Petunia wins ugliest dog contest by being loved, not by looking perfect

NEW YORK – She does not stand in triumph. She does not strut.

Instead, Petunia rides in someone’s arms, her small, hairless body balanced against a loop of pink leash. Fairground trophies shine behind her, but she looks away, folds of skin settling like soft hills along her neck.

Petunia, a two-year-old hairless English-French bulldog mix from Eugene, Oregon, arrived at the Sonoma County Fair in Santa Rosa, California, on Aug 8 not as a polished show dog but as herself.

The World’s Ugliest Dog Contest – a decades-old tradition meant to promote the adoption of dogs and remind people that “pedigree does not define the pet” – has never sought perfection.

In this competition, the missing fur, the misaligned teeth, the eyes that wander in different directions – they are not flaws, but badges of honour.

But Petunia’s story began far from the fairground. In Las Vegas, she lived in the chaos of a backyard breeder and hoarder. Rescuers from Luvable Dog Rescue in Oregon took her north, where she got the medical care she long needed: a spay and surgery to correct an elongated palate, a painful condition that makes every breath a chore.

She healed. She learnt to walk on Oregon trails and to curl into the nook of a couch. Today, Petunia is described as a “gentle soul who adores other dogs, cats, and people”.

Contest organisers said their competition celebrates the “imperfections that make all dogs special and unique”.

Petunia’s imperfections will grace limited-edition cans of MUG Root Beer, a sponsor of the contest, and earned her US$5,000 (S$6,400).

She will also made an appearance on NBC’s Today show on Aug 11. NYTIMES