Wild Thang, an eight-year-old pekingese from Coos Bay, Oregon, was crowned the winner of the World’s Ugliest Dog annual contest at the 2024 Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, California. Most of the dogs competing had come from shelters before being adopted, including Wild Thang. He had competed in the contest five times before, but this was his first win.
Wild Thang was diagnosed with canine distemper as a puppy, which affected the growth of his teeth and caused a muscular disorder in one of his legs. Despite his unique appearance, his owner Ann Lewis will receive a cash prize of $5,000 and an appearance on NBC’s Today show.
The runner-up in the competition was a 14-year-old pug named Rome, while the third-place winner was a white-coated mixed-breed 14-year-old dog named Daisy Mae. Other entrants included chihuahua mixes, Chinese crested mixes, and pug mixed breeds, such as Freddie Mercury, a 14-year-old brussels-griffon/pug mix who serves as the mascot of Petaluma’s local ice-cream truck.
The World’s Ugliest Dog competition has been held annually for nearly 50 years, with the goal of advocating for the adoration of all animals and promoting adoption. The event was created in 1971 by Petaluma resident Ross Smith to raise funds for the community’s Old Adobe Association, and the Sonoma-Marin Fair has hosted the contest since 1988. This year’s judges included NBC News correspondent Gadi Schwartz, human rights advocate Linda Witong Abrahm, and California State Treasurer Fiona Ma.