By: Sophia Chen

The World’s Ugliest Dog competition has been going on for almost fifty years. In the 2023 competition, a Chinese Crested Dog called Scooter won. Scooter has no hair on his body, his rear legs are backwards, and his tongue is always hanging out of his mouth.

“In the cutest way possible, he kind of reminds me of a hairy hippopotamus,” one of the judges said.

Because of his back legs, Scooter could have died when he was a puppy. However, he learned to walk and even jump on his two front legs, instead. Recently, he was given a cart with wheels so he can run around more easily. It attaches to his rear end and lets him move around with just his front legs.

After he took first place, Scooter got a trophy and his owner got $1,500. His appearance and backstory took him to victory, along with his breed. Since 2000, ten contest winners have been Chinese Crested dogs.

His owner, Linda Elmquist, said that Scooter doesn’t know that he’s different from other dogs. He often barks at dogs much bigger than him and is very friendly to everyone.

The World’s Ugliest Dog contest is meant to prove that all dogs, no matter what they look like, deserve a home.