Where Pugs Rule the Racetrack

Introduced to Europe from China, pugs made their way to Saxony in eastern Germany in the 18th century, where they became the mascot of a group of excommunicated masons who called themselves The Order of the Pug.

Around the same time, a designer at the royal Saxon porcelain factory in Meissen began casting pug figurines that became popular at court. They are still produced and sold today.

More recently, the German comedian Vicco von Bülow, known by his stage name Loriot, has boosted the breed’s popularity in this country, featuring the dogs in his work and declaring, “A life without pugs is possible, but meaningless.”

As the dogs’ popularity has grown, events for pug owners and their animals have sprung up across Germany. While many of these feature “races,” the winners are as much the pets who display their particularly pug-like attributes — which does not necessarily include speed.