Uggie

Uggie was rejected by at least his first two owners as being too wild. He was about to be sent to a dog pound, but was adopted by animal trainer Omar Von Muller after his friends alerted him to the dog. Von Muller intended only to foster the dog while he found him a new home, but decided that Uggie should stay. He said of the dog, "He was a crazy, very energetic puppy, and who knows what would have happened to him if he [had] gone to the dog pound. But he was very smart and very willing to work. One of the most important thing[s] is that he was not afraid of things. That is what makes or breaks a dog in the movies, whether they are afraid of lights, and noises and being on sets. He gets rewards, like sausages, to encourage him to perform, but that is only a part of it. He works hard." When not working, Uggie lived in North Hollywood with Von Muller, Von Muller's wife and Von Muller's daughter. There were six other dogs in the household, all of whom work in the film industry. ==Career==

Uggie's earliest roles were in commercials and minor roles in the films ''What's Up Scarlett, Wassup Rockers (2005) and Mr. Fix It'' (2006) alongside David Boreanaz. a tour of dogs with different tricks, which toured the United States and South America; his trick was riding a skateboard. He went on to appear in the 2011 silent movie The Artist, and it was this role which brought him to the attention of mass media, He had two stunt doubles in the film, named Dash and Dude, who were colored to look more like Uggie, but Uggie did most of his own stunts and the doubles were barely required. Uggie promoted the film on a week-long promotional tour, appearing on television shows in the UK, including The Graham Norton Show. He also appeared at a charity screening in London's West End, in aid of Dogs Trust. Uggie appeared opposite another Jack Russell terrier named Cosmo from Mike Mills' Beginners in a photoshoot spread for The Hollywood Reporter. He also appeared in other photoshoots for W magazine and The Hollywood Reporter. Trainer von Muller said that Uggie was approaching retirement and that he wouldn't want him to have to go through the same long hours that the dog experienced while filming The Artist again, but would be willing to let Uggie take other less intense jobs. Later that year he became a spokesdog for PETA in an ad campaign that encouraged potential dog owners to adopt from shelters. Uggie made a cameo appearance in the 2012 comedy film The Campaign, his final film role before retirement. "Consider Uggie" After The Artist received critical acclaim sufficient to suggest that the film might have a real chance of winning "Best Picture" awards, S.T. VanAirsdale, an editor at Movieline, began a campaign called "Consider Uggie" on Facebook to seek recognition for Uggie's performance; he felt that the dog outperformed Leonardo DiCaprio's performance in J. Edgar, but probably wasn't as good as George Clooney in The Descendants. However, a precedent was set for the Oscars in 1929 at the 1st Academy Awards when German Shepherd dog actor Rin Tin Tin, according to legend, gained the most votes for the Award for Best Actor. Actor Emil Jannings was actually presented with the award on the night. Cast and crew on The Artist responded to the campaign, with James Cromwell supporting the move to ensure Uggie was recognized, saying he was "wonderfully trained and talented" and supporting the move to install a special Oscar for animals in film. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts responded: "Regretfully, we must advise that as he is not a human being and as his unique motivation as an actor was sausages, Uggie is not qualified to compete for the BAFTA in this category." ==Awards==

Uggie won the Palm Dog Award for best performance by a canine at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, for his role as "Jack" in The Artist. It was the 11th year in which the award was handed out and goes to the best canine performance. Uggie and Cosmo shared the prize for "Best performance by an animal", awarded by The Seattle Times movie critic Moira Macdonald. On February 13, 2012, Uggie was named Best Dog in a Theatrical Film at the first Golden Collar Awards, awarded by Dog News Daily. The awards were only launched a couple of months previously due to the attention Uggie was getting for his performance in The Artist. On June 25, 2012, he had his paw prints placed in cement at Grauman's Chinese Theatre. ==Death==

Uggie was euthanized at the age of 13 on August 7, 2015, after developing a prostate tumor. ==Filmography==