Uggie to Retire: 'The Artist' Dog Will Take Final Bow at Oscars

Uggie, the famous dog from The Artist, will retire after his Feb. 26 appearance at the Oscars. (PHOTO: REUTERS / Mario Anzuoni).

Uggie is all done with show business.

The famous dog from The Artist, the little French darling of movie awards season, is set to retire after his Feb. 26 appearance at the Oscars.

Uggie's still enjoying it but he's getting up there and he's slowing down a little, one of his trainers, Sarah Clifford, told The Hollywood Reporter.

He's at the stage where he just says, 'I think I want to go and lay in the sun by the pool,' she added.

Uggie became a household name after viewers fell in love with the canine for his role in The Artist.

As Jack, Uggie plays the perfect match to his character's owner, the fallen silent film star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin).

One of the more memorable scenes shared by the duo finds Jack mimicking every move of Valentin's at the breakfast table.

On Tuesday, The Artist received 10 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director (Michel Hazanavicius), Best Actor (Dujardin), Best Supporting Actress (Berenice Bejo) and Best Original Screenplay.

Uggie, a 10-year-old Jack Russell Terrier, previously appeared in Water For Elephants in 2011, opposite Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson.

In January 2011, Uggie made Hollywood headlines with The Artist, after winning the Palm Dog Award for best performance by a canine at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.

Fans of the talented canine have held a year-long campaign for Uggie to receive more movie awards. A Facebook page called Consider Uggie was created by Movieline to campaign during awards season. Uggie's unofficial Twitter page has more than 3,600 followers, with daily tweets tracking his media appearances.

Earlier this month, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) responded to the campaign after several voting members inquired about Uggie's eligibility.

Regretfully, we must advise that as he is not a human being and as his unique motivation as an actor was sausages, Uggie is not qualified to compete for the BAFTA in this category, the British Academy wrote to its members, according to the Telegraph.

The announcement of Uggie's retirement comes just less than two weeks after his appearance at the Golden Globes. When the film's cast, producers and director accepted the award for Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical, all eyes were on Uggie, who performed tricks on stage at the command of Dujardin.

Backstage, Uggie posed for photographs with the Golden Globe Award, placing his paw on the prize.

Happy (early) Retirement, Uggie!

Here are two clips from The Artist, as well as Uggie's recent appearance at the Golden Globes.