All dogs are beautiful in their own right, and the annual World’s Ugliest Dog contest celebrates the imperfectly perfect pups. Many quirky dogs took part in this year’s competition, but the eight-year-old Pekingese Wild Thang ended up taking the crown.
Wild Thang lives in Coos Bay, Oregon with his owner Ann Lewis, who took him in while he was still a pup. He suffered a case of canine distemper when he was 10 weeks old and almost died in the process, but was eventually left with under-developed teeth, a dangling tongue, and a damaged right front leg.
Wild Thang took part in this competition on five separate occasions and eventually managed to beat eight other dogs to take the crown home.
“He was a fan favorite… he’s kind of like the bridesmaid and never the bride. He really tugged at our heartstrings and deserved to win… He is just a sweet dog – I was just holding him and he loves to be held and cuddled. That’s part of it, these rescue dogs, they just need forever homes,” judge Fiona Ma told the Associated Press.
Naming Wild Thang’s World’s Ugliest Dog may sound too mean, but that’s not what this contest is all about. According to their official website, the point of this competition isn’t to make fun of “ugly dogs” but to have fun with some wonderful characters and show the world that all dogs are really beautiful.
