Wild Thang, an eight-year-old pekingese from Coos Bay, Oregon, was crowned the winner of the World’s Ugliest Dog contest on Friday at the 2024 Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, California. This marked his first victory in the competition after five attempts.
The contest, which aims to promote the adoption and love for all animals, saw eight contestants this year, most of whom were adopted from shelters. Wild Thang, diagnosed with canine distemper at 10 weeks old, has a muscular disorder in one of his legs and lacks teeth due to the illness.
Wild Thang’s owner, Ann Lewis, will receive $5,000 and an appearance on NBC’s Today show. The runner-up was a 14-year-old pug named Rome, while third place went to Daisy Mae, a 14-year-old mixed-breed dog rescued from the streets.
The judging panel included NBC News correspondent Gadi Schwartz, human rights advocate Linda Witong Abrahm, and California’s state treasurer Fiona Ma. The public also participated by voting online for the people’s choice award, which was given to Rome.
The contest, held annually for nearly 50 years, originated in 1971 by Petaluma resident Ross Smith as a fundraising event for the community’s Old Adobe Association. The Sonoma-Marin Fair has hosted the event since 1988.
