World's ugliest dog dies at 14 (AP) Updated: 2005-11-24 07:49
Sam, the tiny dog whose hairless body and crooked teeth earned him a
reputation as the World's Ugliest Dog, has died in California, the United
States.
The pooch died Friday, just short of his 15th
birthday, his owner said.
"I don't think there'll ever be another Sam," Susie Lockheed said, adding:
"Some people would think that's a good thing."
Sam won the ugliest dog contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair this summer for the
third year in a row. It had made appearances on TV in Japan, radio in New
Zealand and in Britain's Daily Mirror tabloid. He also had met Donald Trump on a
talk show set.
Lockheed said she initially was terrified of Sam when she agreed to take him
in as a rescue dog six years ago on a 48-hour trial basis. Although she fell in
love with him, his appearance repulsed her then-boyfriend and prompted the man
to break up with her.
Later, however, Sam became a matchmaker by bringing together Lockheed and her
current beau, who saw a picture of the two on an online dating site.
Lockheed said she had Sam euthanized after she learned Sam's heart was
failing.
She said she's felt a little lost ever since, and is sleeping with Sam's
favorite toy — a stuffed bear he picked up and carried home.
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