Athletic Pugs
Pugs and sports do not usually go together. Pugs are known as the couch potato of dogs. They can sleep sixteen hours a day, love a good snuggle, eat, snort and pass gas. Their mode of transportation can be a stroller or in a car on their way to get a puppuccino. They waddle when they move with all their rolls of fat jiggling up and down. This, however, is not the case with a lot of pugs, and they are breaking the lazy couch pugtato stereotype.
My boys are active. They love going out for their walks and playing at the dog park and meetups. They have multiple zoomies throughout the day. Reuben goes to daycare and his teachers have nicknamed him “The Wild Child” as he runs all day long. The vet told us that Reuben does not have an ounce of fat on his body and Freddy, who is rounder than his brother is maintaining a healthy weight and keeps up with his brother.
Last week People Magazine did a pet lifestyle story on a ten-year-old pug named Woof. This pug has conquered climbing the New Hampshire 48, which are four dozen mountains that top off at 4000ft. or more. His owner, Erin McMahon, told People that Woof follows her along the trail smiling all the way up the mountain. She also stated that on the weekends, they can hike up to 22 miles per day! Of course, at the top of the mountain trail, Woof is awarded with a healthy lunch of blueberries, pumpkin, and cheese. Woof is now joined by his three-year old pug brother Lemon, who also enjoys a good hike.
In Germany, pug racing is a big sporting event. There are pug racing clubs throughout Germany, and they train and compete in various races. Every year, the pugs racing clubs compete in the International Pug Meeting, attracting pug owners and lovers in Europe. They run for fun in a 50-meter dash that is monitored with a high-speed camera, similar to the cameras used in the Kentucky Derby to declare the winner.
Pugs are also showing up in dog agility competitions with American Kennel Club and Crufits in Europe. They are proving to handle the course in a fast amount of time with their smaller frames and short little legs. Check out Cookie the Pug mastering the agility course at Crufits! The Pug Dog Club of America keeps rankings of the top agility pug athletes in the United States with most pugs completing standard and preferred courses in a little over a minute.
With all of the sporty pugs out there, the lazy couch pugtato stereotype is being broken with the amazement of the speed and strength a pug can have.