Pekingese named Wild Thang wins world's ugliest dog contest

Wild Thang and owner Ann Lewis will take home a cheque for $5,000 and be flown to New York for a special appearance on NBC's The Today Show next Monday.

Second place in the annual competition to raise awareness of animal rescue and adoption went to a first-time entrant, a wheelchair-bound 14-year-old pug named Rome. His owner, Michelle Grady of Rohnert Park, California, was thrilled with the result.

"To win second place out of everybody that was here is a real honour, it's a real honour. We're a little bit of local colour so I love it,” Grady said. "I love this whole contest. I love that it represents imperfect dogs — imperfectly perfect — and yeah Rome, he had the best time. He did he had the best time."

Reuters

Third place in the 2024 show went to another first-time contestant and 14-year-old dog, a white-coated, mixed-breed rescue named Daisy May. Her owner Elizabeth Whitehouse, from Lafayette California, was shocked to win.

"This was not my idea it was my daughter's idea and I didn't think she had a chance. I thought that she would be the most beautiful ugly dog, but as it turns out, other people don't see the beauty in her that I do."