Pugs have played significant roles in the lives of famous men and events in history. Here are some of the most famous pugs of all time—

Lamb and Moss are known in history as the Pugs which were stolen from the Emperor’s Palace in China. They were brought to England and one of their offspring, a Pug named Click became the forefather of many English and American lines.

Other Pugs that became famous as forefathers of well-known breeding lines include Punch and Terry of the Morrison lines, and Mops and Nell of the Willoughby lines.

Pompey was owned by Prince William of Holland. According to history, it was Pompey who awakened him to warn him of the presence of Spaniards during the war with Spain that stretched from 1571 to 1573. By saving his life, Prince William declared the Pug as the official dog of the House of Orange.

In England, Queen Elizabeth II took a liking to the breed and raised many Pugs in her palace. In fact, she became interested in the breed that she bred her own Pugs. Among her Pugs, her favourite was the one named Basco who lived with her from 1877 to 1892. Her other famous Pugs included Minka, Venus, Rooney, Olga, Fatima and Pedro. They were her first generation pugs. From these pugs, the queen formulated a breeding program that produced among others, Ayah, which was Rooney’s offspring. When Basco died in 1892, he was buried in Frogmore House Gardens, such a grand final resting place for a pug.

Jacopo, a black pug owned by Lady Brassey, was given to Queen Elizabeth II who named him Brassey. It was Lady Brassey who exhibited the first black Pug named Jack Pratt at the Maidenstone Show in 1886.

The Duke and Duchess of Windsor were also known to be lovers of the Pug. They owned eleven pugs and the famous of which included Dizzy ( a pug named after Mr. Disraeli), Impy (short for emperor), Davy Crockett, Mr. Chu, Rufus, Gen Sengh, Winston, Minoru, and Trooper. The Duke’s favourite among his pugs was named Diamond who was said to have slept with him on his bed. The story goes that Diamond had run away from home but when the Duke was about to die, it has been told that Diamond came back on the night the Duke died. This story shows the strong bond that binds both master and pet and the intuitions that pets may possess.

Famous kings and queens must have loved these little creatures for most of them have owned pugs whose names have been written down in the annals of history. The queen of France, the famous Marie-Antoinette, and wife of King Louis XVI has owned a pug she adoringly called Mops.

The wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, Josephine, had also owned a pug that she named Fortune who has been sleeping with them since the night of their wedding. It was told that Josephine will not allow Napoleon to sleep with her if her pug is not allowed to sleep with them. When Josephine was imprisoned, only her dog, Fortune, was allowed to visit her. She sent secret messages to her husband by hiding a piece of paper in Fortune’s collar.

Aside from loyalty, Pugs have also been loved by some famous people in the society. The author of the famous Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe, had two pugs whose names were Punch and Missy.

The famous English artist William Hogarth had a Pug named Trump. One of his famous works of art was a self-portrait where he was with Trump.

The greatest Italian designer, Valentino, had a pug named Oliver after which he named one of his famous lines of shirts and cardigans.

Pugs have also become favorite pets of many celebrities and personalities. Some of the most famous pugs owned by celebrities and have graced magazine covers with their owners include Mimi LaRue owned by Tori Spelling for the Modern Dog magazine, and Sid and Nancy owned by Jessica Alba who had been in a cover for the Animal Fair magazine. There are still many other famous celebrities and famous figures in the society who also enjoyed the company and loyalty of pugs including Voltaire, George Eliot and Sir Winston Churchill.