Pugese

The Pugese is a designer dog, also known as a boutique dog, an intentional mix between two breeds, in this case, a very capable ship’s ratter, the Chinese Crested breed, and the Pug, a treasured companion to royalty for thousands of years. The more recently recorded of the two breeds, the Chinese Crested dog, has been sold, traded, and bartered for at several ports since the 1500s. They were so quickly popularized as ratting dogs on ships and distributed around the world, often by Chinese sailors, that their port of origin has been almost completely obscured. Some experts believe this breed to be a descendant of African Hairless dogs, while others think that they have South American or Central American roots instead. It wasn’t until the 1900s that they were popularized as a pet in the United States, and not until 1991 that they were recognized by the American Kennel Club. Although there are several dog fanciers who show elegant, well-heeled Chinese Crested dogs at traditional dog shows, most people are more likely to recognize the breed from the World’s Ugliest Dog Competition, where Chinese Crested and Chinese Crested mix dogs have taken first place in ten of the competitions since it started in 2000. The Pug may be an even older breed, as they have been recorded as part of the royal landscape of China since the Shang dynasty, a dynasty which lasted from approximately 1600 and 1046 BC. These little dogs were both prized possessions and the cherished companions of the Chinese royalty, venerated enough to be given as gifts to visiting royal families and other dignitaries who transported them throughout the known world. They became exceptionally popular in England and were notable at the court King William III and his wife, Queen Mary II, during the 1600s and again at the court of Queen Victoria during the 1800s, and in the United States the Pug breed has the honor of being one of the first 15 dog breeds that were recognized by the newly formed American Kennel Club in 1885.