June 25, 2008

Gus, Winner of the 2008 World's Ugliest Dog Contest and his Owner, Jeanenne Teed

PETALUMA, Calif. -- The winner of Saturday’s World’s Ugliest Dog Contest is the subject of a beautiful story, a hairless Chinese crested canine named Gus, who lost a leg to a skin tumor and had an eye taken out by a tomcat during a fight.

Gus’ owner, Jeanenne Teed of St. Petersburg, Fla., says the $500 first prize will go toward the dog’s chemotherapy. Teed and her 16-year-old daughter, Janey, rescued Gus from the garage of a home where he was being kept in a crate.

“I’m just in shock,” Jeanenne Teed said. “We came so far and are so happy that we can put the winnings toward Gus’ radiation treatment. We’re just thrilled.”

The contest, held at the Sonoma-Marin Fair, began in 1989. In recent years, winners have been dogs which were abandoned or neglected before being adopted.

“It’s sort of a media phenomenon, frankly,” said

Vicky DeArmon, the fair’s marketing director and contest coordinator. “You have to have a sense of humor to appreciate the contest, and appreciate the uniqueness of the dogs.

“You also have to be a dog lover because these owners love their dogs intensely.

“And they’re probably the most cared for dogs on earth,” DeArmon added, laughing. “Several of (the owners) don’t even like to fly here because they don’t want to subject their dog to being on an airplane, or whatever.”

This year’s contest featured 12 entrants, some not only from Florida but Arizona and New Jersey. Any dog can be considered for entry.

“A lot of people are concerned, ‘Oh, are the animals, are they just being made fun of?’ ” she said. “And they’re not. They’re being really honored for their uniqueness, and that’s really the heart of the contest.”

This year’s judges included a local reporter, City Council member and the Sonoma-Marin Fair’s board president, all dog owners and dog lovers, DeArmon says.

Qualities the judges consider include weird, crossed or sad-sack eyes, a droopy or crooked tail, an odd colored or unruly coat, a jutting jaw, severe under bite and buck teeth.

This year’s contest was more popular than ever, DeArmon says.

“The ability to see how it’s grown is really how much media attention there is now on it,” she said. “Gus made The O’Reilly Factor and he was on The Today Show.”

The contest holds separate rounds for pure breeds and mutts, with the winners competing for Ugliest Dog of 2008. That dog then goes against the Ring of Champions, former winners of the World’s Ugliest Dog Contest, with that winner named the new World’s Ugliest Dog.

Sam, a Chinese crested mix, won Ugliest Dog three straight years starting in 2003. Last year’s winner was Elwood, a Chinese crested and Chihuahua mix.

Gus and his owners had a unique advantage over the other competitors, DeArmon says.

“They’ve been trying to raise enough money for his chemotherapy,” she said. “So he won not only for really that he was homely, but really for his story. That’s kind of what was compelling to the judges this year.”

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