Yoda Wins World's Ugliest Dog Beats Out One Eyed Pug in Competition

by copythis

Unfortunately for one pup, her soon-to-be owner thought the wandering "Yoda"--a chihuahua found behind an apartment building--was a rat. Yoda did weigh only two pounds. But it may have been the hair. "Yoda", as it turns out, is valuable: She's won the 2011 World's Ugliest Dog Award and garnered her owner both honor and a bundle of cash, $1,000.

It's the 23rd Annual World's Ugliest Dog Contest that just occurred at the Sonoma-Marin County Fair on June 24, 2011 -- and the competition is stiff. Many participating and on-site dogs have physical deformities in an event intended, ironically, to push animal adoptions.

"Yoda" is one of the few participants who still has all her legs and no physical deformities as a contender in the World's Ugliest Dog competition. She has got a scruffy, unkempt look with bulging eyes and an interesting hair-do -- and is down to about 1.8 pounds. Apparently those things are assets in certain realms.

The chihuahua won her owner $1,000 bucks at the Petaluma, California competition that's designed to unearth the ugliest pup on earth -- or at least the ugliest dog in the Northern California region.

"Yoda" had some hot, current and previous competition to best: Yoda beat out "Hercules" this year -- a blind, one-eyed 15-year-old pug that has to be seen to be believed.

That top slot probably should've gone to Hercules.

The 2010 winner was a one-eyed Chihuahua named "Princess Abby". 2008 saw a pedigree Chinese crested come out victorious. "Pabst" -- the boxer with a severe underbite -- won as ugliest in 2009. And a Chinese crested and Chihuahua mix ranked ugliest for 2007.

Apparently "Yoda" is also the World's Most Awkward Dog: After winning, the chihuahua casually roamed to the front of the stage, to sniff out that trophy, before falling right off the stage.

The YouTube video footage shows the award madness in all its glory. It's not quite as good as a purebred dog show, but then not much is.

Location