Meet Peggy, a mix between a pug and a Chinese-crested dog who has recently gone viral on the internet and gained somewhat of a celebrity status with 241k followers on Instagram. This cute yet unique pup was cast as Wade Wilson’s new companion, Dogpool, in Deadpool and Wolverine, which finally releases in cinemas today. (Also read: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman rock San Diego Comic-Con with Deadpool and Wolverine cameo stars. Spoilers inside!)
humble beginnings
Peggy is six years old and part of the Middleton family from East Yorkshire. Holly Middleton first saw the pup through an online adoption ad and instantly fell in love. Peggy, who was born by accident, was 6 months old at the time and all her siblings had already been adopted. No one wanted to adopt her because she had such a different appearance – a dog with not much hair on his head and a sticking out tongue. But for the Middleton family, she was perfect, as Holly says, “She fit right into our family as if she had always been with us. My youngest son has a very close bond with her. He was 3 when we brought her home, so they’ve grown up together.”
Winning the ‘Britain’s ugliest dog’ award
Middleton entered Peggy in Britain’s Ugliest Dog competition in late 2022 by Parrotprint, a photography printing firm, at the suggestion of friends and family. Even though she is beautiful and much loved by her family, Middleton understands that her appearance may be off-putting to some people, and they are not offended by it. The little girl turned celebrity won the competition and even appeared on national television on shows such as BBC Breakfast, ITV’s This Morning and BBC Radio Five Live.
Playing Dogpool and being Ryan Reynolds’ best friend
Although Peggy has always been a star and adept at being in front of the camera, her parents never imagined she would achieve the kind of stardom she has recently reached. After winning their ugliest dog title, she was cast as an actress by the filmmakers of Deadpool and Wolverine. At the time, her owners had no idea what movie she was being cast in, or whether she had what it took. Despite several dogs auditioning for the role, Peggy won the hearts of the filmmakers and Ryan Reynolds, who claimed in an interview that he fell in love with Peggy at first sight. “Her real name is Peggy, and she won Britain’s ugliest dog award,” Reynolds says.
Jules Tottman, the head animal trainer on set who has worked with animals in several franchises such as Harry Potter, Game of Thrones and 101 Dalmatians, says working with Peggy was a wonderful experience. After being a little skeptical at first, barking at strangers and the like, Peggy scored well in training. For her role in the major motion picture, she had to run from point A to B, jump into Ryan Reynolds’ arms, and lick lots of faces. The celebrity pup enjoyed performing all these feats, especially the latter two. “She would try to lick everybody’s faces, thinking there would be cheese somewhere nearby,” says Tottman. Once filming began, she became an instant favorite among the cast, especially Ryan. As Jules said, “Ryan was fantastic. He just embraced it, which was great.”
Poverty to Riches Success Story
After filming ended, the Deadpool and Wolverine star has returned to her normal life at home. Her owners now run a popular Instagram page where they share relatable and pretty funny content. Peggy’s first exposure to celebrity came when she went on an outing with her family in Scotland.
“When we were holidaying in Scotland, a group of American teenagers first recognised Peggy as Dogpool. It felt really surreal. This has been my only movie-star-dog moment so far, but I’m sure there will be many more to come,” says Holly. The talented dog made his first red-carpet appearance at the London premiere of his first film, decked out in head-to-paw Dogpool gear, and since then, he has attended screenings of the film at many other venues.
Deadpool and Wolverine is hitting theaters today, and it’s safe to say that watching Peggy’s antics on the big screen will be a blast.
