The search is over, as the World's Ugliest Dog 2017 has already been crowned. Get to know this year's winner — a Neapolitan Mastiff named Martha — and some of her other buddies that were in the running.
World's Ugliest Dog 2017
Well, it's that time of the year again to choose the world's ugliest dog. She had a lot of competitors, but the gentle giant named Martha takes the crown.
Martha is a 3-year-old Neapolitan Mastiff from Sebastopol, California who was previously suffering from an eye condition that caused her to be nearly blind and in chronic pain. After several surgeries, Martha is now a healthy dog as she has gotten her eyesight back and is completely pain-free.
Without her ailment, Martha has turned into a gentle, silly, and affectionate girl who slobbers over guests upon arrival. The 125-pound Martha takes the crown — in this case, ribbon — along with the $1,500 prize and flights to New York for media appearances.
Martha, a 3 Y.O. Neapolitan #Mastiff, was crowned the 2017 World's Ugliest #Dog at @SonomaMarinFair pic.twitter.com/w6NxRYtDfg
— Justin Sullivan (@sullyfoto) June 24, 2017
Although she won the contest for the world's ugliest dog, Martha is quite confident in her own, saggy skin. When the announcer asked Martha's owner, Shirley Zindler, if Martha was aware that she was ugly, Zindler said she didn't, and that Martha thinks that she is beautiful.
"We tell, her every day," said Zindler.
'Big Dog For The Little Man'
Neapolitan Mastiffs like Martha were originally bred in Italy to serve as estate guard dogs. Known as the "big dog for the little man," Mastiffs began as war dogs used in the Roman army, but breeders from the Neapolitan area of southern Italy eventually focused on breeding Mastiffs to guard homes.
Since then, Neapolitan Mastiffs retained their massive size, loose skin, and personalities that fit well with families. They are bred to detect and deter intruders, and many say that their unsightly appearance alone would be enough to deter intruders.
Martha's Competitors
The competition wasn't as easy as it seems because Martha had a lot of competitors to beat. One such competitor that was particularly difficult to beat was Rascal Deux who, aside from being the fifth generation to enter the contest, has previous experiences with being on television.
