Yoda takes her final bow-wow-wow: World's ugliest pooch dies

She was goggle-eyed, had raggedy tufts of wiry hair and a protruding tongue, but it was these very features that made her the darling of the canine world.

But sadly Yoda is no more. The world’s ugliest mutt – and that’s official – died peacefully in her sleep on Saturday. She was 15.

The winner of the 2011 World’s Ugliest Dog Contest belonged to owner Terry Schumacher, who discovered her abandoned in a bag by some rubbish bins.

Fondly remembering the Chinese crested and Chihuahua mix, she recalled how she initially mistook the aesthetically-challenged pooch for a rat.

[Related link: Crufts dog show 2012 in photos]

Schumacher, of Hanford, California, told the Hanford Sentinel that she will miss “her funny little ways”.

She added she was “comforted knowing she will be joining my Mum and Dad, who loved her so much - her memories will live on forever”.

Yoda will officially remain the ‘World’s Ugliest Dog’ until a new winner is crowned in June.