. Wrinkles. — Large and deep. Trace.—A black line extending from the occiput to the tail. Tail.—Curled tightly as possible over the hip. The double curl is perfection. Coat.—Fine, smooth, soft, short, and glossy; neither hard nor woolly. Colour.—Silver or apricot-fawn. Each should be decided, to make the contrast complete between the colour and the trace and mask. In respect to size, it will be observed that the Club omits to note that weight should be relative to height, which is rather important. The Club has not given the Pug a neck, although that is not an unimportant part of the anatomy. In regard to "the moles on the cheeks," they now receive no consideration in the scale of points. It was in the autumn of 1886 that black Pugs were first brought into notice, a class being given for them at the Maidstone Show, all the exhibits being from the kennel of the late Lady Brassey. Two or three of these were compact, good-coated specimens, Jack Spratt, whose name appears as sire of all the early specimens, being the largest that was benched. Where Lady Brassey obtained her first specimen was never then clearly stated ; it was surmised that she became enamoured of a black Chinese Pug when she visited that country in her yacht the Sunbeam, and either purchased one, or mated a fawn female to a Chinese black dog. There is, however, some reason for thinking that black Pugs in England came from the fawns of King Duke's strain. Indeed, some breeders profess to have traced their history back to this dog. If they came from fawns, it seems just a little remarkable that they bred so true to colour as early as 1886. For some years the breed did not gain favour, as there was a disposition to lankiness of build and weakness in formation of head and muzzle. By careful mating with good-headed, compactly built fawns, however, the black variety soon improved, and to-day is in great demand. Its points are the same as those for fawns (colour excepted). It must be entirely black, free from white hairs anywhere. When the coat is about to be shed, it has a disposition to turn rusty incolour, but this vanishes with the new coat. Fig. 116 illustrated a present-day champion, and has been kindly lent by the Editor of the "Illustrated Kennel News." White pugs did not win any friends when a few of them were benched some years back. The late Mr. Hugh Dalziel, who interested himself in this sub-variety, considered they were too light in build to please connoisseurs; but this fault might have disappeared with time, as it did with the black variety. Anyway, we never see any exhibited now, or hear of them being bred. Rough-coated or long-haired Pugs are not very numerous, but they have appeared most frequently in the kennels owned by Mrs. Tulk and Miss Garniss. Only at intervals do they appear; and they always come from the strainowning Moss and Lamb as ancestors. These two dogs were said to have been "captured" at Pekin well on to fifty years ago, and it is considered possible they may have had in their veins the blood of a long-coated Chinese dog. Mrs. Tulk has been successful in also breeding a long-coated black Pug. The tail has long, straight hair on it, the legs are feathered after the style of a Toy Spaniel or Pekinese dog, but in build the dog resembles the smooth-coated Pug as bred in England to-day. In the breeding of Pugs it is important that the brood bitch comes from a good strain ; and the mate should be selected chiefly for his ability to produce the points she is deficient in. Should she be small in head and narrow in muzzle, it would be well to select for her a dog getting big skulls and wide jaws, and the large, open nostrils which are such an improving feature in a Pug, whether black or fawn. Avoid selecting one whose progeny soon go grey in muzzle, or whose front legs are not perfectly straight. When a bitch is in whelp, she should have regular exercise up to the seventh week, after that only such as she really seems inclined for, after she has had a short run near home daily ; and her food should be such qs is likely to keep up her strength without causing grossness. Clean, fresh water should be provided for her daily. Puppies should be entirely removed from the mother just before they are six weeks old, but they may be gradually weaned and taught to lap at the end of the fourth week. When Pug puppies are born, their ears are laid back flat from the face, but they gradually fall into position, and the tip of the ear should be in a line with the eye. In selecting a puppy, avoid those who drop down in fore face. The top of the nostril should be, as near as possible, in a line with the lower part of the eye. The colour of the ears also should be well considered, for the light ones do not always become black with age, although this occasionally happens. Shortness of body, width of chest, and curl of tail, are all to be desired. In selecting a female puppy with a view to breeding with her, choose one that is not very small, and she may be with advantage rather longer in body than is desirable in a show specimen. Pugs require comparatively little preparation for the show-bench compared with other breeds. A warm bath, followed by a nearly cold rinse, should be given the day before they are to be benched. When thoroughly dry, the coat may be rubbed with the hand for some time, or with a silk cloth or a wash-leather, to produce a nice, glossy appearance; the first method is usually the more satisfactory. Pugs, when made a companion of man, show fairly high intelligence : as house-dogs they are ever on the alert, and promptly give notice of a stranger's approach ; and from their extremely active— one may say, merry—habits, they are most interesting pets, and well repay by their gratitude any affection and kindness bestowed on them. One quality they possess above most breeds, which is a strong recommendation for them as lap-dogs, and that is their cleanliness, and freedom from any offensive smell of breath or skin. Many ladies, by lavishing mistaken kindness on their Pugs, do them serious harm. Over-feeding, feeding too often, and on too rich diet, together with insufficient exercise, cause obesity, with a. host of evils in its train—asthma among others—which make the dog's life a burden to itself, and a cause of discomfort to the owner. Nothing does so well for house-dogs as plain biscuits, dry bread, varied with a few scraps of lean meat from the stock-pot, a little gravy, and boiled green vegetables—such as cabbage, turnips, and carrots—and occasionally large rough bones to gnaw and play with, but smaller ones to crunch and eat very rarely. A little fish, too, makes a change of diet, and this is desirable in feeding any pet.

The Complete Book of the Dog (1922, 384) - Robert Leighton

The Pug.—The Pug, in its fawn-coloured variety, is a venerable breed. It enjoys the antiquity of long descent that is attached to the Maltese dog and the crush-nosed canines of China and Japan. Many writers have been perplexed in their attempt to account for its origin, and even scientific naturalists have often gone astray. In the Natural History Museum at South Kensington, where mounted specimens of the various types of dog are kept for the education of students, the Pug is classed among the Pugnaces in relationship with the British Bulldog and the English Mastiff! This is clearly an error. The Pug is certainly not British, and as certainly it is not a fighting dog. Statements have appeared from time to time to the effect that the breed was brought into this country from Holland. That may be true. In the last century it was commonly called the Dutch Pug. But this theory does not trace the history far enough back, and it should be remembered that a hundred years ago the Dutch East India Company was hi constant communication with the Far East. The study of canine history receives frequent enlightenment from the study of the growth of commercial intercourse between nations, and the trend of events would lead one to the belief that the Pug had its origin in China, particularly in view of the fact that it is with that country that most of the blunt-nosed toy dogs, with tails curled over their backs, are associated. There is a variety of Pekingese dog which is smooth coated, and if you can imagine a Pug with long hair, the fancied picture of him will rather closely resemble a not very good Pekingese. If we got the Pug from Holland it is almost certain that the Dutch imported him from Far Cathay, where he was known as the Happa dog. The Pug was known in England a century ago. At that time it was customary to crop his ears, and he may be seen thus disfigured in old Dutch earthenware jugs and in many of the paintings of the early nineteenth century. But it was some seventy-five years since that the Pug was brought into prominence in Great Britain by Lady Willoughby de Eresby, of Grimthorpe, near Lincoln, and Mr. Morrison, of Walham Green, who each independently established a kennel of these dogs, with such success that eventually the fawn Pugs were spoken of as either the Willoughby or the Morrison Pugs. At that period the black variety was not known. The Willoughby Pug was duller in colour than the Morrison, which was of a brighter, ruddier hue, but the two varieties have since been so much interbred that they are now undistinguishable, and the fact that they were ever familiarly recognized as either Willoughbys or Morrisons is almost entirely forgotten. A " fawn " Pug may now be either silver grey or apricot, and equally valuable. The Pug had not been long introduced into England before it became a popular favourite as a pet, and it shared with the King Charles Spaniel the affection of the great ladies of the land. Queen Victoria possessed one, of which she was very proud. The Pug has, however, now fallen from his high estate as a ladies' pet, and his place has been usurped by the Toy Pomeranian, the Pekingese, and the Japanese, all of which are now more highly thought of in the drawing-room or boudoir. But the Pug has an advantage over all these dogs as, from the fact that he has a shorter coat, he is cleaner and does not require so much attention. It was not until the establishment of the Pug Dog Club in 1883 that a fixed standard of points was drawn up for the guidance of judges when awarding the prizes to Pugs. Later on the London and Provincial Pug Club was formed, and standards of points were drawn up by that society. These, however, have never been adhered to. The weight of a dog or bitch, according to the standard, should be from 12 lb. to 16 lb., but there are very few dogs indeed that are whining prizes who would fail to draw the scale at the maximum weight. One of the most distinctive features of a fawn Pug is the trace, which is a line of black running along the top of the back from the occiput to the tail. It is the exception to find a fawn Pug with any trace at all now. The muzzle should be short, blunt, but not upfaced. Most of the winning Pugs of the present day are undershot at least half an inch, and consequently must be upfaced. Hardly more than one champion of the present day possesses a level mouth. The toe-nails should be black according to the standard, but this point is ignored altogether. In fact, the standard, as drawn up by the Club, should be completely revised, for it is no true guide. The colour, which should be either silver or apricot fawn, the markings on the head, which should show a thumbmark or diamond on the forehead, together with the orthodox size, are not now taken into consideration, and the prizes are given to over-sized dogs with big skulls that are patchy in colour, and the charming little Pugs which were once so highly prized are now the exception rather than the rule, while the large, lustrous eyes, so sympathetic in their expression, are seldom seen. The black Pug is a recent production. He was brought into notice in 1886, when Lady Brassey exhibited some at the Maidstone Show. By whom he was manufactured is not a matter of much importance, as with the fawn Pug in existence there was not much difficulty in crossing it with the shortestfaced black dog of small size that could be found, and then back again to the fawn, and the thing was done. Fawn and black Pugs are continually being bred together, and, as a rule, if judgment is used in the selection of suitable crosses, the puppies are sound in colour, whether fawn or black. In every respect except markings the black Pug should be built on the same lines as the fawn, and be a cobby little dog with short back and well-developed hind-quarters, wide in skull, with square and blunt muzzle and tightly curled tail. Among the Pugs of the past which have given distinction to the breed one remembers in particular Mr. T. Proctor's Ch. Confidence and his son York, both of them correct in every respect ; Mrs. Gresham's Ch. Grindley King, Miss Rosa Little's Ch. Betty of Pomfret and Miss L. Burnett's Ch. Master Jasper. These were all fawn Pugs. Prominent in the black variety have been Miss F. M. Daniel's Ch. Bouji, Miss Little's Ch. Lady Mimosa, and Mrs. Gresham's Jack Valentine. It was for the last-named Pug that the late Marquis of Anglesea paid the very high price of £250. Jack Valentine was bred by Miss J. W. Neish, who had a fine kennel of Pugs in Forfarshire. Mrs. J. St. G. Martineau has for many years been a prominent breeder and exhibitor of excellent Pugs. Her fawn champion, Oriel Bruce, has always been admired for his perfection in the desirable points, and in spite of his years he is still able to win prizes. When the portrait of him, in company with his kennel mate, Joyce, was taken at Olympia in the hot July of 1921, the sun was in their faces, and this accounts for their closed eyes and their somewhat sleepy expression.