Pekingese named 'Wild Thang' wins this year's 'World's Ugliest Dog' title
The eight-year-old dog has finally been named "World's Ugliest Dog" after competing for the title for 5 years
June 23, 2024
Wild Thang, an eight-year-old Pekingese, was crowned winner at the "World's Ugliest Dog" competition on Friday after years of competing for the title.
The canine from Coos Bay, Oregon beat seven other competitors at the event held on a fairground in at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, California.
Among them a pug named Rome and a white-coated and mixed-breed rescue dog named Daisy May, both 14 years old, secured second and third place, respectively.
Wild Thang and his owner Ann Lewis were awarded the prize of $5,000. Meanwhile, Rome received a prize of $3,000 and Daisy May received $2,000.
He has competed in the contest four times previously and secured second place three times.
The competition has been around for nearly 50 years and welcomes dogs of "all breeds and sizes", WION reported citing information from the contest’s website.
"The annual World's Ugliest Dog Contest is not about making fun of 'ugly' dogs, but having fun with some wonderful characters and showing the world that these dogs are really beautiful!" the website reads.
Lewis revealed that Wild Thang's look has been attributed to a disease which prevented the growth of his teeth, leaving his tongue hanging outside his mouth.
He also suffers from a muscular disorder in one of his legs.
According to his bio, Wild Thang contracted distemper as a puppy from a rescue foster, and "barely" survived. Despite all the challenges, Lewis described Wild Thang as a "healthy, happy Glugly (glamourous/ugly) guy".
