Peterborough pooch Muppet is crowned Britain's ugliest dog

---

Muppet, a Chinese crested dog from Peterborough with a permanently hanging tongue and missing teeth, has won the title of Britain’s ugliest dog in a competition organised by photography company Parrot Print. Muppet beat out seven other pooches to win the award, with the final held on ITV’s This Morning show. Owner Bev Nicholson described Muppet as a “wonky little rescue dog” but said he was “beautiful inside and out”, while head judge Matt Dahan said the dog was “both cute and ugly at the same time”. The award came with a prize of a luxury pampering session at a doggie spa, including a mud bath and Christmas-themed photoshoot.

Nicholson said the win had given her the giggles, and added: “I am happy for him; he knows no different and it’s nice that a little wonky rescue dog has ended up with this dubious title. Muppet loved his mud bath and apart from a naughty poop at the photography studio he behaved perfectly and the photos look fabulous. All in all it’s been a great experience.” Muppet’s win comes after his brother, Mugly, won the world’s ugliest dog award in 2012.

“In this industry, there are a lot of beautiful looking dogs that are well-groomed and very impressive,” said Dahan. “So, when we run our annual Ugly Dog competition it is refreshing for pet owners and dog lovers alike, to see that not every dog is an exhibition model. Muppet is both cute and ugly at the same time and is an instant mood-brightener. His owner should take great pride in the success of her dog in this competition, he has won the hearts of the judges and the public alike.”

However, Ms Nicholson insisted that despite his less-than-conventional appearance, Muppet had “inner beauty”. “I know people say there’s no such thing as an ugly dog, but it is just a term of endearment,” she said. “There are ugly humans aren’t there? The difference is Muppet has inner beauty. He’s not just a pink dog with a comb-over.

Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More

---