‘The Artist’ Star Uggie the Dog is the New Nintendo Spokesdog

Uggie the dog has had quite a year. The plucky Jack Russell Terrier appeared in ‘Water For Elephants’ and was a major scene stealer in ‘The Artist,’ which eventually won the Academy Award for Best Picture. For his work in ‘The Artist’ the nine-year-old pup took Top Dog at the first annual Golden Collar Awards. Not bad for a pooch who was rejected by two owners and spent time in the pound before being “discovered” by an animal trainer.

So what’s a dog to do, after all that success? Well, it looks like Uggie has translated his fame into a swanky new spokesdog gig with video game giant Nintendo.

Uggie is on board specifically to promote the nintendogs + cats series of games. But will there be any conflict between Uggie and Mario, Nintendo’s traditional mascot, during the pooch’s on-the-job training?

None at all. Uggie charms Mario just like he did the moviegoing public. Everything is coming up Uggie.