pooch

Then, in her mid-20s, after fostering a pooch with serious behavioral issues, she decided to attend a training school specializing in service and therapy dogs and companion pets.

The five-year-old pugese – a pug and Chinese crested cross – was cast as "Dogpool" after finding fame last year when she was crowned the ugliest pooch in a national contest last year.

The onetime rescue pooch was in her late teens, according to her owner, daycare worker Atsuko Sato.

The talk show is something of a victory lap for the pooch, who emerged as one of the biggest stars of the 2023 festival, even receiving the Palm Dog Award, given annually to the premier canine performer, though he couldn’t make that ceremony.

Last year, that honor went to Messi, the “Anatomy of a Fall” pooch.