14 DAY TRIAL // In 2007, Elwood, a Chinese crested-Chihuahua mix with a face, as the saying goes, that only a mother could love, was crowned World’s Ugliest Dog. The other day, Elwood has gone to that ranch in the sky, his owner sadly confirms.
Elwood’s human, Karen Quigley, adopted him in 2005 when she found out that a breeder was thinking of having him put down because “she thought he was too ugly to sell,” the Examiner reports. Together, they set out to write history.
Since then, the two had been on a mission to educate people on the importance of adopting pets, as opposed to buying from breeders, on the importance of neutering the pets they do have and, of course, on how real beauty is the kind that comes from inside.
“Owner Karen Quigley said the eight-year-old canine had been dealing with some health issues, but his death Thursday was a surprise,” the report notes. It does not offer more details on what these issues might have been.
Elwood leaves behind him an important legacy because he was at the forefront of a campaign meant to “teach people that we can all make a difference if we really care,” his human is cited as saying.
He even had his own book, “Everybody Loves Elwood,” which aimed to make children understand that being different wasn’t a bad thing. If anything, it could tip the scales in your favor if you knew how to use it to change the world for the better.
“When he came into my life, I knew there was a reason. I knew the night I took him home there was something I had to do,” Karen says of first meeting Elwood.
When he was named World’s Ugliest Dog, Elwood was finally given the chance to do that great something he’d always been destined for. He’s now in doggie heaven, but his work here won’t be forgotten.