Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder when it comes to dogs.
While some love the scrunched up face of a bull dog or Sharpei, others may be attracted to the bulging eyes of a Chihuahua. There is no right or wrong when it comes to gauging the beauty or ugliness of canines. It’s really a matter of opinion.
While many dog shows around the country celebrate the positive traits of purebreds and even mutts, there are others that tout ugliness. One such event is the World’s Ugliest Dog Contest, which is held each year in Petaluma, California as part of the Sonoma-Marin Fair. This is an event where the expression “a face so ugly that only a mother can love it” applies. The contest has been going on for the past 22 years.
During each year’s contest, one purebred dog and one mixed mutt are chosen the ugliest of their class. The winners then face off and the judges choose one dog to receive the big title.
The 2010 winner of the competition, which is sponsored and broadcast by Animal Planet, was chosen in late June. Princess Abbey, a dog that is thought to be a Chihuahua mix, took this year’s title. Whether it was her permanently closed eye, her deformed legs or oddly curved back, Princess Abbey won fair and square. She and her owner, Kathleen Francis, were not a bit upset to win the title. They went home with a check for $1,000 and the knowledge that Abbey, who was picked off the street as a stray, won’t be winning any beauty contests. Perhaps the hard living conditions she encountered added to her ugliness.
Princess Abbey and her master can laugh their way to the bank as they appear on talk shows and receive worldwide publicity.
While the World’s Ugliest Dog Contest is a good way to poke fun at man’s best friends, the event also has a serious side to it. The Sonoma-Marin Fair representatives partnered with several animal rights groups such as humane societies to educate people about animals and to promote the adoption of rescue dogs.
Visit www.sonoma-marinfair.org to see some of the ugliest canine specimens that man somehow manages to love.
Since 2000, Chinese Crested-Chihuahuas won the majority of the World’s Ugliest Dog Contests. In fact, the breed had a seven-year reign as the champions of ugly, but an upset came in 2009 when Pabst, a boxer mix owned by Miles Egstad of Citrus Heights, California, won the title.
Pabst, whose big under bite does little to enhance his good looks, won a year-long modeling contract as a result of being named the World’s Ugliest Dog.
The 2000 and 2001 contests were won by Nana, whose breed was never really determined.
In 2002, a seven-pound Chinese Crested-Chihuahua named Rascal won the ugliest dog title. Rascal’s owner was actor Dane Andrew of Sunnyvale, California. Rascal has gone on to succeed at capturing first place in several other ugly dog contests and has made history by being named the 2008 Oldest Ugly Dog in a contest held in Fort Bragg.
Winning an ugly dog contest can open doors to a lucrative future career. If Rascal could talk, he’d probably highly recommend the contests because his winning enabled him to be cast in four horror movies.
It is really no big surprise that Rascal captured the World’s Ugliest Dog title. He is a direct descendent of Chi Chi, the dog that won more World’s Ugliest Dog titles than any other canine in history. Chi Chi is top dog with eight wins and is listed in the “Guinness Book of World Records.”
A blind Chinese-Crested Chihuahua, Sam won the ugliest dog title three consecutive years in 2003, 2004 and 2005.
The 2006 contest results were a bit skewed because someone hacked into the online contest’s voting page to delete votes from some of the candidates.
Things got back on track in 2007 when Elwood, another Chinese-Crested Chihuahua won the Ugliest Dog title.
Gus, also a Chinese-Crested Chihuahua, won the competition in 2008.
The next time you see an ugly dog, don’t laugh. You may be looking a future celebrity.
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