By: Yiran Liu

Scooter, a seven-year-old Chinese Crested dog, won the 2023 World’s Ugliest Dog contest. His body is hairless and he has spiky white hair as a mane. His back legs are backwards and his tongue sticks out of one side of his mouth at random times.

Despite his fame right now, things were not like this when he was a pup. When he was young, his rear legs were facing backward, making it difficult to walk. A volunteer from a group that works to protect animals believed that Scooter would still be able to walk even with his handicapped back legs. The volunteer’s predictions were accurate. Scooter learned to walk with his front legs not long after. He learned to jump in order to get up on a curb and climb steps. Because walking on his front legs is tiring, Scooter was given a special tool: a cart with wheels attached to the back.

Scooter’s owner, Linda Elmquist, says that he is clueless about his differences with other dogs. She says that he does not care about the size differences between himself and other dogs and often barks at them. Elmquist says that Scooter is a friendly dog toward everyone. The judges were impressed when they saw Scooter. He won the contest with $1,500 and a trophy as a reward.

The World’s Ugliest Dog Contest was created in the 1970s. Ross Smith thought it would be a good way to raise money for a good cause. This contest is different from other dog contests because it does not focus on the dog’s skill or looks but on its personality. Smith wanted to prove that every dog deserves care despite their looks.

Dogs like Scooter may look ugly, but they do not deserve to be treated badly. Despite their disadvantaged qualities, they may still excel in their own ways, like Scooter did, walking on his front legs.