TOWN TRADITIONS: Unique Dog Owner's Show Off 'Ugly' Pups In Petaluma

PETALUMA, CA — Let Westminster have it’s fussy dog show — in Petaluma, locals pay tribute to the mugs so ugly they're cute.

The World’s Ugliest Dog Contest returns to the Sonoma-Marin Fair in June 2023. The contest, which has run annually for almost 40 years, promotes fostering and adoption for dogs of all shapes and sizes.

The contest takes place every year in June and draws dogs from across California and the nation to the fairgrounds in Petaluma. Owners strive to show that beneath the jut of a jaw, the snaggle of a tooth, or the flop of a long tongue is a creature of inner beauty and personality.

The winner gets nearly $1,500, a trophy and television appearances in New York, according to organizers. The two runners-up also get cash prizes and trophies.

Anyone can enter, and there is no prejudgement of the pets, according to organizers. Since its inception in the 1970s, the contest has been a testament to the fact that dogs do not have to meet AKC pedigree standards to be man’s best friend, Allison Keany, CEO and spokesperson of the Sonoma-Marin Fair and Event Center, said during a podcast interview with the RoShamBo: Unique Competitions, Extraordinary Events Podcast.

All dogs that are entered get the star treatment, according to Keany.

“There’s a reception area for the entrants before the contest so that the public and press can meet them,” Keany said during the podcast. Everyone gets their “pupparazzi” moment as they get to walk the red carpet before a winner is chosen.

The owners are of all ages and walks of life.

“They are each proud of their pet despite missing fur, crossed eyes, duck waddles, or mismatched ears,” Keaney told the RoShamBo podcasters. “They proudly walk both pedigreed pooches and Heinz 57 mutts down the red carpet to the cheers and clapping of the crowd.”

One such owner, Ann Lewis, discussed her dog Wild Thang — a Pekinese who won the People’s Choice award in 2019 —and the ailment that led to his strange appearance. Wild Thang wasn’t born ugly, she said. He contracted distemper as a puppy which caused paralysis and other issues.

“It took lots of love and care and attention to get him through (the distemper),” she said. “He’s a blue Pekinese. In my eyes, he’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. His tongue hangs to the right. His hair sticks straight out, and he always has that unkept look regardless of grooming. Wild Thang loves everybody.”

In a world that celebrates the most attractive people and pets, the idea of true love can get lost, Keany said.

“Every animal deserves a loving home and a family,” said Keany. “Even those who are less than purebred.”

Frequent entries to the contest include the Chinese Crested Dog, a typically hairless breed. Other entries include rescue dogs, abused animals adopted from shelters or puppy mills, and mixed breeds where doggy DNA just goes wrong, she said.

To enter the contest, pup owners must provide a veterinarian’s paperwork asserting their entry dogs are healthy. The World’s Ugliest Dog Contest follows up with a vet check on-site just prior to the contest. During the show, owners go over the top with costumes and antics while onstage to win the affection of the crowd and judges.

Though unique in appearance, all the dogs and owners share a common thread of love, Keany said.

“No matter their unique features, these animals are well loved.”