To start off- I had a pug myself. Once. He was... sweet. Gentle. A kind soul- the best thing a lonely teenage girl could ask for. I loved Oscar, and all of his strange mannerisims. In some strange way, I think, he would have forgiven me for ending his life pre-maturely, euthanizing him over a broken hip and a host of heath problems. We couldn't help him with these problems you see, because he developed them in the womb. Despite how cute they look, however many sweet memories you make, My warning to you is this; DON'T GET A FLAT-NOSED DOG.
First off, they're expensive. Lots of gunk manages to somehow' accumulate between all of those adorable face wrinkles, leading to high rates of infection. Their facial structure in general along with the skull itself will lead to many asthmatic and respatory difficulties, especially later in life. Their squashed bodies make for (as in my case) back and leg atrophies as well as arthritis. Due to these... numerous qualities, the vet bills rack up faster than what's imaginable for such a small dog. I don't remember how much exactly we spent on that dog, but it was well into the thousands. Flat-nosed dogs are expensive, end of story.
Another thing wrong with these pour souls is that they have to live in a moderate climate. Pugs will easily overheat in even moderate 70-80 degree weather. Due to their small size, they tend to freeze easy too. If one really and truly wanted to take the best care of their pug, the would have to keep it in an air conditioned indoor facility and have the kind of money to throw around for health problems. Many people don't, and it's not that they don't love their dog or want to see it live happily, they just don't have the proper resources because no one does. Pugs are for high-end elitists, and should be taken off the market entierly.
Not to say that we should go around killing pugs and other squish faced dogs-That should never be an opetion on the table. The solution is to stop breeding them, and switch them with Retromops- Dogs bread to look like an older version of the pug,with features such as a longer snout and sturdy, taller body. The remaining pugs would then still be up for adoption, going to good homes and retierment ranches for dogs of the flat-nosed sort. It may be sad to see such a magnificent lineage end, but in some strange way they'll be immortalised through their rediculousness, their pictures and poses echoing on through future generations to come.
(Don't get a flat-nosed dog.)
