World’s Ugliest Dog Contest | The Sun

DOGS from across the nation competed against each other on Friday to take out the prestigious title of World's Ugliest Dog.

An array of cleft palates, underbites and deformed paws were on display but it was ultimately a dreadlocked stray mutt named Scamp the Tramp who took home the title and $1,500 cash prize.

Some of the pooches had a face only a mother could loveCredit: Splash News

Dog owner Andrew says that although Rascal has taken top honors in eight competitions, he has yet to win PetalumaCredit: Getty Images - Getty

Owner Heather Wilson holds her pooch Himisaboo, who also goes by the name Trump DogCredit: AP:Associated Press

Winners Scamp the Tramp and owner Yvonne Morones accept a trophy after taking out first placeCredit: AP:Associated Press

The contest took off in Petaluma in California, as pups from all over the USA competed for the title of the ugliest pooch.

Proud owners even dressed their much-loved mutts for the occasion.

Bow ties, flower pieces, headdresses, vests and sunglasses were all outfits of choice for some of the pampered pooches.

Irregular tongues and bug-eyed displays were also a common sight at the event.

Wild Thang, a three-year-old Pekingese with beady eyes and a lopsided tongue, took out second place.

Winning entrant Scamp The Tramp seemed nonchalant to take home first prize, but his owner Yvonne Morones of Santa Rosa, California, beamed as the pair accepted their end-of-day trophy.

“He’s Scamp the Champ, no longer Scamp the Tramp,” Morones told the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat after the victory.

“I think the audience saw his beautiful spirit and everything he’s given back to the community.”

The winning pooch was rescued from the streets of Compton in 2014 after Morones spotted him on Pet Finder.

She explained: “It was on the way home that I knew I made the right choice.

“There we were, two strangers in a car on the way home to a new start.

"Bob Marley was playing ‘One Love’ and I looked over and little Scamp was bobbing his head.

"It was like he knew he had found his forever home.”

The proud owner says she calls him "a Rastafarian dog" thanks to his untamable and knotted fur.

"His black body hair does not grow and no matter how many trips to the groomer, Scamp’s hair naturally grows gray dreadlocks down his back all the way to his tail," Morones said in a press release.

"No amount of hair conditioner can calm down his tresses!"

Scamp also makes volunteer visits to schoolchildren and a local senior citizens centre.

This year marked the 31st annual World’s Ugliest Dog Contest where contestants walked the red carpet and strutted for adoring fans at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds.

Third place went to Tostito, a Chihuahua with ragged ears and a drooping tongue.

The People’s Choice Award went to Meatloaf, a bulldog mix with protruding teeth owned by Denae Pruner of Sacramento, California.

And last year, English bulldog Zsa Zsa took out the top prize after wowing the judges with her huge tongue and pink nail varnish.

The event's publicist Christy Gentry said the competition wasn’t just about being ugly.

“Judges are looking for special attributes like hanging tongues, slobber, drool (the more the better). Maybe unusual patches of skin or hair,” she explained.

The contest is also about bringing attention to the needs of rescue dogs, with most competitors having been previously abandoned on streets or rescued from shelters.

Gentry said: “What we’re really doing is we’re showcasing dogs that have been rescued and adopted and brought into loving homes.

“These are sort of spokesdogs for adoption.”