World’s Ugliest Dog Contest Has A Winner!
The World’s Ugliest Dog has been crowned, and he’s not (as some expected) a Chinese Crested dog. Ten-year-old Quasi Modo is a run of the mill mutt with Pitbull and Dutch Shepherd ancestry. That heritage gave Quasi a competitive ugly edge when the world’s ugliest dogs gathered to contest a $1,500 prize, but his unusual shape tipped the balance in his favor. Quasi Modo was born with spinal birth defects that completed his ugliness and won him the Ugliest Dog prize.
Quasi hasn’t always been on top of the world. He started life as an ugly unwanted puppy “abandoned at an animal shelter,” before finally being adopted by a vet in Loxahatchee, Florida. According to Quasi Modo’s bio for the Ugliest Dog Contest, the deformed dog is well aware of his ugliness, and he knows beauty is only skin deep.
“My appearance can be a little unsettling to some (I have had grown men jump on top of their cars to get away from me because they thought I was a hyena or Tasmanian devil) but once they get to know me I win them over with my bubbly personality.”
It’s funny how that dog was crowned the worlds ugliest dog and I still thought “aww it’s so cute”. I freakin love dogs
— jackson (@jacksoncodfish) June 27, 2015
The competition was stiff, with 25 contenders, and some strong challenges put up by representatives of the Chinese Crested and Chihuahua communities. Second and third place were won by Chinese Crested-Chihuahua mixes, Sweepee Rambo and Frodo, but even their inarguable ugliness couldn’t beat out the hunchback Quasi Modo.
A spokesperson explained to CBS News some of the finer points of the competition, held annually for 27 years at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, California. According to competition organizer Karen Spencer, bloodlines and pedigrees take a back seat to “first impression, unusual attributes, personality, audience reaction, and natural ugliness.”
Many of the competitors have backgrounds similar to champion Ugliest Dog Quasi Modo. The dogs come from “shelters, puppy mills and abusive homes,” and organizers hope that the World’s Ugliest Dog competition will raise awareness about their plight and encourage more dog adoptions.
Meet some of the contenders from the World’s Ugliest Dog competition: http://t.co/heKy7a4BsX pic.twitter.com/hCgOnpwc3T
— IBTimes UK (@IBTimesUK) June 26, 2015
The competition isn’t just about ugliness and good personality. A Spirit Award is given out every year to honor “a dog and owner who have overcome obstacles and/or are providing service to the community.” This year’s Spirit Award went to Precious, who although blind in one eye, has a keen sense of smell that allows her to alert her owner when his blood sugar dips.
Photos and bios of all the Ugliest Dog contenders are posted to the Sonoma-Marin Fair website.
[Image via Facebook]
