World's Ugliest Dog Contest
Encyclopedia
World’s Ugliest Dog Contest is an annual contest held in Petaluma, California
, U.S.
, as part of the Sonoma-Marin Fair, to decide which of the dog
s entered in the contest is the ugliest. Along with the title of “The World’s Ugliest Dog,” the winner’s owner receives a check for USD $1,000, and both dog and owner receive significant publicity for winning the contest, appearing on talk shows and in newspapers around the world.
Animal Planet
has sponsored the event and broadcast the show on television for several years. In the 2009 contest, the event included celebrity judges such as Doc Karen Halligan and Jon Provost
(Timmy on the 1950s television show Lassie
) as well as an Ugly is the New Beautiful Fashion Show featuring models and adoptable rescue dogs. Dog owners must provide documentation of veterinarian checks to determine the competing animal is healthy. The Sonoma-Marin Fair has also partnered with animal rights groups such as the Sonoma County Humane Society to educate the public about animals and to provide opportunities to adopt rescue dogs. The fair issues a photo of the winner, press release summing up the contest, and YouTube video within hours of the contest conclusion. These can be viewed at www.sonoma-marinfair.org. Contestants for each new year are featured on the website pre-contest as well in the World's Ugliest Dog Voting Gallery.
Dogs come from across the United States generally but are welcome to enter from around the world. The 2002 winner and now a “Ring of Champions” holder is Rascal, owned by actor Dane Andrew of Sunnyvale, California. The winner of the 2007 World’s Ugliest Dog was Elwood
, a Chinese Crested
-Chihuahua
mixed-breed dog owned by Karen Quigley, a resident of Sewell, New Jersey
. 2008’s winner was also a Chinese Crested
, Jeanenne Teed’s hairless, three-legged, one-eyed Gus. The 2009 winner was Pabst, a boxer
mix owned by Miles Egstad of Citrus Heights, California
who ended the seven year reign held by the Chinese Crested breed. Pabst also won a year-long modeling contract from sponsor House of Dog in addition to dog bling (collars, bowls, etc.).
The contest has been going on for 22 years. In 2009, the Sonoma-Marin Fair trademarked the phrase World's Ugliest Dog.
The contest was the subject of an hour-long indie
documentary entitled "Worst in Show", produced by Don Lewis and John Beck.
. Nana died later that year.
, won the coveted title in 2002 and is now in “The Ring of Champions.” Rascal has gone on to set history by winning the 2008 Oldest Ugly Dog Contest in Fort Bragg, the Tim Downs Ugly Dog Contest in 2008, the 2009 Ugly Dog Contest 1st place in Highland, and the 2009 Regal Cinemas "Hotel For Dogs" Ugly Dog Contest in Florida. As of June 2010, he has won 10 Ugly Dog contests. Rascal was so ugly that Jay Leno
put him on the Tonight Show before he had ever even won, and now he has been cast in 4 horror movies, seen on The View, Last Call with Carson Daly
, and ET's Insider
and in People
magazine, Hello
, Star, etc. and has a leash line, cartoon strip, and documentary on its way, all benefiting animal charities.
Rascal is a direct descendent of Chi Chi, who won more World's Ugliest Dog titles than any other dog in history, putting him in the Guinness Book of World Records with 8 wins. Chi Chi may never be topped.
, was voted the world's ugliest dog three times in a row, from 2003 through 2005. He died in November 2005, bringing an end to his three-year reign.
Archie died July 2008.
mixed breed dog named Elwood
, who had placed second the previous year. Rascal, who won the 2002 title, became the Ugliest Dog on the West Coast. With the loss of Archie, Rascal and Elwood are the only two dogs alive to be "Ring of Champions" World's Ugliest Dogs. Most of the competitors in the competition were also Chinese Crested, because the breed can exhibit exaggerated traits like a mohawk
, bug eyes, and a long, wagging tongue.
Rascal, the 2002 World's Ugliest Dog and Ring of Champions holder, won the World's Oldest Ugly Dog Contest in Fort Bragg, California on August 30, 2008, making him the only dog to win both top titles.
On November 10, 2008, Gus died. He was 9 years old.
mix owned by Miles Egstad of Citrus Heights, California
, won the 2009 World's Ugliest Dog competition; Miss Ellie
, a blind 16-year-old Chinese Crested Hairless, won in the pedigree category; Pabst beat her in a run-off for the overall title.
Miss Ellie died June 1, 2010 at the age of 17.
with "a hunched and peculiar walk due to that her back legs are longer than her front (which allows her to have moments of bipedalism), a missing eye, and mismatched ears," won the 2010 contest out of a field of 25 dogs. Despite being a rescue dog, she was entered in the pedigree division.
and is owned by Terry Schumacher, a dog groomer.
Petaluma, California
Petaluma is a city in Sonoma County, California, in the United States. In the 2010 Census the population was 57,941.Located in Petaluma is the Rancho Petaluma Adobe, a National Historic Landmark. It was built beginning in 1836 by General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, then Commandant of the San...
, U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, as part of the Sonoma-Marin Fair, to decide which of the dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
s entered in the contest is the ugliest. Along with the title of “The World’s Ugliest Dog,” the winner’s owner receives a check for USD $1,000, and both dog and owner receive significant publicity for winning the contest, appearing on talk shows and in newspapers around the world.
Animal Planet
Animal Planet
Animal Planet is an American cable tv specialty channel that launched on October 1, 1996. It is distributed by Discovery Communications. A high-definition simulcast of the channel launched on September 1, 2007.-History:...
has sponsored the event and broadcast the show on television for several years. In the 2009 contest, the event included celebrity judges such as Doc Karen Halligan and Jon Provost
Jon Provost
Jon Provost is a former child actor of film and television. He is best known for his role as young Timmy Martin in the CBS series, Lassie....
(Timmy on the 1950s television show Lassie
Lassie (1954 TV series)
Lassie is an American television series that follows the adventures of a female Rough Collie named Lassie and her companions, human and animal. The show was the creation of producer Robert Maxwell and animal trainer Rudd Weatherwax and was televised from September 12, 1954, to March 24, 1973...
) as well as an Ugly is the New Beautiful Fashion Show featuring models and adoptable rescue dogs. Dog owners must provide documentation of veterinarian checks to determine the competing animal is healthy. The Sonoma-Marin Fair has also partnered with animal rights groups such as the Sonoma County Humane Society to educate the public about animals and to provide opportunities to adopt rescue dogs. The fair issues a photo of the winner, press release summing up the contest, and YouTube video within hours of the contest conclusion. These can be viewed at www.sonoma-marinfair.org. Contestants for each new year are featured on the website pre-contest as well in the World's Ugliest Dog Voting Gallery.
Dogs come from across the United States generally but are welcome to enter from around the world. The 2002 winner and now a “Ring of Champions” holder is Rascal, owned by actor Dane Andrew of Sunnyvale, California. The winner of the 2007 World’s Ugliest Dog was Elwood
Elwood (dog)
Elwood is the 2007 winner of the World's Ugliest Dog Contest, and had come in second in the contest the year before. His owner is Karen Quigley, a resident of Sewell, New Jersey, United States. He is a two year old Chinese Crested/chihuahua mixed breed....
, a Chinese Crested
Chinese Crested Dog
The Chinese crested dog is a smaller hairless breed of dog. Like most hairless dog breeds, the Chinese crested comes in two varieties, both with and without fur, which are born in the same litter: the Hairless and the Powderpuff....
-Chihuahua
Chihuahua (dog)
The ' is the smallest breed of dog and is so named for the state of Chihuahua in Mexico. Chihuahuas come in a wide variety of sizes, head shapes, colors and coat lengths.-History:...
mixed-breed dog owned by Karen Quigley, a resident of Sewell, New Jersey
Sewell, New Jersey
Sewell is an unincorporated area within Mantua Township in Gloucester County, New Jersey, United States. Sewell also refers to part of Washington Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey, which is not part of Mantua Township. Locals refer to the Sewell part of Mantua as Old Sewell...
. 2008’s winner was also a Chinese Crested
Chinese Crested Dog
The Chinese crested dog is a smaller hairless breed of dog. Like most hairless dog breeds, the Chinese crested comes in two varieties, both with and without fur, which are born in the same litter: the Hairless and the Powderpuff....
, Jeanenne Teed’s hairless, three-legged, one-eyed Gus. The 2009 winner was Pabst, a boxer
Boxer (dog)
Developed in Germany, the Boxer is a breed of stocky, medium-sized, short-haired dog. The coat is smooth and fawn or brindled, with or without white markings. Boxers are brachycephalic , and have a square muzzle, mandibular prognathism , very strong jaws and a powerful bite ideal for hanging on to...
mix owned by Miles Egstad of Citrus Heights, California
Citrus Heights, California
Citrus Heights is a city in Sacramento County, California, USA. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 83,301, down from 85,071 at the 2000 census....
who ended the seven year reign held by the Chinese Crested breed. Pabst also won a year-long modeling contract from sponsor House of Dog in addition to dog bling (collars, bowls, etc.).
The contest has been going on for 22 years. In 2009, the Sonoma-Marin Fair trademarked the phrase World's Ugliest Dog.
The contest was the subject of an hour-long indie
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
documentary entitled "Worst in Show", produced by Don Lewis and John Beck.
2000, 2001
The 2000 and 2001 competitions were won by Nana. While the owner never disclosed the breed, she would say that it was a “Canardly” as in “you can'ardly tell,” indicating it was most likely a muttMixed-breed dog
A mixed-breed dog, also known as a mutt or mongrel, is a dog whose ancestry is generally unknown and that has characteristics of two or more types of breeds. A mixed-breed may be a cross-breed dog, a random-bred dog, or a descendant of feral or pariah dog populations...
. Nana died later that year.
2002
Rascal, a 7 lb. Chinese Crested owned by actor Dane Andrew of Sunnyvale, CaliforniaSunnyvale, California
Sunnyvale is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is one of the major cities that make up the Silicon Valley located in the San Francisco Bay Area...
, won the coveted title in 2002 and is now in “The Ring of Champions.” Rascal has gone on to set history by winning the 2008 Oldest Ugly Dog Contest in Fort Bragg, the Tim Downs Ugly Dog Contest in 2008, the 2009 Ugly Dog Contest 1st place in Highland, and the 2009 Regal Cinemas "Hotel For Dogs" Ugly Dog Contest in Florida. As of June 2010, he has won 10 Ugly Dog contests. Rascal was so ugly that Jay Leno
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...
put him on the Tonight Show before he had ever even won, and now he has been cast in 4 horror movies, seen on The View, Last Call with Carson Daly
Last Call with Carson Daly
Last Call with Carson Daly is an American late night talk show that is broadcast on NBC. The show is hosted by Carson Daly, the half-hour show featuring celebrity interviews, documentary-style coverage of a topic, and musical performances. Last Call airs weeknights at 1:35 a.m. Eastern / 12:35 a.m....
, and ET's Insider
The Insider (TV series)
The Insider is an American tabloid television news program covering events and celebrities. It debuted on September 13, 2004 as a spinoff of Entertainment Tonight and started as a popular segment that took viewers "behind closed doors" and gave them "inside" information...
and in People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
magazine, Hello
Hello
Hello is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is attested in writing as early as the 1830s.-First use:Hello, with that spelling, was used in publications as early as 1833. These include an 1833 American book called The Sketches and Eccentricities of Col...
, Star, etc. and has a leash line, cartoon strip, and documentary on its way, all benefiting animal charities.
Rascal is a direct descendent of Chi Chi, who won more World's Ugliest Dog titles than any other dog in history, putting him in the Guinness Book of World Records with 8 wins. Chi Chi may never be topped.
2003-2005
Sam, a blind Chinese Crested dog from Santa Barbara, CaliforniaSanta Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
, was voted the world's ugliest dog three times in a row, from 2003 through 2005. He died in November 2005, bringing an end to his three-year reign.
2006
Scandal erupted during the 2006 World's Ugliest Dog Contest when an as yet unidentified person gained unauthorized electronic access to the contest's internet voting page and deleted 40,000 votes from then leader 'Pee Wee (Son of Sam)' and 30,000 votes from second-place dog 'Victoria', according to fair marketing director Vicki DeArmon. To rectify the situation, fair officials decided to completely restart internet voting on May 22, 2006. The official winner, Archie, was selected by a panel of judges on June 23, 2006.Archie died July 2008.
2007
The winner of the 2007 World's Ugliest Dog competition was a Chinese Crested-ChihuahuaChihuahua (dog)
The ' is the smallest breed of dog and is so named for the state of Chihuahua in Mexico. Chihuahuas come in a wide variety of sizes, head shapes, colors and coat lengths.-History:...
mixed breed dog named Elwood
Elwood (dog)
Elwood is the 2007 winner of the World's Ugliest Dog Contest, and had come in second in the contest the year before. His owner is Karen Quigley, a resident of Sewell, New Jersey, United States. He is a two year old Chinese Crested/chihuahua mixed breed....
, who had placed second the previous year. Rascal, who won the 2002 title, became the Ugliest Dog on the West Coast. With the loss of Archie, Rascal and Elwood are the only two dogs alive to be "Ring of Champions" World's Ugliest Dogs. Most of the competitors in the competition were also Chinese Crested, because the breed can exhibit exaggerated traits like a mohawk
Mohawk hairstyle
The mohawk is a hairstyle in which, in the most common variety, both sides of the head are shaven, leaving a strip of noticeably longer hair...
, bug eyes, and a long, wagging tongue.
2008
The 2008 World's Ugliest Dog competition was won by a Chinese Crested dog named Gus. 11 dogs took part in the competition.Rascal, the 2002 World's Ugliest Dog and Ring of Champions holder, won the World's Oldest Ugly Dog Contest in Fort Bragg, California on August 30, 2008, making him the only dog to win both top titles.
On November 10, 2008, Gus died. He was 9 years old.
2009
Pabst, a boxerBoxer (dog)
Developed in Germany, the Boxer is a breed of stocky, medium-sized, short-haired dog. The coat is smooth and fawn or brindled, with or without white markings. Boxers are brachycephalic , and have a square muzzle, mandibular prognathism , very strong jaws and a powerful bite ideal for hanging on to...
mix owned by Miles Egstad of Citrus Heights, California
Citrus Heights, California
Citrus Heights is a city in Sacramento County, California, USA. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 83,301, down from 85,071 at the 2000 census....
, won the 2009 World's Ugliest Dog competition; Miss Ellie
Miss Ellie (dog)
Miss Ellie , a blind American Chinese Crested hairless dog, was the 2009 winner in the pedigree section of the World's Ugliest Dog Contest. She appeared in shows at the Comedy Barn in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and was featured on the Animal Planet cable show Dogs 101. Miss Ellie died on June 1,...
, a blind 16-year-old Chinese Crested Hairless, won in the pedigree category; Pabst beat her in a run-off for the overall title.
Miss Ellie died June 1, 2010 at the age of 17.
2010
Princess Abby, a chihuahuaChihuahua (dog)
The ' is the smallest breed of dog and is so named for the state of Chihuahua in Mexico. Chihuahuas come in a wide variety of sizes, head shapes, colors and coat lengths.-History:...
with "a hunched and peculiar walk due to that her back legs are longer than her front (which allows her to have moments of bipedalism), a missing eye, and mismatched ears," won the 2010 contest out of a field of 25 dogs. Despite being a rescue dog, she was entered in the pedigree division.
2011
Yoda, a previously abandoned 14-year old Chinese Crested/chihuahua mix with a malformed nose, "short tufts of hair, protruding tongue, and long, seemingly hairless legs," won the 2011 contest. The dog is from Hanford, CaliforniaHanford, California
Hanford is an important commercial and cultural center in the south central San Joaquin Valley and is the county seat of Kings County, California. It is the principal city of the Hanford-Corcoran, California Metropolitan Statistical Area , which encompasses all of Kings County, including the cities...
and is owned by Terry Schumacher, a dog groomer.
External links
- Sam, World's Ugliest Dog, Goes Out A Winner, Final contest won by Sam two days before his death.
- Sonoma-Marin Fair 2006 - World's Ugliest Dog Contest Official Page
- Archie is announced as the 2006 World's Ugliest Dog.
- "Il dottor StranoWeb" article on Sam, World's Ugliest Dog (in Italian)
- The World's Ugliest Dog - 2007 champion - Elwood
- Rascal the World's Ugliest Dog
- Rascal the World's Ugliest Dog singing a holiday favorite