Quasi Modo, a Pit Bull–Dutch Shepherd mix with a spinal defect, “epitomized excellence in ugliness” — and thus swept the competition and became 2015’s World’s Ugliest Dog, according to Chief Judge Brian Sobel.
Look at this wonderful dog:
The contest took place Friday in Petaluma, California. Twenty-six dogs were entered, all of them adorably ugly. As usual, Chinese Crested dogs made a strong showing — two Crested/Chihuahua mixes named Sweepee Rambo and Frodo landed second and third. But it was Quasi Modo, with her truncated body — or “short spine syndrome,” according to her Facebook page — that wowed the judges and spectators.
“My appearance can be a little unsettling to some (I have had grown men jump on top of their cars to get away from me because they thought I was a hyena or Tasmanian devil),” her bio reads, according to the AP. “But once they get to know me I win them over with my bubbly personality.”
Natural ugliness is just one of the judging benchmarks. The judges also score the dogs on their first impression, unusual attributes, personality, and audience impression. Many of the dogs have been rescued from shelters and puppy mills as well, according to organizers. Quasi Modo had been abandoned at an animal shelter before a veterinarian in Loxahatchee, Florida, adopted her.
“We aren’t interested in lineage,” said Karen Spencer, Sonoma-Marin Fair marketing director. “It’s the inner beauty and personality that shine in our World’s Ugliest Dog Contest.”
Rounding out the winners is Precious, a Chihuahua who received the Spirit Award. The eight-year-old dog is blind in one eye and is trained to alert her owner, a disabled veteran, when her blood sugar is low.
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