Wrinkles are such an integral part of the Pug‘s type that spelled out in the AKC breed standard is that they should be “large and deep.” The Chinese considered the Pug’s facial wrinkles to be a hugely important feature of the breed and even gave the vertical wrinkle on the Pug’s forehead a name: The “Prince Mark” (or thumb mark) because it resembled the Chinese character for “prince.” This was a highly sought-after quality by Chinese breeders, especially if the mark was formed by three wrinkles with a vertical bar. As an aside, this same character is distinguished by the Chinese in the stripes on the forehead of the Tiger.

Pug Portrait by Rachel Stribbling is available as a print here