Good news for hairless Chinese Crested pup Scooter’s owners – they just took home the top prize after their 7-year-old pet blew the competition out of the water at the 2023 World’s Ugliest Dog competition.

The funniest thing about this competition is how the entrants and judges try to play it off like the competition isn’t all about laughing and gawking at the ugliest dogs this planet has offer, but rather about boosting the dogs’ confidence and celebrating their, um, beauty. Scooter’s owner, Linda Elmquist, says:

“This contest is not about making fun of or laughing at their ugliness, but about bringing forward all of the beauty.”

Judge Catherine Liang was even more patronising and made even less sense:

“In the cutest way possible, he kind of reminds me of a hairy hippopotamus.”

A hairy hippopotamus? Are we looking at the same dog here?

The general consensus online seems to be that this competition is cruel and unnecessary and that animals shouldn’t be judged by their looks, and that all animals are beautiful etc. So I guess it’s pretty smart that the organisers of the event and owners who nominate their dogs try to make out that they agree with that sentiment, even though they’re literally out here crowning the ‘world’s ugliest dog’.

Oh well, as long as Scooter’s OK with it:

Good boy.

For the weirdo in Japan who spent $15,000 to look like his favourite dog, click HERE.