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World’s ugliest dog dies after battle with cancer

Rescued Chinese crested named Gus lost leg to skin tumor prior to death

Image: Gus
Gus, who won the World's Ugliest Dog contest in June, has passed away after a battle with cancer.
Justin Sullivan / Getty Images file
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updated 2:51 p.m. ET Nov. 10, 2008

GULFPORT, Fla. - A one-eyed, three-legged dog that won the title of world’s ugliest pooch this summer has died.

The St. Petersburg Times in Florida reports that Gus, a Chinese crested dog, had cancer. He was 9.

Gus was rescued from a bad home and went on to win the annual World’s Ugliest Dog contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in northern California.

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Gus came from humble origins. According to the fair, his adopted family in Gulfport, Fla., rescued him after learning he was being kept in a crate inside someone’s garage.

He had one leg amputated because of a skin tumor and lost an eye in a cat fight.

Gus’ owner had said the prize money from the contest would be put toward the dog’s radiation treatment.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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