Because they're TERRIERS... I don't see a whole lot of other Terrier breeds doing a whole lot of working, either. A Cairne, Scottish, etc. terrier wouldn't exactly be a good hunting dog, herding dog, or other WORKING dog, either... Doesn't make them less "great".

Or do you believe a dog has to be a working breed in order to have a use? My pug has absolutely no "working" function whatsoever...[/QUOTE]

Actually, that's not true. Terriers are essentially working dogs, and their functions, historically speaking, were for hunting, especially varminting. If you want a dog to burrow down into a hole and kill a badger, you couldn't do much better than a Scottish Terrier.

Your Pug, on the other hand, was bred purely for entertainment and companionship. I have an English book, printed in the late 19th Century, that describes the Pug's history in England as misunderstood. A Chinese text, used for decades as a history of the breed, was mistranslated. It was originally understood that the Pug was not only a companion, but a "fighting" dog, meant to entertain royalty in matches which would go on for hours. This was puzzling, considering that a Pug is hardly capable of killing anything, much less another Pug. A subsequent translation revealed that the text indicated that the Pug was not a fighting dog, but a "wrestling" dog, which would "fight" with other Pugs for hours. Which makes a lot more sense.

So, there's your dog geek tidbit for the week.