R.I.P. Miss Ellie, World’s Ugliest Pooch

Miss Ellie, holder of the World’s Ugliest Pooch title, passed to the Rainbow Bridge on May 29 at the ripe old age of 17.

The Chinese Crested (a breed that seems to have a hold on these titles) won the pedigree division of the 2009 World’s Ugliest Dog Competition. Proving ugly is the new cute, she also won the All-American Dog Food Pet Brand Cutest Dog Competition last September.

The Asheville Citizen-Times reports that Miss Ellie appeared on Animal Planet’s “Dogs 101,” was featured on billboards and a commercial, and was the star dog at The Comedy Barn Theater in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.

When she was 7 years old, Miss Ellie was rescued and brought to live with her owner, Dawn Goehring, along with 13 other rescue dogs.

Miss Ellie was an advocate and fundraiser for rescue animal awareness. After raising $30,000 in 2009, this year her campaign “Miss Ellie’s Mission” hoped to raise $1 million to build a new animal shelter in Sevier County, Tenn. The existing 40-year-old shelter was designed to accomodate 1,000 animals, but now holds about 5,000 animals annually, according to the Asheville Citizen-Times.

A video featuring Miss Ellie reveals the shelter’s decrepit condition, with leaking ceilings, peeling paint and broken cages.

Miss Ellie had planned to compete one last time in this year’s World’s Ugliest Dog Competition before retiring from the pageant circuit. Goehring said she had hoped the exposure would bring more attention and donations to Miss Ellie’s cause.

To keep Miss Ellie’s legacy alive and help to build a new shelter, visit Miss Ellie’s Mission.

PHOTOS: misselliesmission.com, usatoday.com