Wild Thang, the eight-year-old Pekinese hailing from Coos Bay, Oregon, has clinched the title at this year’s World’s Ugliest Dog competition, which forms part of the annual fair in Sonoma-Marin, California in 2024. Despite the dubious honour of the title, it was a triumph for Wild Thang who was taking part in the competition for the fifth time. Principally involving rescue dogs, this year’s contest was no exception with eight dogs, adopted from animal shelters, competing for the title.
Wild Thang’s early life was marred by a diagnosis of canine distemper as a 10-week-old puppy, which stunted his tooth development and resulted in a muscular disorder in one of his legs. The competition, organised annually for nearly five decades, highlights the importance of loving all animals and the associated benefits of adopting them.
The spoils of victory for Wild Thang’s owner, Ann Lewis, include a $5,000 (€4,674) cash prize and a guest spot on NBC’s Today show. The second position was bagged by a 14-year-old pug named Rome. The third place went to Daisy Mae, a 14-year-old white-coated mixed-breed dog, who had been rescued from life on the streets at the age of two and has since lost her teeth, hair and vision.
Other participants consisted of pug mixed breeds, chihuahua mixes, and Chinese crested mixes, among them a 14-year-old Brussels-griffon/pug mix called Freddie Mercury. Although Freddie Mercury did not secure a win in his first appearance at the event, he enjoys local fame as Petaluma’s ice-cream truck mascot and a familiar face at local birthday parties and youth sporting events.
A panel of judges, including NBC News correspondent Gadi Schwartz, human rights activist Linda Witong Abrahm and the state treasurer of California, Fiona Ma, selected the winner. The public choice award, based on online voting, was also won by the second-placed pug, Rome.
The concept for the occasion was initiated in 1971 by Ross Smith, a dweller of Petaluma, aiming to raise funds for the Old Adobe Association in the local area. From 1988 onwards, the event has been held at the Sonoma-Marin Fair. – Guardian