A new champion has been crowned as the ugliest dog in the world. Wild Thang, an 8-year-old Pekingese, won first place at the 2024 World’s Ugliest Dog contest held in Petaluma, California on June 21. This was his fourth time competing in the event, and after finishing in second place three times previously, he finally emerged victorious.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Wild Thang recently moved to North Bend, Oregon. Despite facing physical challenges such as permanent damage from distemper and missing teeth that cause his tongue to hang out permanently, Wild Thang is described as a healthy and happy Glugly (glamorous/ugly) pup. He and his owner, Ann Lewis, took home a $5,000 prize for their win.
Last year’s winner was Scooter, a hairless Chinese Crested dog with deformed back legs who was turned into animal control for euthanasia before being rescued by the Saving Animals From Euthanasia (SAFE) rescue group. The World’s Ugliest Dog contest has been held for nearly 50 years at the Sonoma-Marin Fair with a focus on celebrating the uniqueness of all dogs and promoting adoption.
The contest judges for the 2024 event included Gadi Schwartz, Linda Witong Abrahm, Brian Sobel, Amy Gutierrez