Who's the ugliest dog of all?

When it comes to ugliest, who's the top dog now?

Sewell's Elwood? Or Fishtown's Pee Wee Martini?

On Monday, the title was vacated when cancer claimed the life of Gus, a one-eyed, three-legged Chinese crested from Florida.

In June, Gus, 9, was crowned world's ugliest dog at a fair in Petaluma, Calif.

Now the canine with the most credentials is probably Gloucester County's Elwood, the Chihuahua-Chinese crested mix who won the title in 2007.

He's the tongue-dragging mutt whose mug inspired a line of greeting cards (available at some Target stores) with messages like this: "How about a birthday kiss?" Inside: "What do you mean, no tongue?"

"Elwood is always king to me - and should have been president!" said Karen Quigley, 47, his enthusiastic owner.

Tapping her skills in marketing and events planning (which she did professionally until her department was "eliminated last month"), Quigley has made Elwood something of a star.

He has a Web site (www.loveelwood.com), a children's book (Everyone Loves Elwood), a busy schedule of public appearances, and - just out - his 2009 calendar, available at www.bigdiner.com.

Elwood's gigs promote the adopting of pets, millions of whom are euthanized for lack of loving homes each year, Quigley said.

But can he lay claim to the title again? Or should it belong to Pee Wee Martini, the eye-popping mix of Chinese crested and Japanese Chin who won the online voting this year?

A spokeswoman for the national contest could not be reached, but Pee Wee's owner, Kristin Maszkiewicz, does think her dog's uglier. After all, he did edge out Elwood to be named ugliest mutt in 2006, before losing the overall title to the since-departed Archie.

"Yes, Pee Wee's face is crooked and Elwood's is not," she said. "Other than that, they're pretty much the same."

So who was runner-up this year? The vice president, if you will, a heartbeat away from Most Hideous?

No second banana is announced, Quigley said.

Gus won in the pedigree class, then nosed out Reggie, who won among the mutts. Only then did Gus go up against Elwood and Rascal, who won in 2002.

Gus won paws down (even if he had only three), everyone agrees.

What about Pee Wee? Doesn't the online voting count for something?

Not officially, Quigley said. The final decision belongs to three judges at the Sonoma Marin Fair, so a dog has be there to win, and Pee Wee didn't make the trip.

Besides, past winners like Elwood are always considered "ugliest," Quigley said.

"Like Miss America, they will always have their title," she said.

Maszkiewicz said she and Pee Wee might take another crack next year in California, even though her boyfriend thinks Eddie, one of her two other dogs, is even more hideous.

Maszkiewicz disagrees. Besides, she said. "I don't think Eddie would really want to be bothered traveling out to California. He's kind of fat."