Can Pugs' eyes really pop out of their heads?

Yep. Pugs' eyes really can pop out of their heads.

The medical term for this is proptosis, Greek for “oh crap.” (Actually it means "before the fall.")

You may imagine chasing a Pug’s loose looker down the street, but really the globe is attached by the optic nerve, ocular muscles, and blood vessels.

So instead of popping all the way out, the eye bulges and gets very, very bloodshot. Google this at your own risk.

Like this, but, you know, gross.

While trauma can cause proptosis in any dog, smoosh-faced breeds like Pugs may pop an eyeball with regular activity because of their shallow eye sockets.

That’s also why their eyes appear relatively large at the best of times. It’s just one of many reasons why Pugs are adorable—theory suggests that their oversize eyes remind us of human babies, which we are biologically programmed to love.

As effective as that may be for bonding, shallow eye sockets aren’t so great for anything else. Even if they don’t pop out, Pug eyes are often susceptible to damage because their eyelids often can’t close all the way (yes, really).

One upside? Rhinestone eye patches.

Proptosis can usually be surgically corrected, with about one out of four dogs keeping their vision. In severe cases, however, the eye may be too damaged to survive the injury, so the only solution is removal.

Recovery takes several weeks, and the patient must wear an eyepatch and a pirate costume for every Halloween thereafter. Aye, matey.