You Look Ruff… World’s Ugliest Dog Competition

You Look Ruff… World’s Ugliest Dog Competition

“Aww, what a lovely dog” is a phrase you might never hear said about these mutts. The World’s Ugliest Dog® competition features some of the most ‘facially-challenged‘ hounds on the planet. And this hideous gallery showcases some of the entries for this year’s coveted prize. The event is held annually the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, California with the philosophy “That dog is so ugly it’s cute!”.
“We celebrate the spirit and imperfections that make these dogs loveable and adoptable,” explains Sarah Cummings, CEO. New at the annual contest, to be held June 26 this year, will be the consolidation of the prior categories, pedigreed and mutt, with awards now given for the World’s Ugliest Dog® and the addition of the Spirit Award. Dogs are judged generally on appearance, personality, and audience interaction. The World’s Ugliest Dog® Spirit Award will honour a dog and owner who have overcome obstacles and/or are providing service to the community based on the dog’s biography.
The World’s Ugliest Dog® winner will receive a grand prize of $1,500 and the Spirit Award Recipient will receive a special award. Other awards include trophies, cash and gifts from sponsors. There has been an Ugly Dog contest in the small Bay Area town of Petaluma for over 50 years, with 27 years at the Sonoma-Marin Fair which trademarked the World’s Ugliest Dog® Contest.

Source: Rex Features

True or False?

1. The term “facially-challenged hounds” refers to ugly dogs.

2. The World’s Ugliest Dog Competition is held in Petaluma every other year.

3. The prize is not sought after, there are hardly any contestants.

4. The CEO of the annual contest thinks these dogs are loveable and adoptable.

5. Dogs are judged on appearance and interaction with their owner.

6. The contest honours those dog-owner pairs who have had a hard time or are serving the community.

7. The special award is $1,500.

8. The Ugly Dog contest is a five-decades-long tradition in Petaluma.

Key: 1-true, 2-false, 3-false, 4-true, 5-false, 6-true, 7-false, 8-true