Zsa Zsa, World’s Ugliest Dog, Dead At 9

Zsa Zsa, an English bulldog who was named the World’s Ugliest Dog last month, died on Tuesday. She was nine years old, which falls within the average life expectancy for her species.

ZSA ZSA, WORLD’S UGLIEST DOG, DEAD AT 9 YEARS OLD

Megan Brainard, Zsa Zsa’s owner, confirmed her dog’s passing to Today, explaining how she died in her sleep. “She’s been staying over at my dad’s house. He woke up this morning and found her passed away,” Brainard explained. Brainard and her husband, Jesse, were visiting a relative in the hospital throughout most of Tuesday, meaning they weren’t able to fully process their loss yet.

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Zsa Zsa’s body was returned home Tuesday morning, and the couple and Mareslie, their 15-month-old daughter, held a memorial for their beloved pet. “I picked Zsa Zsa up and took her outside and laid her down in the grass,” Brainard said. “We were all saying our goodbyes and Mareslie went right over and gave her a kiss. It was sweet. She was waving at her.” 

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Zsa Zsa, named after the late actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, was deemed the World’s Ugliest Dog last month, owing to her droopy tongue, four protuberant teeth and pink nails. Brainard could sense that her companion was happy about her victory, noting, “She knew she was special.” Brainard and Zsa Zsa left the competition with $1,500 and a trophy.

Zsa Zsa’s first five years were spent in a Missouri puppy mill, afterwards getting rescued by Underdog Rescue. She entered the Brainard family when she was discovered on PetFinder.