Pugalier Puppies: Adopt or Buy in Australia?

What exactly is a Pugalier?

A Pugalier is a cross between a Pug and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. It is not a breed in the formal sense. Dogs Australia publishes a breed standard for each purebred breed it recognises, and the Pugalier is not on that list. For a buyer that means:

• No standard to measure a puppy against. Face shape, size, coat and temperament depend on the parents, and can vary within one litter.
• No breed club. Nobody sets minimum health checks for Pugalier litters or publishes a reference price.
• No Dogs Australia pedigree. Member breeders' codes forbid crossbreeding without prior approval; that has its own section below.

Both parents are companion breeds with gentle reputations. The Pug standard describes great charm, dignity and intelligence and an even-tempered, happy and lively disposition; the Cavalier standard describes a sporting, affectionate, absolutely fearless dog that is gay, friendly and non-aggressive.

From the Dogs Australia Pug and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel standards, read 11 November 2026. Neither standard sets a height, so the comparison is by weight.

Should you adopt or buy a Pugalier?

Adopt if you can be flexible about age and label. With an adult Pug cross or Cavalier cross from a rescue, you pay the rescue's published fee, and with this cross that is a real advantage: you can see the dog's face, hear how it breathes and ask what the rescue's vet found before you commit. Buy if you need a young puppy and are ready to judge both parents yourself, because no breed club does it for you.

If what you want is a dog with known screening, look at the parent breeds, which have breed standards and Dogs Australia registered breeders: our Pug and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel adopt-or-buy guides cover the tests a registered breeder of each does.

Is a Pugalier healthier than a Pug or a Cavalier?

Nobody has shown that it is. We found no study of Pug and Cavalier crosses. The closest evidence is a 2024 Royal Veterinary College study of 9,402 UK dogs, an owner survey of dogs up to five years old, which compared three popular Poodle crosses (including the Cavapoo, a Cavalier cross) with their purebred parent breeds. The odds of common owner-reported disorders did not differ in 86.6% of comparisons; the crosses had higher odds in 7.0% and lower odds in 6.4%. The authors wrote that crosses with a parent breed that has known health issues, such as a flat-faced breed, may still benefit and do relatively better than that parent, and that more research is needed. That is a possibility, not a finding about Pugaliers.

So go in assuming a Pugalier can inherit the problems of either parent. The three that matter most are below, each from vet-school or peer-reviewed research on the parent breed. Our Sydney health guides cover living with them: Pug health issues and Cavalier health issues.

Breathing: BOAS, from the Pug side

Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS) is a breathing disorder in which soft tissue blocks the airway of a flat-faced dog. A Royal Veterinary College study of UK primary-care records (O'Neill and colleagues, 2022) compared 4,308 Pugs with 21,835 other dogs and found Pugs had 53.92 times the odds of a BOAS diagnosis, and 1.86 times the odds of at least one disorder of any kind in the year studied.

What decides the risk is the face, not the name. In a study of 700 dogs of diverse breeds and conformations (Packer and colleagues, 2015), BOAS risk increased sharply as relative muzzle length shortened, BOAS occurred only in dogs whose muzzles were less than half their cranial length, and thicker necks and obesity raised the risk further. A Pugalier with a Cavalier-length muzzle sits in a different place on that curve from one with a Pug face, and the cross label does not tell you which you will get. When you meet the parents and the puppy, look at the muzzle and nostrils, and listen at rest and after a short walk. Loud breathing at rest, snoring, gagging or tiring quickly are reasons to talk to a vet.

The heart: mitral valve disease, from the Cavalier side

Degenerative mitral valve disease is a slow failure of a heart valve, often first heard by a vet as a murmur. In English primary-care records from 2010 and 2011 (Mattin and colleagues, 2015), Cavaliers made up 32.4% of the dogs diagnosed with it, and the odds rose strongly with age. In a separate study of Cavaliers in English practices (Summers and colleagues, 2015), a heart murmur was the most common disorder recorded, in 30.9% of the 1,749 dogs reviewed. Interestingly, the 2022 study above found Pugs had lower odds of a heart murmur than other dogs, but no one has measured what that means for a cross. Ask whether the Cavalier parent has had its heart checked, and have your vet listen at every check-up.

The spine: Chiari-like malformation and syringomyelia, from the Cavalier side

Syringomyelia is a condition in which fluid-filled cavities form in the spinal cord. In Cavaliers it is linked to Chiari-like malformation, where the back of the skull is too small for the brain. In a peer-reviewed study (Parker and colleagues, 2011), 555 Cavaliers whose owners reported no signs were MRI scanned: syringomyelia was found in 25 per cent of dogs aged 12 months, rising to 70 per cent of dogs aged 72 months or more. As that study shows, a dog can have a cavity and show no signs. A 2017 study (Nalborczyk and colleagues) describes scratching towards one shoulder or the neck without touching the skin, often called “phantom scratching”, as a classic sign of severe syringomyelia. No study covers Pugaliers. If you see those signs in any dog, see your vet.

Figures are from UK and European study populations as published; they describe the parent breeds, not Pugaliers, and they are not veterinary advice.

What should a Pugalier breeder show you?

Because no club sets a minimum, use the parent breeds' lists as your standard. Our Pug guide and Cavalier guide set out the tests Dogs Australia and the Cavalier clubs list for each breed. At a minimum, ask for:

• Both parents, in person or on a live video call. Look at their muzzles and nostrils, and listen to them breathe at rest and after a short walk.
• Heart results for the Cavalier parent, with dates and the dog's name or microchip number. A certificate from years ago tells you less than a recent one.
• Any eye, knee, DNA or MRI results the breeder has for either parent, in writing.
• The puppy's own vet check, and your own vet's check before you commit if possible.
• The state breeder number, checked by you on the official register (see the scam section below).

Why is there no Dogs Australia registered Pugalier breeder?

Because the codes Dogs Australia members follow forbid crossbreeding unless their state body approves it in advance. The Dogs NSW Code of Ethics (clause 17) says a member shall not knowingly permit a purebred dog to be mated to a dog of a different breed or a cross-bred dog unless the mating is for the health, welfare or development of a breed and the Board has approved it in advance; it adds that the prohibition does not apply to guide and working dogs. Dogs Victoria's code (20.1.15) says dogs “are not permitted to be mated to a dog or bitch of a different breed, to a cross bred dog or bitch”. The national Dogs Australia Code of Practice (clause 16) says a member shall not permit its purebred dogs to be mated to a dog of a different breed or a cross bred dog “without the prior approval of the member’s Member Body”.

So Pugalier litters are generally bred outside that system. Some breeders belong to other registries, which Dogs Australia says are not affiliated with it and cannot issue its certified pedigrees. That does not make every Pugalier breeder a poor one; it means the checks are yours to make.

How do you keep a Pugalier safe in the heat?

Plan as if it has a Pug's face, because it may. The RSPCA says flat-faced breeds have a reduced capacity to cool down by panting, and that overweight animals overheat faster and have a limited capacity for cooling. Walk early and late in summer, keep the dog lean, give it shade and a cool indoor space, and never leave it in a car. If you suspect heatstroke, the RSPCA says to cool the dog with room-temperature or cool water and get veterinary help immediately. Our Pug breathing and heat care guide has more on summer routines.

What does a Pugalier cost?

We cannot give you a breeder price we can stand behind. For purebred breeds we read the prices that Dogs Australia member breeders publish on their own websites and report what we find. That method has nothing to measure for a Pugalier, because member breeders' codes forbid crossbreeding without prior approval, and there is no breed club guide. Any figure on a listing site is one seller's asking price, not a benchmark, and a high price does not buy health checks. Ask what the price includes.

What we can show you is what rescues publish:

Reference only, not a quote. These are the fees each rescue published on the date shown; fees change, so check with the rescue. RSPCA ACT says every animal it adopts out is desexed and microchipped (where appropriate); ask any rescue what its fee includes.

With a cross that can inherit breathing and heart problems, the bigger number is often the vet bill. Look at pet insurance early, before any condition is recorded, run the first year through the dog cost calculator, and read our guide to cheaper vet care.

What do Pugaliers in rescue look like?

Rescues often do not use the name. A Pugalier may be listed as a Pug cross, a Cavalier cross or a small mixed breed. Listings change daily, so search all of these:

• Pugs and Pug crosses: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide.
• Cavaliers and Cavalier crosses: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide.
• Small dogs: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide.
• Mixed breeds: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide.

An adult tells you what a puppy cannot: the shape its face has grown into, how it breathes, and anything the rescue's vet has already found. Ask the rescue what checks it has done, book your own vet visit in the first week, and look at insurance before anything is recorded. Our Sydney guides cover adopting each parent breed: adopting a Pug and adopting a Cavalier. For the process, read adopting a dog in Australia.

How do Pugalier scams work, and how do you check a seller?

Scamwatch says scammers set up fake websites, social media profiles and marketplace listings for popular breeds and pets that do not exist, and that if a pet is very cheap, it is likely a scam. It advises viewing the pet in person or on a video call. A Dogs Victoria fact sheet says scam ads often feature breeds and mixes in high demand, naming Pugs and Cavoodles among them, and warns that ads may display microchip, source or membership numbers lifted from legitimate breeders. Claims to test before you pay:

• “Healthier than a Pug” or “no breathing problems”. No study has shown it. Look at the face and listen to the breathing yourself.
• “Heart tested” without paperwork. Ask for the certificate, its date and the dog it belongs to.
• Photos of someone else's litter. A reverse image search and a search of the ad's exact wording can find the same material elsewhere.

The check that matters most is the state number: a breeder identification number in NSW, a Pet Exchange Register source number in Victoria, a supply number in Queensland or a DACO breeder number in South Australia. Look it up on the official register yourself and confirm it matches the seller and the microchip. Our puppies for sale guide sets out every state's scheme and what to do if you have already paid.

Is a Pugalier the right dog for you?

For many households a small, affectionate companion is exactly right; the commitment is health. Be honest about three things: money for vet care and insurance, a summer plan with a cool room, and keeping the dog lean for life. If those worry you, an adult rescue dog with a known face and a recent vet check is the lower-risk way into these breeds. Not sure it fits? Try the what dog breed am I quiz and the adoption readiness check, and read our guides to apartment dogs and calm dog breeds.

Weighing other small dogs too? Other adopt-or-buy guides cover the Cavoodle, French Bulldog, Boston Terrier and Shih Tzu.

Find a Pug or Cavalier cross near you

Each page shows dogs listed right now by rescues in that city, and each listing links to the rescue where you apply directly.

• Pugs and Pug crosses for adoption in Sydney
• Pugs and Pug crosses for adoption in Melbourne
• Pugs and Pug crosses for adoption in Brisbane
• Pugs and Pug crosses for adoption in Perth
• Pugs and Pug crosses for adoption in Adelaide
• Cavaliers and Cavalier crosses for adoption in Sydney
• Cavaliers and Cavalier crosses for adoption in Melbourne
• Cavaliers and Cavalier crosses for adoption in Brisbane
• Cavaliers and Cavalier crosses for adoption in Perth
• Cavaliers and Cavalier crosses for adoption in Adelaide