Rabies, with his snarly teeth and prominent underbite, “was a big dog in a little body,” according to his mom. Rabies quickly won over the staff of The Stranger, who voted him into the top three of the 2019 Ugly Pet Contest by secret, all-staff ballot. Unfortunately, Rabies passed away the day before The Stranger was going to photograph him.

“The love that poured out to me over his recent passing touched my heart in ways I can’t explain,” Rabies’s mom said. “It also showed that people really do care in this world, where often only the negativity reaches our eyes and ears.” Asked to share other details about Rabies, she said: “I want to also include that Rabies was a horse-poo connoisseur. Living with horses, he loved to help me with farm chores. Oftentimes, he would get horse poo in his teeth. This did limit mouth kisses.” Our thoughts go out to everyone who knew and loved Rabies. His underbite will live on in our hearts forever.