RePUGnant!

PHOTO CREDIT: Moses, above, looks menacing with his jagged teeth jutting out. But he's really a sweetheart in disguise.
I wrote this story for the El Dorado News-Times. Enjoy.

SMACKOVER — Moses really isn’t all that ugly. He has a cute face, a shiny black coat and a happy, jagged-tooth smile. But according to the “National Inquirer,” this mutt’s mug is the worst in America.

Dubbed the “Ugliest Dog in America” on Nov. 6, Suzanne Burson’s 3-year-old Chihuahua/pug mix has garnered a lot of attention ever since — everyone from NBC’s “Today Show” to the “Arkansas Democrat-Gazette” has featured Moses’ prize-winning photo — and the two are definitely enjoying the limelight.

“I love it,” Burson, 18, proclaimed last week as she sat in her living room in Smackover. “I’m hoping maybe we can get on a national show, but I don’t think he would like the plane ride. It would be really cool, though.”

The photo appearing in the tabloid depicts Moses in a somewhat menacing pose, with his mouth opened slightly as if he’s about to growl. In this position, he looks more like a bat than a dog, which is most likely why he won the contest. Burson said Moses often looks that way when he’s relaxing.

So one day when Moses was kicking back after a hard day, Burson’s boyfriend snapped a picture of the pooch for the contest; as a result, she won $200 and the right to call her dog the ugliest in America.

On a recent afternoon, Moses, his bright orange sweater clinging to his pudgy body, trotted around Burson’s home looking for attention from his master. Moses always has liked the spotlight, and he gets really jealous if he isn’t the center of attention.

“The cats don’t like to be around him, and if they are getting the attention, he really doesn’t like that,” Burson said. “He doesn’t like to be on a leash, so he’s always running around wherever he wants.”

Moses also gets cranky if he doesn’t have his favorite snack — a McDonald’s cheeseburger with ketchup. But hold the pickles, please. Moses hates pickles, Burson said.

Spoiled? Yes. But that’s OK with Burson.

“He is part of my family,” she said, smiling. “He’s my kid, and he’s beautiful.”