A Chinese Crested dog from across the pond has claimed the top spot in the 2012 World’s Ugliest Dog competition.
United Kingdom native pup Mugly, a mostly-hairless 8-year-old Chinese Crested with scraggly whiskers and beady eyes, took the cake last Friday at the annual contest held at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds and Event Center in Petaluma, Calif.
Mugly managed to beat out 28 other canine competitors. His stiff competition included pups Handsome Hector, Icky, Creature, and a dog with the oddball moniker “Spam-O-Rama.”
Mugly’s proud owner, Bev Nicholson, was as nervous about the contest as her unique pooch.
“I couldn’t speak when they announced Mugly’s name,” says Nicholson. She continues, “I didn’t know which way to look. I was shaking as much as the dog.”
Nicholson was thrilled with Mugly’s win, which earned him a year’s supply of dog treats. He also earned a photo shoot, a posh Sheraton hotel stay, and a $1,000 prize.
“I think that he is the most beautiful dog from the inside out and want the world to know that too,” Nicholson tells the Peterborough Telegraph.
Mugly isn’t new to winning contests
This isn’t the first time that Mugly’s ugly mug has placed first in an anti-beauty competition. According to Nicholson, her Chinese Crested was awarded top prize at the 2005 Britain’s Ugliest Dog contest.
Nicholson is happy that Mugly is representing his country in style. “He will be flying the flag for all British doggies that are challenged in the beauty department,” she says.
Past competitions
The competition, which is in its 24th year, makes headlines around the world. It has been gaining the attention of reporters from Germany, Brazil, Britain, and China, according to the contest’s official site.
Chinese Crested dogs are popular in the competition because of their sometimes-strange physical features and often-sparse hair. Several representatives of the distinctive breed were entrants in the 2012 competition. Last year’s winner was a Chinese Crested-Chihuahua mix named Yoda.
