Public Service Announcement

Hey everybody, Brutus at the keyboard today!

First I wanted to give a big shout out to everyone who voted for me (and my labradork brother Mason) yesterday at Mango Minster! We didn't take the popular vote, however I did come in second for the Athletic Sporty dog division. There was stiff competition, and I have to hand it to Fiona for a well-deserved win! Thanks to Moose for all the hard work he did in judging what turned out to be a huge group.

Speaking of Moose, that brings me to the other reason for this post, a public service announcement. It seems that like many others, Moose is a little confused about my genetic background. We'll be out for a walk and mom hears "Oh, what a cute little black pug". Although we appreciate the spirit the comment is being made in, hearing that makes us grind our teeth! I mean we are very pro-Pug, know lots of great pugs (win, wink, Stella), but really?? Come on...

Please allow me to clear up the misconception that Frenchies and pugs look alike. First, lets take a close look at the tail. Here is what a pug tail looks like (I chose a fawn for clarity's sake):

Now, my handsome little nubbin:

As long as we're on the topic, I'd like to mention that this is how my tail was when I was born. No cropping/docking allowed in Frenchies, we are bred to be tail-less (part of the reason we tend to have back problems, since it's technically a spinal anomaly that causes it to be missing).

OK, moving on. Now lets discuss the most notable difference at the other end: ears. Hear is a nice set puggie ears (in fairness to all our pug pals, this is a random photo I found on google). Cute how they fold over, isn't it? These are called "button ears" but rose ears are also frequently seen (think English bulldog ears).

Compare that with my nice erect sattellite dishes. Mom says I can hear a flea sneeze two blocks away with these babies. They are my most distinguishing feature, I think:

Again, no assembly required on the ears. Frenchies are born with ears down, but they stand on their own when we are about 6-8 weeks old (breed standard forbids any alteration).

The other dog I often get confused with is a Boston Terrier. This I can kind of understand. Again, we know some Bostons, and despite the fact that they are terriers, many are fine fellows! But they are much taller/leaner/leggier than us Frenchies. Plus their ears are pointier (many are actually trimmed to be such, which their breed allows). Here is a generic photo of a nice Boston:

To compare with this recent photo of my beefy, stocky, flat-faced, round-eared self. Similar stuff, but in a more compact package! Compared to the 10-20 pound range of Bostons, we Frenchies pack up to 28 lbs. into a frame that mom often refers to as a bowling ball.

Well, I hope that clears things up for everybody (Moose). But you know, they say that imitation is the finest form of flattery, so I'll leave you with photos of two Frenchie wanna-be's. Here is our pug pal Salinger getting a little ear lift:

And another pal, Tanner (Joe Stain's goofy brother), looking suspiciously Frenchie-like in girth. Didn't I say Bostons were leaner? Tanner apparently didn't get that memo...

So thanks for the flattery, guys! And thanks again to everyone who voted for me at Mango Minster!

Brutus over & out!!