'The Artist' dog Uggie picks up canine 'Oscar'

London, Feb 15 (ANI): Uggie the dog has won the pooch equivalent of an Oscar, at the first ever 'Golden Collar Awards', recognizing 'canine excellence' in films.

The Jack Russell stole the show from stars Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo in silent film 'The Artist'.

The veteran performer beat out Cosmo from 'Beginners', Denver from '50/50', Hummer from 'Young Adult', and the Doberman, Blackie, from Martin Scorsese's 'Hugo'.

Uggie was also nominated for his role in 'Water for Elephants'.

Uggie's trainer Omar von Muller accepted the award, a collar decked with Swarovski crystals and a bone-shaped pendant and thanked the 'Dog News Daily' website, which sponsored the awards.

"This is very important for all the trainers in the movie industry, because we have never been recognized before, and people just don't understand that it takes hundreds and even thousands of hours to train a dog," the Sun quoted him as saying.

He then paid tribute to Uggie as his buddy forever.

"He's a great performer but at the same time he's a great family member, he sleeps with us, and he's getting kind of old and it's overwhelming," he said.

Uggie, 10, has had a long career in film and television and retired following 'The Artist', for which he was also given the 'Palm Dog' at the 'Cannes film festival', a prize echoing its top film honor, the Palm d'Or. (ANI)