LONG ON CHARM MIA GOES FROM RAGS TO TOP DOG.

Byline: SUE DOYLE Staff Writer

VALENCIA -- Six years ago, she lived in stink and squalor. On Thursday she wears a jeweled crown and walks the red carpet.

Mia's life story unfolds like a classic rags-to-riches tale. But unlike other Cinderellas she'll never wear glass slippers, because Mia is a dog.

And now this dachshund is flying to Boca Raton to celebrate her grand prize win in America's Top Dog Model contest. The event also serves as a fund-raiser for a Florida animal shelter.

``Since Day One, I said that she belongs on a calendar or doing doggy jewelry or clothing,'' said owner Pam Ruckelshausen. ``But for the last seven years, I've been a band mom and couldn't pursue it. Now that my kids are older, I have the time.''

Mia will grace the 2007 calendar of America's Top Dog national calendar -- one of her gifts for winning.

The pooch also received a one-year membership in the Dog Actors Guild, a dog dream house and a Swarovski crown.

More than 200 entered the free contest where owners submitted photos of their dogs, most dressed up to match the ``home is where the heart is'' theme, said Jo Jo Harder, Top Dog Model president.

Contest judges chose Mia the winner based on her photogenic abilities and also for her rough start in life.

Ruckelshausen found the dog through a small newspaper ad. Arriving at a breeder's tiny house, Ruckelshausen and her family were sickened by the stench and filth they saw inside. They quickly turned and walked out.

But when they got to their car, Ruckelshausen was handed the tiny pup by daughter Aarica, who bought the dog when no one was looking.

Mia joined two other dachshunds: Rucks, now 17, and Brownie, now 12. The three canines join Ruckelshausen at work every day inside the corporate office of a plumbing supply company. They even wear name tags on the job.

``I can't imagine my life without one,'' Ruckelshausen said.

For her big debut, Mia will sport rhinestones in her nails and will wear a hot pink outfit with a crocodile skin texture, along with a pink collar and crown.

Harder, a clothing designer, stylist and writer has created a book on fashion for dogs. She developed the contest last year as a marketing tool for her book, which has not yet been published. The contest's popularity has taken her by surprise.

``It's just so incredible,'' she said. ``We had such a tremendous response, and at the same time we can benefit a charity, too.''

sue.doyle(at)dailynews.com

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(1 -- 2 -- color) Mia, above, won this year's America's Top Dog Model 2006 contest, with the help of her owner, Pam Ruckelshausen, below, of Valencia.

David Crane/Staff Photographer