8-year-old 'Mugly' wins World's Ugliest Dog title
Competing for fame, $1,000 and a year’s worth of dog cookies, Mugly won the honor by beating out 28 other ugly dogs from around the world.
Bev Nicholson, the owner of Mugly, a Chinese Crested, from Pererbough, Britain, on stage with one of the trophies after Mugly became the winner of the 24th annual World's Ugliest Dog Contest held at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, California, USA, 22 June 2012.
“I couldn’t speak when they announced Mugly’s name,” said Bev Nicholson, the dog’s owner. “I didn’t know which way to look. I was shaking as much as the dog.”
It’s not the first time Mugly has been recognized for his unattractiveness. Nicholson said he was named Britain’s ugliest dog in 2005.
MONICA M. DAVEY/EPA Mugly, a Chinese Crested, from Pererbough, Britain, walks down the red carpet during the 24th annual World's Ugliest Dog Contest held at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, California, USA, 22 June 2012.
The contest at the Marin-Sonoma Fairgrounds gets worldwide attention, with reporters and camera crews from around the world traveling to Petaluma, about 40 miles north of San Francisco.
Organizers say the competing dogs are judged for what they term their “natural ugliness in both pedigree and mutt classes.”
Mugly’s victory was the latest for a Chinese crested. Last year’s winner, Yoda, was a Chinese crested and Chihuahua mix.