The Pug is a breed of dog with physically distinctive features of a wrinkly, short-muzzled face, and curled tail. The breed has a fine, glossy coat that comes in a variety of colors, most often fawn or black, and a compact square body with well-developed muscles. Pugs were brought from China to Europe in the sixteenth century and were popularized in Western Europe by the House of Orange of the Netherlands, and the House of Stuart. Source.
The aristocracy were aligned with the promotion of the Pug as a symbol of their class's social status.
The Mops-Orden, or Order of the Pug was a para-Masonic society founded by Roman Catholics. It is believed that it was founded in 1740 by Klemens August of Bavaria to bypass the papal bull In eminenti apostolatus* of 1738. The constitution of the Order of the Pug allowed women to become members, as long as they were Catholic. The Pug was chosen as a symbol of loyalty, trustworthiness and steadiness.
Members called themselves Mops (the German for Pug), novices were initiated wearing a dog collar and had to scratch at the door to get in. The novices were blindfolded and led around a carpet with symbols on it nine times while the Pugs of the Order barked loudly to test the steadiness of the newcomers. During the initiation, the novices also had to kiss a Pug's (porcelain) backside under its tail as an expression of total devotion. Members of the Order carried a Pug medallion made of silver. In 1745, the secrets of the order were "exposed" in a book published in Amsterdam with the title L'ordre des Franc-Maçons trahi et le Secret des Mopses révélé which included the ritual and two engravings illustrating their rite.
The Order was banned by Göttingen University in 1748. Loge Louise des ehrwürdigen Mopsordens or Lodge Louise of the Venerable Order of the Pug had been formed the previous year as a student society, mainly drawn from the Hanoverian nobility. The lodge fees and their control over their members formed the excuse for the closure, and after a government investigation, the lodge documents were passed to the University authorities.
While German sources state that the order was short-lived, they were reportedly active in Lyon as late as 1902. Source.
(*In eminenti apostolatus specula was a papal bull issued by Pope Clement XII on 28 April 1738, banning Catholics from becoming Freemasons. It arose from Jacobite-Hanoverian rivalry on the continent. Source.)
"The Lady of the Order of the Pug"
Hard-paste porcelain figure of a members of the Order of the Pug, modelled by J. J. Kändler, made at the Meissen porcelain factory, Germany, ca. 1744–1745
The Pug became a subversive emblem of the Enlightenment, and England in particular. Pug dogs came to England with King William III when he was brought from the Netherlands in 1688 by Parliament to replace his uncle and way-too-Catholic father-in-law, James II, who was booted out of Blighty. This "Glorious Revolution" created a constitutional monarchy that was watched over carefully by Parliament. Europe’s intellectuals began to admire this new style of English government and free thinking, and owning a Pug was a subtle way of showing solidarity with England's revolution without getting locked in the stocks or hurled into a dungeon. In Paris, Pugs became associated with Voltaire and Diderot. Source.
Painter and his Pug is a 1745 self-portrait created by William Hogarth (November 10, 1697 – October 26, 1764). He began the portrait a decade earlier. The Pug's name is Trump. Source.
Queen Victoria and her Pug
Duke of York (later George V) who appears to have dressed up his pug as Queen Victoria
The Windsors and their Pugs
The Kennedys and their Pug
Today the aristocracy is not about monarchs, entitled rulers, or even political world leaders, as much as in the past. The elite currently is made up of celebrities of show business, sports, and music, the global point people of the world of entertainment. Right along with them are their Pugs.
Robin Williams (July 21, 1951 – August 11, 2014), died by hanging.
Chris Cornell (July 20, 1964 – May 18, 2017), Soundgarden & Temple of the Dog, died by hanging.
Chester Bennington (March 20, 1976 – July 20, 2017), Linkin Park & Stone Temple Pilots, died by hanging.
Shannon Hoon (September 26, 1967 – October 21, 1995), Blind Melon, overdosed by cocaine.
The overlap and copycatting between grunge stars is profound. Why shouldn't Pug ownership be shared too?
Shannon Hoon, Kurt Cobain, Layne Staley (Fayette Factor), Chris Cornell.
Frank the Pug is a fictional character from the movie Men in Black, its sequel, its animated series, and the video game MIB: Alien Crisis. Within the films, Frank has the appearance of a normal pug dog, but he is actually an extraterrestrial in disguise (a Remoolian).
The reach of the Pug is far.
Andy Warhol
Rob Zombie and Dracula
George Clooney
Mike D’Antonio, founder of Killswitch Engage
Steve Tyler, Aerosmith
Amber Rose
Professor Green
Perhaps the Order of the Pug still exists, a variant on the rock and roll Illuminati that is the theme of so many conspiracy postings across the Internet?
Special thanks for hints and encouragement from Nolan Void.
Irrelevent it may be, but the photo you showed of the late Chris Cornell bears an eerie resemblance to Johnny Depp.
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