Although some of the increase is due to people like the Michneys, who value Norman as a companion, a more disturbing, obsessive view is seen in two recent books, Pug Shots by Jim Dratfield, and Pugs in Public by Kendall Farr and George Bennett. Both books use the pug to make fashion statements, reducing the dog to accessory status. Farr and Bennett present an especially creepy vision of the breed. Farr, a fashion stylist, and Bennett, a photographer, show celebrities being seen with their pugs in fashionable Manhattan cafes, galleries, and even a modeling agency. Then they'll end up in shelters all over the country, and people will stop buying them.'' When the Beautiful People and their followers began seeing pugs as a necessary addition to their wardrobes, it created enough demand that profit-hungry breeders began producing pugs as fast as possible.
Responsible breeders safeguard their dogs' fitness by breeding healthy, unrelated animals.
When the opportunity for profit explodes, puppy mills increase production by breeding sickly siblings. Torelli said, adding that more pet pugs who fall short of the breed standard are producing litters these days. Genetic manipulation Torelli said that most pug owners have no idea of the role they play degrading the breed, and that it's difficult to explain without making it sound like a personal attack. Pugs are especially vulnerable because this breed is the product of especially severe genetic manipulation. Brian Kilcommons and Sarah Wilson do a good job of explaining this concept in their new book, Paws to Consider.