Step aside, Westminster Dog Show winners. The “World’s Ugliest Dog” has been crowned, and she’s ready to take her throne. The annual California contest drew some of the scruffiest mutts around in the hopes of winning the title and a $5,000 prize. Petunia, a 2-year-old hairless French Bulldog mix that looks a bit like a gremlin, was deemed the ugliest. Her owner, Shannon Nyman of Eugene, Oregon, called Petunia a “world-class snuggler.” She also told the judges that Petunia has a daily coconut oil and sunscreen skin routine to protect her hairless body. In addition to the cash prize, she and Petunia will be flown to New York on Monday to appear on NBC’s Today Show. Petunia will also soon have limited-edition merchandise, sponsored by MUG Root Beer. The yearly competition is held at the Sonoma County Fair in Santa Rosa, and it honors adoption shelters and encourages people to take home hounds of all shapes and sizes. The contest has been taking place for 50 years and reminds people that “the pedigree does not define the pet.” Jinny Lu, a plump Pug with a lolling tongue and a pearl collar, came in second. Poppy, a nearly-naked Chinese Crested with a plume of messy white hair, got third place. Other runner-ups included a one-eyed Pitbull, a mangy mutt named Nugget, and a chihuahua hybrid named Nezumi.
Read it at BBC
