See the World's Ugliest Dog Contest Winner - YODA

He's cute. He's small. He's a dog. Yes, I'm afraid he's ugly. He's the 2011 crowned champion of the World's Ugliest Dog Contest and his name is, of course, Yoda.

You can't miss him. He's tiny and he's got a head full of wispy tufts of hair. You can't help but love his skinny little legs. Yoda, like many "ugly dogs" is a Chinese-crested Chihuahua mix. According to many standards he's truly ugly but for many of us he's so ugly he's cute.

• Image Credits: Photos of Yoda sourced from Online Mail's article By PAMELA OWEN, 25th June 2011 [CC-BY-SA-2.0], via Online Mail

• Image Credits: Photos of Yoda sourced from Online Mail's article By PAMELA OWEN, 25th June 2011 [CC-BY-SA-2.0], via Online Mail

A tiny rat-like dog is rescued from an abandoned apartment

Yoda, at 98 dog years, is nearly my mom's age. Okay, he's 14 years according to our way but in the dog's world Yoda is one little old man. Yoda was found abandoned in an apartment and looked like a little rat. Actually, Yoda is a Chinese Crested Chihuahua mix and weighs in at only two--2--pounds. That is one tiny little ragamuffin.

Yoda's time of abandonment is long past. His owner/companion is Terry Schumacher and both hail from Hanord, California. In addition to eh accolades, the crown, the sash and other doggie goodies, Yoda and Terry received a check for $1,000.00 for their efforts. But you know it won't stop there. Yoda is already a You Tube sensation and it's only just begun.

Are the ugly dog contestants truly ugly or are they beautiful?

Things to do with your dog

The World's Ugliest Dog contest has been operating for 23 years. Dogs come in all sizes, all breeds--pure and mixed, and with all manner of attributes. Most prevalent are the long tongued, one-eyed, buck toothed type. Many look like they leaped out of the latest special effects horror film. But they didn't. They are real and they are, truly, adorable, in their own unique ways.

Do they have talent? No. Unless you consider how long a tongue drapes out of a mouth. Do they "do" anything. Not really. They just exist. And for doing that, they make the world a better place because so many people find them beautiful and celebrate their uniqueness each and every year.

Thousands of dog owners and their dogs along with crowds of the curious stream into the Northern California fairgrounds to see this annual display of canine beauty. The Chinese-crested crew seems to generally steal the show but there are plenty of breeds, large and small, ready to sport their ugliness with great pride.

Want to see them live? Plan to attend the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, California next year. All dogs are welcome--and their owners, too.

• Image Credits: Photo sourced from World's Ugliest Dog Contest via Sonoma-Marin Fair

Yoda is a great dog rescue story. When he was born, his breeder thought there was something drastically wrong and was about to put him to sleep when he was rescued. Who knew he would grow up to be a world champion? But that's what happened.

I don't know about Yoda, but MY six dogs love these dental chews. My big Great Pyrenees, Waco, has one every night. If I don't give it to him, he stands at his bedroom door and stares until I offer it up. My vet is the one who got us all hooked on these. They come in all sizes and that is good because my dogs range in size from 4lbs to 130lbs.

• Image Credits: Photos of Yoda sourced from Online Mail's article By PAMELA OWEN, 25th June 2011 via Online Mail