Masterpiece, the dog. Image via Wikipedia.com- American Kennel Club

What Happened To Masterpiece, The World’ Most Valuable Dog Who Mysteriously Vanished Forever?

In 1953, a famous poodle who made its owner rich, mysteriously disappeared while doing a guest appearance — and was never seen again

Andrew Martin
4 min readNov 10, 2023

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We live in a very materialistic world, and there are many possessions that are held in high esteem. However, for those who own dogs, there is little that surpasses the regard held for these hairy companions. Much time, money and emotion is devoted to “man’s best friend,” resulting occasionally in purebred animals that are so coveted that they become famous and worth vast sums of money. Such was the case with a poodle named Masterpiece, which was touted as the most valuable dog in the world. Unfortunately, it mysteriously vanished from New York City where it was working as a model in 1953, and never was seen again.

Masterpiece belonged to Alexis Pulaski, a charismatic Russian immigrant who had served in the Russian Imperial Army until the Communist Revolution in 1917. He emigrated to the United States in 1925, eventually establishing himself as a well-regarded dog breeder and trainer. His focus narrowed to specializing in poodles, after he became fascinated with the breed after taking care of several that belonged to a friend.

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Andrew Martin

Dabbler in soccer, history, investing & writing. Master’s degree in baseball history. Passionate about history, diversity, culture, sports, film and investing .