The  title  winner of  the 2008 World’s Ugliest Dog Contest may not have been appealing to some, but  to Gus’s folks there wasn’t a more beautiful dog out there.

They had rescued him from life in a crate in someone’s garage.

GULFPORT, Fla. – A one-eyed, three-legged dog that won the title of world’s ugliest pooch this summer has died. The St. Petersburg Times in Florida reports that Gus, a Chinese crested dog, had cancer. He was 9. Gus was rescued from a bad home and went on to win the annual World’s Ugliest Dog contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in northern California.

Gus’s owner used the prize money for radiation to fight the cancer.  Although Gus ultimately lost his battle, he taught a lot of people along the way that beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.

I’m thinking Swedish dogs don’t read English.  If they did they would have learned a lesson from the story the other day about the Pit Bull who drove the car through the car wash.

This incident was so unnecessary,  had those dogs ordered an English course from Rosetta Stone this tragedy could have been avoided.

A miniature Schnauzer and its Chinese Crested friend were fingered as the culprits in a Swedish runaway car incident, police said.

The canines were found curled up in the backseat of a car that had smashed through a fence and ended up in the yard of a home in the southern Swedish town of Skurup Friday, the Swedish news agency TT reported.

The homeowners initially thought the culprit had fled because no one was behind the wheel, but on closer investigation found the dogs on the backseat, uninjured but very frightened.

“The dogs had presumably managed to knock the gear box and put the car into neutral on a downhill slope while their owners were paying a visit to friends,” Calle Persson of the Skane police told TT.

Two important things to take away from this story.  Dogs like to visit with friends too and don’t appreciate being left in the car.  And for the dogs…remember to buckle up, not only is it a good idea, it’s the law.

This Chinese Crested has been through a lot and bears the scars of it all: a missing leg due to a cancerous skin tumor as well as a missing eye from a cat fight he lost. None of this means a thing to his family. They still love him for his inner beauty and plan to use their cash prize to help pay for his cancer treatments.

Lucille Bald, a former contest winner, is a Dogster member. Check out her profile and see our list of the Top 10 Funny-Looking Dog Breeds.

Read more about the contest, see the finalists and watch the video.

All the dogs pictured below are beloved members of Dogster. Click on the photos to see the doggies’ personal profiles.

1. Chinese Crested: This breed frequently gets top props in the World’s Ugliest Dog competition.

   

2. Puli: Nice dreads, mon!



3. Pharaoh Hound: Can you hear me now?



4. Neapolitan Mastiff: Got wrinkles?



5. Bedlington Terrier: Mary had a little lamb, little lamb…



6. Mexican Hairless (Xoloitzcuintli): Say it three times, fast.



7. Brussels Griffon: Monkey see, monkey do.



8. Whippet: Meet the official Weight Watchers spokesdog.

   

9. Briard: Peek-a-boo!

   

10. French Bulldog: Dog or bat?

    

Remember, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I thought Sheba, my Neapolitan Mastiff (see #4), was the prettiest girl in the world, though plenty of people say Neos look like monsters. Rubbish!