Straw-white hair on his head, the rest of his body bare, his tongue hanging out, his hind legs completely bent – the Chinese crested dog named Scooter has thus brought it to the award “ugliest dog in the world”. The seven-year-old won the World’s Ugliest Dog competition in Petaluma, California.
Dog owner Linda Elmquist from Tucson (US state Arizona) can look forward to prize money of 1,500 dollars (around 1,380 euros). Scooter was taken to an animal shelter by a breeder for euthanasia as a puppy with deformed hind legs, but was then adopted. Undeterred, he walks on two legs and pulls his hind body behind him. Scooter also moves forward with the help of a trolley.
Nine dogs took part in this year’s edition of the competition, which has been running for more than 50 years, including a Pekinese with a messy hairstyle, a pug from South Korea with a noticeably long tongue and a blind 16-year-old Chihuahua. Last year’s winner was the almost hairless Chinese Crested mix named Mr. Happy Face with his tongue hanging out.
The organizers said that the aim was not to make fun of the “ugly” dogs, but rather to highlight their lovable and beautiful sides. Many participants come from animal shelters. The campaign calls for the adoption of abandoned animals.
The competition generates a lot of attention in the United States each year, and the winning dogs and their owners are then invited to national television shows.
