In 2004, "Pups Is Pups" was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress as "historically and culturally significant." As of 2022, it is the only "Our Gang" short to receive this distinction.
A recurring gag in "Pups Is Pups" has the well-groomed, innocent-looking Dorothy DeBorba repeatedly jumping into a mud hole for fun, much to the annoyance of everyone around her. DeBorba claimed the filmmakers shot 37 takes of her doing this at different angles, and she had to undergo a complete makeover after each take. In the final cut she is seen jumping into the mud only four times, with an additional shot of her splashing in the muck shown twice.
The 100th "Our Gang" short produced by Hal Roach, the 12th to be made as a talkie, and the first entry of the series' 1930-1931 season.
The "Our Gang" debut of Dorothy DeBorba, who appeared in 24 shorts in the series through 1933. Her defining character trait - mimicking and mocking the dialogue of her co-stars - won her the nickname "Echo" on the Hal Roach studio lot.
The climactic scene where Wheezer is reunited with his lost puppies was filmed at the recently-built St. Brendan Catholic Church, located at 310 S. Van Ness Avenue in Los Angeles. Completed in 1927, it was the first Catholic church in Los Angeles dedicated to an Irish saint; interestingly, "Our Gang" producer Hal Roach and "Pups Is Pups" director Robert F. McGowan were both Irish-American Catholics. St Brendan's has since been used as a location for several films, including The War of the Worlds (1953), Armageddon (1998), and Fight Club (1999).