This is Rocco. Hes a very good boy. You can follow him here.
This is Rocco. He's a very good boy. You can follow him here. Emily Rieman

Rocco, who self-identifies as a Pughuahua and not a Chug, is a remarkable pupper. The Stranger is pleased to announce that he is the 2nd runner-up in our inaugural Ugly Pet Contest, sponsored by Urban Animal Clinic, Purrfect Cat Boarding, and Emerald City Pet Rescue. If you see Rocco, please give him a treat and tell him he did a very good job.

The uggos who made up The Stranger's Ugly Pet Contest judging panel were particularly impressed by Rocco's breathtaking underbite. It is a characteristic that could inspire fan clubs and nightmares. For his astonishing looks, Rocco was treated to a photo shoot and a prize package from PureAyre. We also asked Rocco's mother/owner, Kate, to tell us a bit about the good boy.

Do any dogs scare Rocco or is Rocco the boss?

We have yet to meet any dog of which Rocco is scared. He came from a high kill shelter in Fresno, CA, where he was on the euthanasia list. We don't know a lot about his history before that, but he sure is a survivor!

At daycare (Dog City West Seattle in case you want to know), he goes in with the big dogs because he's too much for the littles. They call him the "big boss" and he's known to regulate a great dane, a couple of great pyrenees, tons of pit mixes, a few boxers. When we go to the dog park as soon as we let him off the leash, he'll find the biggest or fastest dog in the place and head over to boss them around.

His only weakness seems to be me. He cries like a little baby when he's separated from me. He even broke free from his harness and scaled a 5-foot fence trying to get to me once.

Is that where he got the nickname "monkey"?

We call him monkey for a few reasons. He can jump amazingly high, and if he's scared of something he'll often jump up into my arms and climb onto my shoulders/head/back.

He usually uses his powers for good, but if he wanted to he could easily jump onto our kitchen counters. (We have caught him jumping straight onto the kitchen table a few times, though...one of those involved him devouring a bag of Taco Time. Who can blame him, though?!)

He has an endless amount of energy and can play pretty much non-stop. He goes to daycare 3x a week and on the days that he goes he still plays for another hour or two at home after. The days he doesn't go to daycare we have to run him around the house for hours on end so he'll sleep at night.

Also, he's really food motivated so he'll perform tricks for us like a little circus monkey.

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Prepare your pooches... The Stranger's pet issue comes out on 4/11, featuring our inaugural #UglyPetContest winner on the cover!