Zsa Zsa, the English bulldog, wins World's Ugliest Dog title

2018-06-24 16:00
Zsa Zsa, an English Bulldog, walks onstage during the World's Ugliest Dog Contest in California, US. (Jeff Chiu, AP)

Zsa Zsa, an English Bulldog, walks onstage during the World's Ugliest Dog Contest in California, US. (Jeff Chiu, AP)

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A 9-year-old English bulldog was named the winner of the 2018 World's Ugliest Dog contest in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Zsa Zsa won the title on Saturday night at the Sonoma-Marin Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds in Petaluma.

The dog's owner Megan Brainard of Anoka, Minnesota, will receive $1 500 for Zsa Zsa's win. Brainard found Zsa Zsa on a pet-finding site, according to the contest bio.

Dogs in the annual competition flaunt their imperfections - some have hairless bodies, others have lolling tongues. The dogs and their handlers walk down a red carpet. The dogs are evaluated by a panel of judges.

The contestants included a blackhead-covered Chinese Crested-Dachshund mutt, a bulldog mix with excess wrinkly skin and a Pekingese named Wild Thang.

Last year's winner was a 57kg gentle giant named Martha — a Neopolitan Mastiff with gas and a droopy face.

The contest is in its 30th year. It is usually held on Friday nights, but organisers moved the competition to Saturday in an effort to draw a bigger audience.