by Erin Allen

Created on: December 05, 2008

"I adopted a puppy," I said to my step-mother. As expected, her eyes lit up and she got that look on her face. The one that says I was about to go into sugar shock from her baby talk.

"Really? What kind of puppy? When can I see it?"

Here it comes, I thought.

"He's a Bugg, and just come over whenever."

Her face kind of fell then in confusion.

"You adopted an insect?"

That's pretty much the reaction I've gotten from everyone I've told about our new dog. A Bugg? What's a Bugg?

A Bugg is what's called a designer dog. Where a mutt is of unknown mixed heritage...likely from some over amorous beagle getting into the German shepherd kennel, designer dogs are of known ancestry. A Golden Doodle for example is a designer dog of known mixed breed.

A bugg is a mix of a Pug and a Boston Terrier. Everyone knows what a pug looks like. They are fawn, black or tan, have a face that can stop traffic...or look like they stopped traffic with their face, have the curly tail that wraps up around the back. They snort. They snuffle. They are generally so ugly they're cute. A Boston Terrier is a little dog that is generally black and white or brindle and white. Their snouts are generally longer than the pushed in nose of the pug, though they still have some of the breathing problems. Their tails can be docked or not. They have the appearance of a smaller bulldog.

A Bugg is a very good mix of the two. Buggs generally have the pug personality characteristics mixed with the Boston Terrier height and coloring. Buggs are loyal, are very good with children and are very loving in their personalities. They are however very energetic, so if you have a small apartment or aren't there very often, the Bugg might not be a dog for you. They have the pug's eyes, which means they may be prone to eye problems due to the slight protrusion of their eyeballs.

My Bugg, Titus, has lived up to the description I got of a Bugg's personality. He doesn't like to be too far from my feet at all times. He needs to be at least in the same room with me or my son...all the time. If he can't get up and sleep at the foot of one of our beds, he's not a happy camper. He took after the pug in his energy. Every now and then, he'll do what I like to call "the Mad Dash" around the house. This consists of running full tilt down the hallway, turning on a dime, running full tilt back to the living room, turning again, and doing this over and over again until he simply drops. It's quite comical until he isn't watching where he's going and runs over a foot...or in my son's case a whole body.

His energy aside, Titus is a pleasant dog to have. He generally is well behaved, is a wonderful companion to have when my son is with his father. I have someone to hang out with when my friends are busy.

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