Posted on 06/21/2008 10:30:24 PM PDT by Schnucki
A three-legged, one-eyed, cancer-afflicted dog named Gus has been crowned the World's Ugliest Dog at a fair in California.
Gus, a Chinese Crested dog, beat allcomers to take the title at the Sonoma-Marin Fair.
Owner Jeanenne Teed, from Florida, said she would spend the $1,600 prize on treatment for Gus's skin cancer.
The competition has been running for 20 years, and is one of the fair's top attractions, organisers said.
Vicki DeArmon, marketing director of the fair, said that in the past few years, winners had been dogs that had been abandoned or neglected before being adopted by dog-lovers.
"They may look hard to love, but apparently they are not. I've never seen dogs better cared for," she added.
Gus was rescued from a bad home.
One of his legs was amputated as a consequence of his skin tumour.
He lost an eye to a tomcat in a fight.
I’ve seen pics of that poor ugly dog. God bless that woman for not caring about how he looked and caring about him. So cool.
Bless his guardian that took him in & gives him love & care.
Sending a prayer for little Gus for the miracle of healing & living out a pain free life.
That sort of thing is why I went for a Carolina Dog this time. The true primitive breeds or “Pariah Dogs” are the least “messed with” dogs. Next to a wolf hybrid, they are as close to wild as you’ll find. They are truly the dogs that first chose to associate with man. I consider them to have preeminence by virtue of seniority.
No congenital defects, no weird allergies, nothing but pure unadulterated D.O.G., that followed us from the garden. The “oldest” identified variety is the Canaan Dog. Yes that Canaan.
I understand everyone’s love for every dog(and share it) but, isn’t there a point where we need to step back and say “enough is enough”?
I've been a wildlife rehabilitator, and I have cats, and I've had a dog and birds and all manner of animals both as pets and as medical recovery cases. I've seen some pretty bad-looking animals due to accidents, disease, abuse, genetics, you name it. In every case (except when on death's doorstep), the animal did what it could do to clean itself and fly right, and appreciated my efforts to help.
So I cannot fathom what would make a person who allegedly cares about animals, go out of their way to maintain a dog in this horrible state of disarray, just so they can try to win an "Ugly Dog" contest and take home a $1600 prize.
But I guess there's a lot I don't understand in this world.
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His name's not Lucky?
> That sort of thing is why I went for a Carolina Dog this time.
Nice looking dog. How well does it train?
“Lucky, kill Slick” — Grumpier Old Men
I’ve not tried much of the traditional “obedience” stuff. Housebreaking was pretty much effortless. He’s very inconsistant with most other things though. Very attentive and eager to please but strong willed. He has a great memory but needs to be reminded to keep his mind on things.
Introductions to others has been the most interesting. He is very tentative until I have introduced them and it has to be me. He is not aggressive but he definitely “lets you know” when there is anything out of the ordinary. His hunting instinct is very strong but he considers our cat part of the pack so that has been alright.
I’ve had a great time getting to know him and observing the subtle differences between him and all the other dogs I’ve had in my lifetime.
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