PUGGLES
By Jenny Smith
Puggle Dogs are a fairly new mixed breed. They’re a half breed combined with a pug and a beagle. They are one of the cutest mix breed dogs out there today. They have a very mellow, loving temperament. Puggles are ideal family pets, because they do so well with young children. They’re all around lovable, and not normally a one person dog as are pugs. Puggles become attached to anyone that will give them the time of day and feed them. This breed is also very easily trained. This makes it great for that always terrible training period in a young pups life. Anyone that has experienced raising a dog from infancy knows that you go through a period of potty training. Some dogs are better than others during this stage. Some breeds are very easily trained and you never have much of a problem with them, while others are not always so. Puggles learn to obey commands well, while many breeds never seem to grasp this key concept. This makes the chewing stage a little more easy to cope with as well. They will most certainly go through that chewing stage like any puppy, but they seem to learn the word “no” very well, and obey commands earlier than most.
Puggles don’t posses the eye’s that pop out or the completely flat noses that make breathing often times difficult for the pug. They seem to be the perfect cross between two dogs with several flaws. They also don’t have the miserable howl, like beagles do. They’ve got the perfect combination of good looks and great characteristics. All this combined is the ingredients of the perfect companion. There are so many breeds of dog out there today, that it can be hard to choose the one for you. As time goes on there is continually more and more breeds being discovered and created. The first known breed of dogs stemmed primarily from the wolf in the northwest region. In Egypt one of the first dogs was the basenji. The basenji is a compact hunter whose ancestry is depicted in Egyptian tombs dating around 5,000 years old. The interesting thing about this dog is that it doesn’t bark. It makes little chortles and yodels, and snarls. This dog, like the wolf can only be bred once a year. Most dogs can be bred twice a year. Here are a few of the older breeds known to man;
• Saluki
• Afghan Hound
• St Bernard
• Alaskan Malamute
• Lhasa Apso
Many modern day cross breed dogs stemmed from one or more of these older dogs.
After these dogs came some more breeds that pushed the evolution of dogs a litter further. They are as follows;
• Miniature Poodle
• Pembroke Welsh Corgi
• Mountain Cur
• Australian Shepherd
And so began the cross bred dog. Some say that cross breed dogs are not a good thing. They believe that these designer dogs are a fashion statement to many. In turn, this excludes all other breeds from having homes. The majority of people nowadays want some sort of cross breed. Whether it be a puggle (pug & beagle mix), a labradoodle (Labrador retriever & Poodle mix), or a Schoodle (Miniature Schnauzer-Poodle mix). Many dog owners argue that these mixed breeds aren’t a real breed, merely overpriced mutts. Many press the point that before you go buying a designer dog to go down to the local shelter and see what’s available. Although these mixed breed dogs are adorable, you don’t always have to pay that designer price. Often times these mixed breeds can be found at shelters as well, and for less than half the price! There are hundreds to thousands of dogs each year that are homeless, and are taken to these animal shelters in hopes of finding homes for them. Just because they aren’t a purebred mix doesn’t mean they won’t be the best companion ever! The puggle is a recognized purebred mix.
A man by the name of Gary Garner is the president of the American Canine Hybrid Club. His company offers certificates of authentication for a mere price of $20. These are available to anyone who can prove that they are owners of the offspring of two different breed purebred dogs. He gets letters upon letters of hate mail coming from many purebred owners. Although this seems to angry many, hundreds are getting this done every day.
The best piece of advice for anyone considering getting a dog as a pet, is to do the research. Research each dog you think you may want, and compare them to one another. Here are a few key things to consider when shopping for the breed that’s right for you:
• Size?
• Easily trainable?
• Shedding? (little, average, constant.)
• Coat? (Wire, thick, long, short, etc.)
• Grooming? (weekly, daily, moderate.)
• Aggressive characteristics?
• Family dog?
• Good with everyone, or one man dog?
• Common characteristic habits with this breed?
• Health issues common to breed?
Many celebrities have taken a liking to the puggle as well. Here are a few new owners of the breed; Jake Gyllenhaal, James Gandolfini, Sylvester Stallone and Julianne Moore. Anyone who discovers this new furry friend can’t control the urge to get one of their own. Time to get out there and find the perfect breed for you! Oh wait, you already found it…….The PUGGLE!
