Zsa Zsa, an English Bulldog, drools while competing in The World's Ugliest Dog Competition in Petaluma, north of San Francisco, California on June 23, 2018. AFP / JOSH EDELSON
PETALUMA, Calif.: 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 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 125-pound (57-kilogram) 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 organizers moved the competition to Saturday in an effort to draw a bigger audience.
