Minnie and Max the Iconic Pugs
Minnie and Max the Iconic Pugs.
by Robert Hudson
In 2008 a youtube video of young pugs tilting their heads took the world by storm and introduced us to Minnie and Max. The video captured the hearts of thousands of people and their fan base continued to grow year after year.
“Minnie and Max came to us at the tender age of 4 months. They were both previously spoken for by others and originally destined for separate states. Someone wanted Max shipped to them in Canada and Minnie was to be used for breeding in Kansas. Though they were not rescues in the literal sense, we feel that keeping them together and giving them an excellent life with us was about as close as you could get. Minnie is now 13 and will be 14 in December. Max sadly passed last July at the age of 12,” Steven told me.
The video became iconic getting replayed on Animal planet, memes, compilation videos, gifs and made the pair a fixture in pop culture.
The Road to Stardom for Minnie and Max the Iconic Pugs
“We were actually “pug sitting” for some good friends who were travelling in Ireland. We knew they would be missing their pug ”Mabel” so I decided to take a nice photo of all three with my little digital camera and email it to them. I got them to tilt their heads in unison by asking a question…“wanna treat?” I snapped the photo and switched to video and repeated the same thing. As I tried to attach the files to the email, I discovered that the video file size was too large to send.
That’s when I decided to post it to YouTube and send the link. Everything snowballed from that one video. It aired on Ellen, Regis and Kelly, The Tonight show plus many times on Animal Planet. We now have over 1.2 Million Facebook followers and 118,000 Instagram followers. Minnie and Max have fans all over the world.”
The Mighty Duo
Minnie and Max the Iconic Pugs were two peas in a pod. The duo was a comedy team that shared adventures traveling to beaches going up and down the California coast and even on trips outside their state. “Minnie and Max were a bonded pair from day one. Being actual brother and sister made their bond even stronger.
Minnie is extremely smart was always in charge of the show. Max looked to her to for guidance and followed her lead. He would wait for her to curl up in bed before lying next to her, for example. That doesn’t mean they didn’t have their disagreements, of course. Most spats involved food or occasionally a toy. They would “play fight” and wrestle as well, which was always great entertainment!
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Loveable Max
Max was such a joy to have around. He was so affectionate and playful. He loved young girls, especially. We think that was because one family he stayed with had two young daughters, in addition to a pug. We would always walk M&M at our local outdoor mall. Whenever he heard young girls talking or laughing he would go up to them, assuming he was being called over. It was like, “Oh, you want to see me?!” It happened often and was always funny to see.“
Throughout their travels they would often meet fans and pug “friends” from the pug community.
According to Steve, Max loved everyone. “Max was such a sweetheart. He would literally cry when he saw old friends. He was a little shy around strangers until he got to know them. As for his humans, he was so affectionate that he would try to lick our faces off. He wagged his tail so hard his entire body would wiggle. Whenever we came home to him, he would grab the nearest toy to show you. In the morning, he would climb along side and stare into his hu-mom’s eyes. We miss that part of him most of all.
Its just Minnie and her hoomans now. How is she taking it? “Minnie has definitely become more “clingy.” She is quite independent compared to Max but has become less so since his passing. She follows us around when we are getting ready to go out and demands to come with us. We are slowly beginning to leave her at home on occasion and she seems to be adapting well.“
Memories of Max
Steven shared some memories: “The way he brought us a toy was so sweet. The way he loved his ball and got so much joy chasing it on the beach. (Who knew pugs played fetch?) The way he would cry when we said “Wanna go to the beach?!” His excitement was just like a little kid going to Disneyland.
One of his Facebook fans on his Facebook page said: “Max and his ball. I loved to see him play with it on the beach. I miss him so very much. Can’t believe how fast the year has gone. You will be in my heart forever beautiful precious Max.”
What are your favorite Minnie and Max the Iconic Pugs moments? Please share your favorite memories in the comments below. Lets have a memorial here.
Keep up with Minnie on their Facebook page.
