Given months to live, Utah's ugliest dog tackles bucket list

It's been two years since West Jordan's Kelli and Taylor Stokes saw Creature on Fox 13's "Best Friend" newscast and decided to give him a new home.

"We just kind of fell in love with her," Kelli Stokes said. "She's just different."

What they saw in Creature — a Mexican hairless mix who is genuinely famous for being ugly — has become apparent to many others through subsequent media exposure from being named Utah's Ugliest Dog and placing second in the 2012 World's Ugliest Dog competition.

Now, after a diagnosis of incurable, high-grade lymphoma, Creature and her owners are racing against the clock to cross off 12 items on a bucket list the trio recently drew up.

"We really thought there were so many more things that we thought she'd enjoy doing," Stokes said.

Nine of the 12 are done, including taking a trip to Huntington Dog Beach in California and setting up a Humane Society-aided movie night to watch "Homeward Bound" with family on the lawn. Still to come: Finding a hairless dog playgroup, attending a doggy birthday party, and getting her picture taken with Betty White. (Stokes admitted the last one might be a little ambitious.)

Creature's bucket list is as follows:

1 • Have a reading with an animal communicator (done)

2 • Receive an animal blessing (done)

3 • Get her picture taken with Betty White

4 • Take a ride in a convertible (done)

5 • Spend a day relaxing on a beach (done)

6 • Appear in an animal magazine (pending: American Dog, Modern Dog, Companion Animal Magazine)

7 • Attend a doggie birthday party

8 • Have a portrait painted of her (done)

9 • Go to work with dad (done)

10 • Get a doggy massage (done)

11 • Have a dog-themed movie night (done)

12 • Attend a hairless dog playgroup

See more details in the attached photo gallery. If you think you can help Creature cross of any of the remaining items, email rsqdogs@yahoo.com.

mpiper@sltrib.com

Twitter: @matthew_piper