Ugliest Dog: Rascal the Chinese Crested

Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but Rascal, a 10-year-old Chinese crested dog, truly has a face that only a parent could love. Rascal currently holds more ugly dog contest titles than any other mutt in history -- and for good reason. With his waggling tongue and spiky mohawk, he's been mistaken for a tiny horse, a ferret and a chupacabra, says his owner Dane Andrew.

What's it like to spend every day with the world's ugliest dog? Andrew spoke to Paw Nation about life with Rascal.

What makes Rascal so ugly?
He grew up without a lot of his teeth, so his tongue hangs out. He's naturally hairless, with lots of warts and splotches. He has kind of a rat's tail and a mohawk. I think he's a great looking dog, and he grows on people. The first minute they see him there's a shock value but after they spend time with him, they say he's actually not that bad. I actually think he's very handsome.

What's his personality like?
He's healthy and full of energy. He's pretty exuberant, especially when he's around people he knows. He's a lot of fun. He doesn't bark at anyone and he always gets along with other dogs.

You've been around ugly dogs almost your whole life, haven't you?
Rascal's grandfather, a rescue named Chi Chi, was my birthday present when I was 11. I heard barking and my mom had me cover my eyes. When I uncovered them, there was this little charcoal-colored dog with no hair. I didn't even know what it was. He's in the Guinness Book of World Records for winning the World's Ugliest Dog contest eight times. Meanwhile, Rascal's grandmother Lady Pink won three times, and his mom Mai Tai won three times. Now Rascal is champion of the most ugly dog contests of any dog in history. He just won a second time at the world's Oldest Ugly Dog Contest. This is my 33rd year showing ugly dogs from this dynasty of four dogs. I didn't really set out to do that. It has turned into a really fun thing.


What's Rascal up to besides entering contests?
He's been on shows: "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," "The View," "ET's Insider." He just finished his fourth show for Animal Planet, and he's being filmed for a documentary, "The Ugliest Dog." He's also started a horror movie career. He's got a few coming out right now that people have asked him to be in. You can see clips on his web site.

How does he enjoy his fame?
If he wasn't enjoying it, there wouldn't be any point in doing it. An animal psychic read him once. She said he likes all the attention. It's a good thing, because it's a good venue for Rascal to spread the word for people to adopt, to spay and neuter, and help bring money towards smaller shelters that really need people's donations. He's got a brand new leash line coming out, with a percentage of proceeds going to animal charity. He tries to do a lot of good with his notoriety.

Do you think he knows he's ugly?
He's fine with it. It doesn't hurt his feelings. When he wins, he knows he's getting some sort of prize. If he can't be the prettiest dog, he'll be the best he can be. If that means he'll be best at being ugliest, then that's what he's going to do.

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Tags: dane andrew, DaneAndrew, dog, rascal, ugliest dog, ugliest dog contest, UgliestDog, UgliestDogContest, ugly dog, UglyDog