Peggy has been catapualted into the spotlight since starring in Deadpool and Wolverine with Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman
Meet Peggy the Hairless Pug
A pug from East Yorkshire who won UK’s Ugliest Dog has gone from being the subject of “strange looks in the street” to fans stopping her for photographs after her runaway success in showbusiness.
Peggy the hairless pug is now six years old and has two million adoring fans across the globe on her Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube channels. It is a big journey for a pup who was once the overlooked runt of the litter.
Owner Holly Middleton took Peggy home in 2019 after a long search for a family pet. “We were looking for a dog to join our family and were looking at rescues, but my kids were very young back then, so there were rules with certain dogs that couldn’t be rehomed with children under a certain age,” she said.
When they began looking online, they found Peggy, who was six months old at the time and “the last of an accidental litter”, her siblings having already found homes. Holly said it was love at first sight and “we just knew instantly she was The One.”
Holly said gentle Peggy was “perfect” with her sons, who are now aged nine and 14 years old. “They have grown up together, so they are all best friends,” she said.
Rise To Fame
Peggy’s launch into superstardom began with the UK’s Ugliest Dog competition, which she won in early 2023. Holly said it started as a “really silly thing I had seen in a newspaper”, but then it “blew up”.
She recalled: “It was quiet for a couple of months, and we thought it was sweet she got to have her little makeover in the competition, we couldn’t even dream what was about to come around the corner for her. We got a phone call saying, ‘Does she want to be a movie?””
Holly said the details were kept very “hush-hush”, but they were invited down to a meeting at Pinewood Studios in London. It was only after a non-disclaimer agreement was signed, it was revealed the film Peggy would star in was none other than Marvel’s 2024 Deadpool and Wolverine.
Peggy’s life has been “crazy” ever since, Holly said. “We worked alongside an animal trainer who said Peggy was an absolute natural. She is a very calm, very placid dog.
“She is not scared of anything, when fireworks go off at Bonfire Night, it has never phased her. It was apparently a very good fit for her, and she took it all in her stride.”
The filmed proved to be a blockbuster hit, grossing more than US $1 billion globally. Since then, Peggy has been recognised around the world and is one of the most popular stars at Comic-Cons.
Holly said: “We found Peggy is a sort of celebrity among the celebrities. There are celebrities who were a bit star-struck by her, coming over and going, ‘Oh my God, can I have a picture with Peggy?'”
Peggy will often get stopped in the street by fans, even in New York. As with all things, globe-trotting does not stress her out – she will happily travel with Holly in the cabin of aeroplanes.
The clever canine has also been something of an ambassador for “underdogs” across the world, with Holly calculating they have raised more than £10,000 for charity to date. Whenever they visit an event, they raise money for a dog rescue in that local area.
Other than her unusual features, Holly said Peggy is “like any other dog” and a “total couch potato”. Treated “like a queen” at home, Peggy enjoys meals of steak and has a grooming routine that makes sure her delicate skin is properly moisturised.
Holly added: “I don’t think she has got any idea of what her life is and how many fans she has and the people who love her from all over the world. It’s kind of cute really because, when we first got her, we would walk her and people had never seen a dog like Peggy.
“You’d see them giving strange looks in the street or whispering, ‘What’s wrong with that dog?’ But now everybody seems to know her.
“She has become accepted by everybody and they seem to adore her everywhere we go.” To find out more about Peggy, you can visit her website.