The Golden Collar awards took place this week and it was no surprise to Uggie fans that their favourite pet actor won the ‘Best Dog in a Theatrical Film’ award for his role in The Artist. Here at Talent Management many of the staff agree that this popular pooch was the best thing about the film that cleaned up at both the BAFTAs and the Golden Globes this year.

Uggie was sadly snubbed by the powers that be at the BAFTA awards when they refused to nominate him for his performance in The Artist, but trainer Von Muller recently gave his explanation for this to reporters at the Telegraph: “The main reason people don’t want animals to compete with humans is that they know humans wouldn’t stand a chance: Uggie sometimes has to do 15 or 20 takes because the actors keep messing up”.

However, Uggie and his trainer are well compensated for their patience with his co-stars, while Muller will not disclose the amount that Uggie is able to charge for his services these days he does hint that it’s a decent wage: “We don’t like to talk about such things but now that Uggie has made his name and demand is so huge, people are willing to pay that bit more.” He added: “He’s developed a taste for Dom Perignon.”

Expensive tastes indeed. With comments like these you can’t help but wonder – has fame changed Uggie? Co-star Jean Dujardin thinks so: “Fame has gone to Uggie’s head so badly that he now believes he can do anything. Next thing you know he’ll think he can play a cat.”

Well he does seem to be a particularly talented dog. Uggie beat fellow fido Blackie – from Hugo – in order to walk away with his ‘Best Dog in a Theatrical Film’ award. Clearly his acting skills and tricks are what gave him the edge but maybe some of those cosmetic touch-ups have helped? Muller confirmed that Uggie does get a little help with his looks: “He has his teeth whitened,” he said, “and we have a make-up artist for when he’s on set. They apply natural chalks and dyes to make sure Uggie looks his best.”

How does your favourite pet compare with Uggie? Do you think they could outshine him as a model or even an actor on the big screen? If you think your pet has what it takes to become a model or actor it’s easy to apply to Europe’s number one modelling and talent employment agency. Fill in a few of your pet’s details our pet model page and we will let you know whether or not he has been successful within five working days.