Origins

Pugs were first bred in eastern China and used to adorn the laps of the Chinese emperors during the Shang dynasty (1766-1122 BC).  They were called "Lo-Chiang-Sze" or "Foo." The breed spread to Tibet, where Pugs were kept by monks, and also to Japan.

Sixteenth and seventeenth century

In the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, merchants and crews from the Dutch East Indies Trading Company introduced the breed to Europe.  The Pug quickly became popular throughout the European continent.  They became the official dog of the Netherlands’ House of Orange.  In 1572, a Pug reportedly saved the Prince of Orange’s life by barking at an advancing Spanish onslaught.  A Pug also traveled with William III and Mary II when they left the Netherlands to ascend to the throne of England in 1688.  In Spain, they were painted by Goya, and in Italy, Pugs dressed in matching jackets and pantaloons sat by the coachmen of the wealthy.

Eighteenth and nineteenth century

The popularity of the Pug continued to spread in France during the eighteenth century. The young Marie Antoinette owned a pug named Mops.  Before her marriage to Napoleon Bonaparte, Joséphine used her Pug "Fortune" to carry concealed messages to her family while she was confined at Les Carmes prison, as the pet was the only one with visiting rights.

In nineteenth century England, Pugs flourished under the patronage of the monarch Queen Victoria.  Her many Pugs, which she bred herself, had such names as Olga, Pedro, Minka, Fatima and Venus.  Queen Victoria’s involvement with the breed helped to establish the Kennel Club, which was formed in 1873.  She favored fawn and apricot Pugs, whereas the aristocrat Lady Brassey is credited with making black Pugs fashionable after she brought some back from China in 1886.  The Pug arrived in the United States in the nineteenth century, and was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1885.