Beagle, Boxer, Basset Mix Impresses At 25th 'World's Ugliest Dog' Contest

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On Friday, June 21st, 2013, the folks at the annual Sonoma-Marin Fair in California celebrated the 25th anniversary of a rather unusual contest - One that crowns the 'World's Ugliest Dog'! And while in most settings a title like this would be considered insulting here, it is applauded by both the dog owners who come from all over the world and, the visitors that come to cheer the contestants.

To mark this special anniversary, this year's fair was themed 'Dog Days of Summer''. Among the things featured, was an exhibit featuring the contestants and winners from the last 25 years, as well as, a 'meet and greet' opportunity with this year's contenders and a chance to have them 'Paw-togpraph' the latest edition of the 'World's Ugliest Dog' book.

As for the winner? Unlike last year, when he had flown in all the way from London, England, this year's title winner was Chico, California resident Walle, who beat out 29 other equally 'ugly contestants'. The refreshing part was that Walle, who happened to be a last-minute entrant, is not a nearly hairless, Chinese Crested Chihuahua or a mix of both breeds, that have dominated the contest for many years now. Instead, he is a mutt mix - part beagle, part basset, and part boxer.

The four-year-old impressed the judges with his giant head, humped back and wacky waddle - As one of them succinctly put it - He looked as though he had been photo-shopped with pieces from various dogs and maybe a few other animals - Exactly the kind of natural 'ugliness' they were looking for!

Along with the title, the first time entrant received a cash prize of $1,500 USD, a large trophy, as well as, scheduled appearances on NBC's Weekend Today on Sunday, the Today Show on Monday and the Jimmy Kimmel Show on Wednesday.

Though the competition may seem derogatory, it is a fun event organized by an animal psychiatrist who makes sure all the entrants are healthy. It is also important to remember that the contestants come from homes where they are loved and pampered because of their rather unusual looks - After all, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!"

Resources: sonoma-marinfair.org, abcnews.go.com,cbsnews.com,dailymail.co.uk

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468 Comments
  • karatehedgehog4
    karatehedgehog4over 2 years
    Okay I'm sad because my friend's dog looks just like that and I love him a lot and I think that's really.... rude.
    • musical_nerd
      musical_nerdover 2 years
      soo freakin' adorbs
      • fashiontech0316
        fashiontech0316about 3 years
        I don't know, I respectfully disagree. This dog is adorable.
        • kawaii_cake
          kawaii_cakeabout 3 years
          so cute
          • unipug2
            unipug2about 3 years
            Ugh...just awful! Who is cruel enough to do that?! hundreds of thousands of people! It is a competition i'd rather have my dog lose!
          • unipug2
            unipug2about 3 years
            Ugly?! that thing is gorgeous! How rude!!
            • gold3nglare
              gold3nglareover 3 years
              How insensitive! All dogs are cute, and that dog is cute.
              • gold3nglare
                gold3nglarealmost 4 years
                That is so rude! No dog is ugly, and why would they even have an ugly contest! I can't believe dog owners take these dogs to these competitions! They should be the last one's to ever think that their best friend was UGLY!
                • coolkid_alert
                  coolkid_alertabout 5 years
                  This seriously is messed up! why in the world would theses people put the poor little dog in the ugliest dog contest?! what if someone put you in the "most ugliest child in the world contest?!" would your parents be cruel enough to put u in that contest? I sure hope not because we are all beautiful in our own way and nobody can change that. I feel bad for that poor little dog because he is not ugly at all and i read the comments and all of them were saying he was adorable and i totally agree theses people who put the dog in the contest should feel ashamed of themselves. That dog must have felt emmabarset once he won the contest because people are blind theses days i don't see ugliness in the dog at all.......who agrees with me??
                • coolkid_alert
                  coolkid_alertabout 5 years
                  what a beautiful duggy