Uggie — the canine star of Oscar-winner “The Artist” — sunk his paws into the cement in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre yesterday, joining nearly 200 movie legends immortalized at the famous Hollywood spot.
Uggie wore a black bowtie for the ceremony as the first-ever dog to be honored at the theater. And he was presented with a fire- hydrant shaped cake.
The move to immortalize the 10 year-old pooch also marked his retirement from the silver screen: Uggie suffers from shaking caused by a neurological disease which has ushered him into well-deserved retirement.
But his trainer, Omar Van Muller, says Uggie will still appear at charity events. Uggie certainly became the dog du jour after starring in the French import, and has attended events around the globe — including the most recent White House Correspondents Dinner and Betty White’s Friars’ Club roast.
Van Muller also took the opportunity to urge people to adopt pets, saying Uggie was a rescue dog. “He’s adopted,” the trainer told the Associated Press. “He made it. If you guys can adopt a dog, even if they don’t make it on the big screen, they’ll be big stars at your house.”
The Jack Russell won the (jokey) 2011 Palm Dog Award at the Cannes Film Festival last year, and June 25 was deemed “Uggie Day” in Los Angeles.
With AP