In fact pugs are generally viewed as being among the best breeds of small dog to have around children. With small and in particular toy dogs, there can sometimes be problems with them being bad-tempered and inclined to snap (though at least part of the reason for this is that people tend to treat small dogs as if they actually were toys, and parents don’t teach their children to be careful around them as they would with a larger animal). However, with Pugs this problem tends not to happen at all. Of course there are exceptions to every rule, and with an animal that hasn’t been properly trained or handled there is always a chance that they could react badly, but pugs are as gentle and good-natured as dogs get, and a lot of owners report that they really seem to enjoy being around children and will often let children play with them without getting annoyed at all (though of course a child should never be allowed to tease a dog, or any other animal).
Basically, pugs are very sociable creatures and love being around people. Broadly this is true for all dogs as they are pack animals, but pugs in particular seem to get very attached to their human families. A pug will follow you around or come and try to climb on to your lap, and even more than most dogs they are apt to get very lonely and unhappy if they are left alone for long periods of time. It is probably these qualities that make them kind and affectionate with children. They are also rather quiet, and this can be very good especially if you have small children who might be alarmed by a loudly barking dog. Certainly they can bark – their sound is rather deeper than the shrill yapping of, for example, a terrier – and as they are quite protective some pugs have been trained to bark at intruders. But in general you wouldn’t expect your pug to make a lot of noise. Also different from many dogs, they don’t jump up at you or run round you in circles as much – and again, some parents of small children find that this makes them safer and more soothing to have around. Pugs are more likely to show their affection by following you everywhere or coming to sit with you. They do like to play, though, and it’s important to play with them – not only because they obviously enjoy it (and your children will enjoy playing with them too) but because some pugs are inclined to be a bit lazy and you need to push them a bit to make them take enough exercise! This probably goes with their generally quiet and peaceful natures, and makes them very good pets to have if you don’t have time for long walks – but from the point of view of the dog’s health, you do have to make sure they get their exercise. A typical dog will remind you – very clearly – that it wants exercise, but this doesn’t always happen with a pug (though they can be active and like to be taken out). They spend a lot of time sleeping too.
On the subject of health, they do like their food, and they are so cute when they beg that it’s easy, especially for a child, to get into the habit of feeding them little treats. You do have to watch this – pugs put on weight easily, and being often a bit lazy as well they can have trouble taking it off again.
You can find out more about pugs here.