http://puppylinux.org/wikka/AboutPuppy

"The real Puppy, the mascot for Puppy Linux, was a very tiny dog, a Chihuahua, but totally fearless. He didn't seem to know that he was vulnerable because of his small size. Once when my sister was visiting my country property, she brought her Blue Heeler, a very solid middle-sized dog named Muti. We were out walking, and suddenly there was a substantial rustling of branches of a large bush, something was in or behind the bush. Muti took fright and ran back behind the legs of my sister, whereas Puppy got into launch position in front of the bush and barked furiously. It turned out to be my dad playing a trick on the dogs. Puppy used to chase kangaroos and other big wild animals. Anyway, Puppy Linux is like that, reckless, unshackled, in memory of the mascot, even though we know there's some risk."