He was so ugly, he was actually cute, according to fans of Britain’s ugliest dog, a Chinese-crested hairless named Chase.

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His owner told the BBC that Chase, 16, with a cataract and no teeth, died of pancreatitis.

"Even at the end he didn't lose his sparkle," Storm Shayler she said. "He was a small dog with the biggest personality and really was one of a kind."

Chase came in third at the 2017 World’s Ugliest Dog contest in California.

"He lapped up all the attention on the day like a little star and loved showing himself off," Shayler told the BBC.

A 3-year-old Neapolitan mastiff named Martha won the contest that year and a Brussels Griffon pug mix named Moe took second place in the contest.

A Chinese Crested dog named Chase looks on during the 2017 World's Ugliest Dog contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair on June 23, 2017 in Petaluma, California. Martha, a Neapolitan Mastiff, became the World's Ugliest Dog during the Sonoma-Marin Fair.

Credit: Justin Sullivan

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Credit: Justin Sullivan