Tag Archives: World’s Ugliest Dog

2016 World’s Ugliest Dog – SweePee Rambo

Owner of SweePee Rambo, the blind Chinese crested who took home this year’s crown, has hit back at reports judge gave ‘extra points’ for an oozing sore

In the end, it all comes down to a little bit of pus.

Whose leg it graced, however, is a matter of controversy. Did it ooze from SweePee Rambo, the shivering little hunk of canine flesh crowned 2016 World’s Ugliest Dog? Or Neal Gottlieb – ugly dog judge, ice cream entrepreneur and one-time competitor on the reality show Survivor?

The answer could be, “Yes”.

The flap began Friday afternoon in the northern California town of Petaluma, where 16 homely hounds were carried on stage at the Sonoma-Marin Fair by their proud human companions. They were vying for the ugly crown, $1,500, international recognition and an all-expenses-paid trip to New York.

SweePee was the hands-down favorite, having reached the ripe old age of 17. The minuscule Chinese crested is blind. Her arthritic hind legs are permanently bowed, her spine bent at a 90-degree angle, her teeth mostly missing. She is often incontinent. Other than the sprig of hair the breed is named for, SweePee is bald.

She won.

This is how the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, newspaper of record in Sonoma County, described SweePee’s victory: “Judge Neal Gottlieb seemed particularly impressed with a sore on SweePee’s leg, noting dogs get extra points for ooze.”

Four days later, a scathing email arrived at the Press Democrat, and at the Guardian, which published the Associated Press story, which quoted the Press Democrat story, which paraphrased Gottlieb. “Extra points for ooze.”

“I am horrified!” began the unsigned email addressed to the Guardian. “You wrote that my dog, SWEEPEE the winner of the worlds ugliest dog has oozing sores! That was not my dog. There was a dog there that had terrible sores but that was not my dog! This kind of lie makes me look like an irresponsible pet owner.

“People are commenting about how horrible I am online !!!” it continued. “And really has taken away a really cool thing for me and makes me embarrassed. I want this fixed immediately and want an apology. Where did you get this bad information from?!?!?!”

Whoever sent the email did not respond to a request for comment. Jason Wurtz, SweePee’s owner, said the email had been sent by a friend. Reached late in the day, he insisted that the pus was a case of mistaken identity.

Wurtz said the open sore belonged to a dog appropriately named Icky: “Icky had acne real bad, and the owner popped it on stage on the judge’s table and it grossed everyone out.”

Gottlieb did not respond to several phone calls. But contest footage replayed on Good Morning America Saturday shows him clearly saying, “There’s an open wound on this dog.” It is not, however, possible to see which dog he’s talking about.

The founder of Three Twins Ice Cream was himself brought down by an open sore. He was kicked off of Survivor: Kaôh Rōng, which aired in 2016, because of a raw, red wound with a wet looking, white center.

“It first came up like a pimple on Day 15, but then it just took on a life of its own,” he said in an item on the Survivor website. “I had this big open wound, but there was no knee pain.”

On Tuesday afternoon, the Press Democrat reached Gottlieb and pressed him about his on-stage comments. The judge back-pedaled a bit. “Sore” was changed to “scrape” in the online story. And an editor’s note was added:

“A judge who inspected the winning dog, Sweepee, said he noted a wound on the dog’s leg during the contest. The judge said ‘scrape’ is a better description of the wound than ‘sore.’ The story has been updated to reflect the judge’s assessment more precisely.”

Asked about the controversy, Press Democrat managing editor Ted Appel declined to comment.

And laughed.
[source: /www.theguardian.com]

2015 World’s Ugliest Dog – Quasi Modo, Deformed Pit Bull-Dutch Shepherd Mix

Quasi Modo, whom the owner claims has a back too short for its body, walks on the stage at The World’s Ugliest Dog Competition in Petaluma, California on June 20, 2015.

Quasi Modo, a 10-year-old mutt, was crowned this year’s World’s Ugliest Dog. The contest was held Friday night at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds in Petaluma, California.

The pit bull-Dutch shepherd mix — whose spinal birth defect left him a little hunchbacked — and his owner reportedly received $1,500 prize at the contest, which is in its 27th year.

“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) but once they get to know me I win them over with my bubbly personality,” Quasi Modo’s biography said, according to the contest’s website.

Quasi Modo was abandoned at an animal shelter because of his “strange looks” and was later adopted by a veterinarian in Loxahatchee, Florida, according to his biography.

Twenty-four dogs, including Quasi Modo, participated in the contest and the winner was decided by a three-judge panel. The dogs are scored on their imperfections, and several categories, including natural ugliness or unusual attributes.

Sweepee Rambo and Frodo — two Chinese crested Chihuahua mixes — took the second and the third prizes in the contest, respectively.

2014 World’s Ugliest Dog – Peanut

PETALUMA, Calif. (AP) — It’s that time of year again when dogs with unusually large heads, hairless bodies and other oddities compete to be the World’s Ugliest Dog.

This year’s winner? A 2-year-old mutt named Peanut, whose wild white and brown hair, bulging eyes and protruding teeth belie his sweet, energetic personality.

Although Peanut is healthy now, his owner, Holly Chandler of Greenville, North Carolina, says he was seriously burned as a puppy, resulting in bald patches all over his body.

Chandler hopes Peanut’s victory will help raise awareness about animal abuse.

“We’re trying to use him as a poster child for what can happen to animals who are abused,” she said.

She plans to use the $1,500 prize to pay for other animals’ veterinary bills.

The contest, held at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds in Petaluma, California, is in its 26th year.

The dogs are scored by a three-judge panel in several categories, including special or unusual attributes, personality and natural ugliness.

The past five winners have included a duck-footed beagle, boxer and basset hound mix with a waddle, a Chinese crested and Chihuahua mix with a protruding tongue and short tufts of hair and a Chihuahua with a missing eye and a camel’s back.

[http://www.huffingtonpost.com]