Champ never gave up.
He’s a 10-year-old Yorkie mix who was living on the streets of Texas when he was rescued with a serious leg injury. The veterinarians had to amputate it. Today, he runs on three legs around Cohoes, New York.
Susan Carmody, his owner and a special education teacher, decided to change his name. “Nothing stopped him; he was invincible.” That’s why he came to be called Champ. She jokes that he was “probably the only stray found overweight”.
Now Champ is a certified therapy dog and visits schools, airports, and nursing homes. And this week, he won PEOPLE’s 2026 World’s Cutest Rescue Dog contest, chosen by celebrity judges from hundreds of candidates. Carmody says she started shaking with surprise. When she told Champ, she says he even seemed to grow a little taller.
