Anyway, as I was watching the water drinking episode I remembered that several years ago I had seen a show on PBS about the evolution of dogs from wolves. Moreover, it was asserted, in this show, that ALL the breeds of dogs in the world (and there are something like 400+ of them) have been developed from wolves, by the process of selective breeding, to have specific characteristics. These characteristic are, of course, the ones selected by the breeders in order to improve the animal's performance at some task or other or, indeed, to enhance its physical attractiveness. However, the thing that amazed me about this activity was that the selective breeding took place over a phenomenally short period of time---some "experts" say it could be accomplished in as few as three and, at the high end, up to six generations.
But the evolutionary time frame is not what concerned me as I watched "Buttercup" (Yes, that is her name) wet down my kitchen. Rather, I was wondering, "What kind of person would DELIBERATELY choose to breed a dog who looks like this?" Now, "Buttercup" has a light tan coat very similar in color to what one sees on a yellow Labrador retriever. So, in my mind's eye, I could just see some breeder of antiquity getting ready for the next big dog show, looking at a beautiful yellow lab and saying to himself and his colleagues, "This is a pretty dog, but we can make her better. What we need to go for, in successive breeding sessions, is to make her legs much shorter and her body more stubby. Then, we should strive for a pushed in muzzle which, hopefully, will result in her breathing being labored and very audible--always an attractive option. In addition, we should encourage any tendency toward bugged out eyes so that the animal appears to be being choked while not actually suffering any strangulation. To top it off, let's work on developing a really irritating bark. If we do that Ladies and Gentlemen, I think we are a shoe-in for 'Best in Show' !"
I'm convinced this is how the pug happened. I am equally sure that the AKC will take issue with my analysis----but, what do they know about good looking dogs? This is an outfit that thinks the Shar Pei is cute too.