By: Theodore Tong

Scooter, a seven-year-old Chinese Crested dog, who has a hairless back and a fuzzy white mane, won the “Ugliest Dog Contest” in 2023. He hangs his tongue out of his mouth constantly, and his rear legs faced backward. These highlights of Scooter won him the first-place trophy, as well as the $1,500 prize.

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

Scooter’s appearance impressed the judges, winning him the first place prize.

Before this event, however, Scooter was not as popular with the world. Since his rear legs faced backwards, he could not walk with them. Instead, he had to drag himself to move around. Scooter was eventually rescued by a volunteer that thought Scooter had potential to become a normal dog with the help of some tools.

According to NewsForKids, “The volunteer was right. Before too long, Scooter learned an incredible trick: he learned to walk by balancing on his two front legs. He can even jump to get up on a curb or to climb steps.”

However, walking on two legs was tiring. He rested by sitting down, lessening the weight from his front paws. Scooter was eventually given wheels for his rear legs, so he could walk.

Despite him having two legs, Scooter thought he was the same as other dogs. Linda Elmquist, the owner of Scooter, said, “He sometimes barks at much bigger dogs, and doesn’t seem at all worried about the size difference. But in general,” she says, “Scooter is friendly with just about everyone.”