An Ugly Pet Contest - Rewarding the "Ugliest Pet"
Some people believe that there are no ugly dogs. In one way or another, they are all precious to their owners. We love them, and they make us happy. However, the people in charge of this ugly pet contest don’t think this way. Although it might sound a bit cruel, they hold a yearly contest to reward the ugliest pet.
The ugly pet contest
Most competitions involving animals are based on the beauty or skill of the animal contestants. In a world where looks matter, however, we’re pretty shocked to hear about this contest where the winners are the “ugly” dogs.
Yup, you’ve read that right. This event actually selects dogs that are the opposite of “beautiful.” The prize for the winner is $1,500, a trophy, a professional photoshoot, and a luxury dinner for the pet and their family.
Now in its 29th year, this ugly pet contest was held in Petaluma, California, and 14 animals took part.
This contest isn’t to make fun of the pets, though. It’s actually to raise awareness about adoption without thinking about how “cute” the animal is. The idea is to show how lovable all animals are beyond their appearance and that they are all worthy of adoption.
The CEO of the contest, Erin Post, says that the organizers are very proud to be able to celebrate with these dogs who, despite their imperfections, are friendly, adorable, and adoptable. They are great pets for any family.
This contest isn’t to mock the ugly dogs, but instead to encourage adopting homeless animals.
Martha, the winner of the Ugly Pet Contest
This year the contest winner as a 3-year-old Neapolitan Mastiff named Martha. She’s from Sebastopol, California. Her life story is worth telling. An animal shelter rescued her after she lost her sight due to her owner’s negligence.
After undergoing several operations, Martha is now happy with her new family. And, on top of that, she won the contest! Jessica Burkard, her owner, took her to the contest. And that’s not all! Martha went on a very famous morning show called The Today Show, which is filmed in New York City.
In second place in the competition was a Griffon dog named Moe. This dog is blind and deaf, and always has his tongue sticking out. However, he hasn’t lost his sense of smell and can smell out food from miles away, said his proud owner.
Last year’s winner: Sweepee Rambo
In last year’s competition, a puppy who was a mix of a chihuahua and a Chinese crested won the contest. His name was Sweepee Rambo. At 17 years of age, he’s blind and has several white hairs on his forehead. He also likes to stick his tongue out. He was crowned the winner and enjoyed all the pampering he got as a result. Jason Wurtz, 44, is his owner and said that the prize money would go towards paying to remove a tumor on the dog’s gums.
The little pup, who wears diapers due to his physical conditions, won his family’s heart.