Milkshake the pink pug — a rare type of the adorable dog — has landed a role as the face of London’s Dog Week.
“When I first got Milkshake, there were probably less than 100 in the world. Now i’d say that there are between 200 or 300,”Maria De Dozsa, his owner, says so.
His social media popularity grew during the pandemic’s early stages, landing him over 110,000 Instagram followers.
Because Milkshake’s pink color is rare, some wonder the origin of the breed. “…he’s actually a pure kc-registered pug. The reason that he has a different coloring to the kind of standard recognized colors is that he has a partial lack of pigmentation, so it’s referred to kind of technically as leucistic.” De Dozsa says.
“So it’s not the same as an albino pug…so he has no health issues — he can kind of hear, and he can see perfectly well. It’s just that condition that causes that lack of pigmentation, so it gives him the blue eyes, the pink nose, and the kind of white beige-colored fur that he has.”
Milkshake’s fame has earned him numerous media campaigns, including Heineken and Breitling.
According to De Dozsa, the pink pug’s warm presence has done more than make strangers on the internet smile.
“I’ve kind of struggled with anxiety in the past. I used to have panic attacks actually, before I had Milkshake, and that’s something that he’s kind of really helped me with.”She said.
“I think a lot of the time, especially running your own business, which I do now, it’s so easy to burn out and not pay attention to just taking a break and looking after yourself.”
De Dozsa also shared that the pale pup may be getting a sibling soon — another pink pug she is fostering with a possible name of “Cupcake.”
