NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – He stole the show both on stage and on the red carpet at the Golden Globes and Uggie the dog continues to steal the hearts of moviegoers in the “The Artist” the award-winning homage to the era of silent film.

But what you may not know, is that before he became a big screen star, Uggie nearly ended up at the pound. 1010 WINS’ met up with Uggie recently at the Empire State Building where his owner and trainer, Omar von Muller told anchor Susan Richard that as a misbehaving puppy, Uggie was rejected as a family pet.  Thanks to Omar’s keen eye for talent, though, this rescue dog has gone on to have a successful career as a canine actor, with roles in a number of feature films and made for TV movies including Disney’s “Life Is Ruff” and 20th Century Fox’s “Water For Elephants.”

Watch Uggie in action with 1010 WINS’ Susan Richard:

“The Artist” has been a favorite this awards season, having picked up top honors at the Golden Globes, the Cannes Film Festival, from the Producers Guild of America, the Washington D.C. Film Critics Association and the London Film Critics Association. It’s up for 12 BAFTA awards and has 10 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture.

That’s prompted a Facebook campaign urging the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences to “Consider Uggie” for an award of his own. The page has nearly 10,000 likes as of the publication of this article. But even though he won’t be getting an Oscar, Uggie did win this year’s “Palm Dog” award and he’s up for two “Golden Collar” awards for his work in both “The Artist” and “Water For Elephants.”

Photo Credit: Susan Richard

As for what’s next, let’s just say you’ll need to get your Uggie fix now, because Omar von Muller tells 1010 WINS that Uggie’s done doing major motion pictures. He says aside from some small roles here and there, this 10-year-old pooch is ready to retire.

Photo Credit: Andy Kropa

You can learn more about Uggie on his Facebook page.  You can also follow him on Twitter.

Please share your thoughts below….