Mastiff ‘Martha’ Named This Year’s Winner In “World’s Ugliest Dog” Contest

In a rather strange competition, a Neapolitan Mastiff won the 29th annual World’s Ugliest Dog Contest.

The dog is three years old and weighs a whopping 125 pounds. The giant Mastiff named Martha won the judges with her droopy face. She was a favorite of the Northern California crowd from the start, often plopping down on her side on stage. The judges didn’t even need to hear her signature snore to give her the award.

“Do you know you just won the World’s Ugliest Dog Contest?” asked Kerry Sanders of NBC News, one of three judges who gave Martha the crown. Her handler Shirley Zindler answered for her: “I’d gloat, but I need a nap.”

The dog, from nearby Sebastopol, was rescued when she was nearly blind from neglect by the Dogwood Animal Rescue Project in Sonoma County, where the contest was held. After several surgeries, she can now see again, Zindler said.

The next three dogs in the competition were of the Chinese Crested breed, which often wins the trophies. It was unusual for the relatively young and active Martha to win against older dogs with unusual attributes, such as their tongues sticking out.

Martha (or rather, her owner) walked away with $1,500, a flashy trophy and a trip to New York for media appearances.