Honey, You Got Real Ugly

The 2009 World’s Ugliest Dog Champion was crowned on Friday at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in California. Pabst, a boxer-mix rescued from a shelter took top honors in a surprising victory over former champion, Rascal who had dominated the contest for more than seven years.

Pabst’s owner, Miles Egstad, was stunned at his dog’s win, “I don’t think he’s that ugly!” But Pabst’s under bite and sweet personality soon made him an audience favorite. He swept all three rounds of the competition and took home $1,600 in prize money along with pet supplies and a modeling contract. Not too bad for an ugly mutt with bad teeth, eh?

Another dog won the pedigree category — Miss Ellie, a blind 15-year-old Chinese Crested Hairless. Her tongue hanging out of her mouth (see pic below) cracks me up — it’s hilarious! Personally, I think Miss Ellie is much more hideous than Pabst, but I guess there’s truth to the saying that beauty (or ugliness) is in the eye of the beholder.