Peanut, a two-year-old Chihuahua-Shih Tzu mix with a face like a gremlin after a botched plastic surgery, has bagged the title as the World's Ugliest Dog for 2014.
With teeth protruding like a sea monster's and a tail one judge likened to a stick of lipstick, Peanut won the title at the annual contest held at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds in Petaluma, California on Friday.
"Peanut is one of the ugliest dogs we have ever judged in this contest," said judge Brian Sobel, who described him as "just hideous."
Owned by 26-year-old Holly Chandler, a manufacturing engineer from Greenville, North Carolina, Peanut was rescued from a shelter a year ago after spending more than nine months scaring off would-be adoptive families.
Peanut beat out some stiff competition to win the USD 1,500 prize, including a bulldog mix named Quasi Modo, a crowd favorite, Santa Rosa-based 'The Press Democrat' reported.
Peanut, the ghoul from Greenville, got 1,795 votes in online judging.
"Peanut is in a class by itself," Sobel said at the competition, which is in its 26th year.
Chandler has said that she wants to use her pet to raise awareness about animal abuse.
Prior to arriving for the contest, all the dogs must provide a veterinarian's paperwork asserting that they are healthy and are "naturally ugly". The World's Ugliest Dog Contest follows up with a vet check on-site just prior to the contest.
