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Origin, History & Travels Of The “Lo-Chiang-Sze” or “Foo Dog”

This Page Is Dedicated To
The Worldly Travels, The Origin, & The History Of The Original Pure Breed Pug

“MISS SUGAR AMBROSIA”

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“Through The Years” By Kenny Rogers, an American singer, song writer, actor, record producer, and entrepreneur… His career began in the 1950s, spanning over 6 decades and having sold over 120 million albums globally… The song was recorded in 1981 and originally released on the album “Share Your Love”

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The “Lo-Chiang-Sze” or “Foo Dog”

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   Of the Walk The Line private related Pug Family, it is only DragonMaster that has had the privledge of seeing first hand, an almost replica of the “Foo Dogs” original Ancient Chinese Setting, China being the Pug Breeds first known documented existence…../ In the year “2000”, DragonMaster re-visited a long time Chinese Family friend, Sheng Li, whom has a Dongwu Dami Nonchang, (Animal & Rice Farm) along the Minjiang River in the Sichuan Province…./ It is there that DragonMaster acquired the WTL Pug Family’s first two original Purebreed Pugs, ~King Rock Agamemnon~ & ~Queen Ali Girl Athena~, which both are direct Ancestry of Ancient Chinese PureBreed Pug Heritage…../ “Rock” was an apricot fawn, & “Ali” was a silver fawn…../ We were very blessed to have had both Rock & Ali with us and healthy until passing from old age, at the ripe old age of 18 and 19 after having lived happily amongst Walk The Line’s private Pug loving family…../  

     There are variable historical opinions on The Origin & History of The Original Pug Breed…../ The most documented origination was said to have been in Ancient China around 600 B.C., a very, very, long time ago…./ The most immediate Ancestor of todays Pug was said to be the Ancient Chinese “Foo Dog”, before the Breeders shortened the snoot & dropped the ears, etc…../ Before that, the Ancient Tibetan Mastiff…../

   In our opinion, after 25 years of in depth hands on experience with Pugs combined with all of our diligent research, we have found Wikipedia’s version on the Origin and History of Pugs to be most authentic…../ For your convenience we have attached a copy of Wikipedia’s version directly below…../  

Have Fun!
WALK THE LINE                        

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Pug History

Chinese origins

The ancestor of the Pug was a dog called the Lo-Chiang-Sze, or Lo-Sze in its shortened form.^[7] That name explicitly refers to a short-legged, short-mouthed^[13] and, most importantly, short-coated dog, potentially as a way to distinguish it from the Pekingese, which was of similar build. Many people today refer to it as the “ancient pug”.

The Lo-sze was popular in the imperial court during the Song dynasty^[14] and was brought from China to Europe in the sixteenth century by the Dutch East India Company.^[3] The Happa or Hap-pah dog has also been considered as playing a part in the formation of the modern Pug breed, but it was not acquired by European fanciers until 1860 when specimens were looted by French and British troops during their complete destruction of the Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan) in Beijing, during the Second Opium War.^[15]

In ancient times, Pugs were bred to be companions for ruling families in China. Pet Pugs were highly valued by Chinese emperors, and the royal dogs were kept in luxury and guarded by soldiers.^[4] Pugs later spread to other parts of Asia. In Tibet, Buddhist monks kept Pugs as pets in their monasteries.^[4] The breed has retained its affectionate devotion to its owners since ancient times.^[4]

16th and 17th centuries

Pugs became popular at European courts, and reportedly became the official dog of the House of Orange in 1572, after a Pug named Pompey saved the life of the Prince of Orange by alerting him to the approach of assassins.^[1]

A Pug traveled with William III and Mary II when they left the Netherlands to accept the throne of England in 1688.^[3] During that period, the Pug may have been bred with the old-type King Charles spaniel, giving the modern King Charles Spaniel its pug-like characteristics.^[16]

The breed eventually became popular in other European countries as well. Pugs were painted by Goya in Spain, and in Italy they rode up front on private carriages, dressed in jackets and pantaloons that matched those of the coachman. They were used by the military to track animals and people, and were also employed as guard dogs.^[3]

18th century to 20th century

The English painter William Hogarth was the devoted owner of a series of Pugs. His 1745 self-portrait, which is now in London’s Tate Gallery, includes his Pug, Trump.^[17] The Pug was also well known in Italy. In 1789, author Hester Piozzi wrote in her journal: “The little Pug dog or Dutch mastiff has quitted London for Padua, I perceive. Every carriage I meet here has a Pug in it.”^[18][19]

The popularity of the Pug continued to spread in France during the eighteenth century. Before her marriage to Napoleon Bonaparte, Joséphine had her Pug, Fortune, carry concealed messages to her family while she was confined at Les Carmes prison, it having alone been given visiting rights.^[20]

In nineteenth-century England, the breed flourished under the patronage of Queen Victoria. Her many Pugs, which she bred herself, included Olga, Pedro, Minka, Fatima and Venus.^[3] Her involvement with dogs in general helped to establish the Kennel Club, which was formed in 1873.^[3] Queen Victoria favored apricot and fawn colors. Her passion for Pugs was passed on to many other members of the royal family, including her grandson King George V^[21] and his son King Edward VIII. Many responded to the breed’s image of anti-functionalism and diminutive size during that period.^[22]

In paintings and engravings of the 18th and 19th centuries, Pugs usually appear with longer legs and noses than today, and sometimes with cropped ears. That practice was carried out in Europe up until the 19th century, the intent being to accentuate the wrinkles of the forehead.^[23] The so-called “prince mark” – a set of wrinkles resembling the Chinese character for prince (王) – was a desirable attribute of the breed.^[24]

It was around this time that two prolific strains of Pug came to be known in Britain: the Morrison and Willoughby lines.^[25] Dogs of the Willoughby line were said to be of “bad colour”, stone fawn with an excess of black on the head, whereas Morrison Pugs were a richer yellow fawn with well defined black masks.^[26]

The Morrison Pug was more in accordance with current breed type, being cobbier and shorter muzzled. In his book, The Dogs of the British Islands, J.H. Walsh writes that the first dog of the Willoughby line had “a face much longer than would now be approved of by Pug fanciers”.^[27] Comparison of the two strains, as depicted in artwork from the time, provides a clearer image as to their distinct characteristics.

The modern Pug’s appearance probably changed after 1860, when a new wave of dogs were seized as loot by French and British soldiers who razed the Old Summer Palace in Beijing (then Peking), China.^[28] They were “Happa dogs”, or “Pekingese pugs” as they would come to be known by the western fancier.^[29] Those Pugs had shorter legs, the modern-style Pug nose^[15] and were often black and white in color.

The Happa dog probably constitutes a separate “strain” to the Pekingese, rather than a breed in its own right. W.E Mason remarks in his book “Dogs of all nations” that the Happa is “identical in every respect with the Pekingese Spaniel, except that his coat is short and smooth”.^[30] The distinction between the long and short coated dogs was, most likely, imposed by the British as several Oriental scrolls depict long coated “Hap-pah” dogs.

Two of the most famous Happa dogs to be brought back to England were “Moss” and “Lamb” who were bred together to produce “Click”.^[25] A popular stud, “Click” was bred several times to bitches of both Willoughby and Morrison lines, which is largely recognized as leading to the merging of both strains.

During that period, crossing with the English bulldog reportedly took place to solidify desirable traits in both breeds, though that improvement came at the expense of the Pugs diminutive stature.^[31] Pug dogs with a broader head and flatter muzzle were procured through those mixed pairings. However, many of them lacked the temperament typical of a lap dog on account of the bulldog’s fiercer nature.^{[citation needed]}

The British aristocrat, Lady Brassey, is also credited with making black Pugs fashionable after she brought some back from China in 1886.^[1][3]

Pugs arrived in the United States during the nineteenth century and were soon making their way into the family home and the show ring.^[3] The American Kennel Club recognized the breed in 1885. The Pug Dog Club of America was founded in 1931 and was recognized by the American Kennel Club that same year. In 1981, the Pug Dhandys Favorite Woodchuck won the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in the United States, the only Pug to have won there since the show began in 1877.^[32]

21st century

The World Champion – or Best in Show – at the 2004 World Dog Show held in Rio de Janeiro, was a Pug named Double D Cinoblu’s Masterpiece.^[33][34]

Retro Pugs

The breeding trend of Pugs led to shorter muzzles and shorter legs over time, with the dogs susceptible to some health problems. In 2023, the Netherlands placed limitations on the breeding of various short-faced breeds, including the conventional Pug.^[35] Since around 2006 there has been a counter-trend in some countries to breed “retro pugs”. Breeders who pursue that change in the breed aim for longer snouts, less protruding eyes, straighter legs and fewer facial wrinkles.^[36][37][38]

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“A PUG HUG OR TWO EACH DAY, KEEPS THE BLUES AWAY”                                           

(DragonMaster)  

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“KING ROCK AGAMEMNON”  

        “QUEEN ALI GIRL ATHENA”

ANCIENT TIBETAN MASTIFF

HAPPY PUGSPRING – “2016”

MARE- “SANDS OF WHITE” & PHILLY – “ANGELICA RUNS AT NIGHT”