- Petunia, a two-year-old hairless English-French bulldog mix, won the World's Ugliest Dog contest
- The contest took place at the Sonoma County Fair in Santa Rosa, California last week
- Petunia was rescued from a backyard breeder and hoarder in Las Vegas by Luvable Dog Rescue
The World's Ugliest Dog contest has picked a new winner this year - a two-year-old hairless English-French bulldog mix named Petunia. The pup from Eugene, Oregon, and her owner, Shannon Nyman, won a Rs 4.3 lakh ($5,000) prize during the event at the Sonoma County Fair in Santa Rosa, California, last week.
Little Petunia emerged victorious by beating 10 competitors, which included Little Prince Wonder, an 8-year-old Chinese Crested, and Nezumi, a 13-year-old chihuahua. According to a report in New York Times, Petunia was rescued from a backyard breeder and hoarder in Las Vegas and brought to Oregon by Luvable Dog Rescue. Unfortunately, she doesn't have any hair because of her original breeder's unethical practices.
"I think she's feeling great. She loves all the attention, she loves all the affection, all the humans petting her," Ms Nyman said.
Having won the contest, Petunia will now appear on limited-edition cans of Mug Root Beer, a sponsor of the contest. She is being described as a "gentle soul who adores other dogs, cats and people,"
Last year, an old Pekingese named Wild Thang won the contest, having already participated in five editions of the competition previously. The runner-up in the competition was a 14-year-old pug named Rome. In the third place was a white-coated mixed-breed 14-year-old dog named Daisy Mae, who was rescued from the streets at age two and has lost her teeth, hair and vision.
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The World's Ugliest Dog contest has been held for nearly 50 years. It "celebrates the imperfections that make all dogs special and unique," per the website. "The contest speaks to the importance of advocating for the adoration of all animals and the benefits of adopting," it added.
According to the website, the idea for the event came from Petaluma resident Ross Smith in 1971 as a way to generate fundraising revenue for the community's Old Adobe Association, and the Sonoma-Marin Fair has hosted the event since 1988.
Many of the dogs entering the contest are rescued from shelters and puppy mills, making the event a great rehabilitation exercise for them.
