In Petaluma, California, the 2024 Sonoma-Marin Fair hosted the World’s Ugliest Dog annual contest. The competition, now in its 50th year, promotes animal adoption and advocacy for all animals. Wild Thang, an eight-year-old pekingese from Coos Bay, Oregon, took home the top prize this year. Despite being diagnosed with canine distemper as a puppy and having stunted teeth and muscular disorder in one leg, Wild Thang charmed the judges and audience with his unique appearance.
Wild Thang’s owner, Ann Lewis, will receive a $5,000 prize for the win and will appear on NBC’s Today show. The runner-up this year was a 14-year-old pug named Rome, while third place went to a white-coated mixed-breed dog named Daisy Mae, who was rescued from the streets at age two. Other contestants included chihuahua mixes, Chinese crested mixes, and pug mixed breeds such as Freddie Mercury.
Voting for the people’s choice award was conducted online by a panel of judges that included NBC News correspondent Gadi Schwartz, human rights advocate Linda Witong Abrahm and California’s state treasurer Fiona Ma. Rome received the most votes and won the popular choice award.
The World’s Ugliest Dog contest was originally created by Petaluma resident Ross Smith in 1971 as a fundraiser for the community’s Old Adobe Association. Since then it has become an annual tradition at the Sonoma-Marin Fair where animal lovers gather to showcase these special dogs’ unique beauty.
