A new champion has been named in the World’s Ugliest Dog contest. Mr. Happy Face, a 17- year-old rescue dog, now has the title and the right to bark about it, and his mother is overjoyed. The competition, which takes place at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds and Event Center in Petaluma, California, “celebrates the defects that make all dogs wonderful and unique”, according to the contest’s official website, the majority of participants are rescue dogs like Mr. Happy Face.
A Pekingese named Wild Thang earned second place, while musician Jeneda Benally and her cherished senior dog received $1,500 and a trip to New York City to appear on the Today Show. In August 2021, a Chinese crested-Chihuahua mix with no hair was rescued from a shelter in Arizona. It was predicted that Benally wouldn’t survive more than a month because he was an “ancient dog”. Many people were hesitant to adopt the adorable dog because of a lifelong requirement for medications to treat numerous tumors and ailments.
“When I first met him, he was the happiest creature that I had ever met. He hobbled up to me and chose me,” Benally said on the Today Show. “I vowed that day, he would be so loved that he would never remember how awful his previous life had been.”
Inspiring others to see past age or physical limitations is what the proud dog mom hopes the senior rescue will do. “I believe that this humble soul is also being an example, in subtle ways, to help humans realize that even old dogs need love and a family, too,” Benally remarked. “Love, kindness, and mommy kisses have helped him defy the anticipated short life that we all expected him to have with our family.”
Mr. Happy Face will resume his regular activities after his media appearances are over, which include playing with his canine siblings, indulging in stinky foods, spending time with his mother, and making the most of every single day.
