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Deformed mutt is crowned World's Ugliest Dog

 
Quasi Modo wins top honors in the World's Ugliest Dog Contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair on Friday, June 26, 2015, in Petaluma, Calif. Quasi Modo's owners, who travelled from Florida to compete, will receive $1500. [Noah Berger  |  Associated Press]
Quasi Modo wins top honors in the World's Ugliest Dog Contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair on Friday, June 26, 2015, in Petaluma, Calif. Quasi Modo's owners, who travelled from Florida to compete, will receive $1500. [Noah Berger | Associated Press]
Published June 27, 2015

PETALUMA, Calif. -- A 10-year-old mutt named Quasi Modo, whose spinal birth defects left him a bit hunchbacked, is the winner of this year's World's Ugliest Dog contest.

The pit bull-Dutch shepherd mix and his owner took the $1,500 prize Friday night, besting 25 other dogs competing in the contest that applauds imperfection, organizers said.

Quasi Modo was abandoned at an animal shelter before being adopted by a veterinarian in Loxahatchee, Florida, according to his biography posted on the contest's website.

"My appearance can be a little unsettling to some (I have had grown men jump on top of their cars to get away from me because they thought I was a hyena or Tasmanian devil) but once they get to know me I win them over with my bubbly personality," his biography said.

Two Chinese crested and Chihuahua mixes named Sweepee Rambo and Frodo took the second- and third-place prizes, respectively.

An 8-year-old Chihuahua named Precious received the "spirit award," honoring a dog and owner who have overcome obstacles and/or are providing service to the community. Precious, who is blind in one eye, is trained to monitor smells related to low blood sugar levels and alert her owner, a disabled veteran, of the problem, her biography said.

The contest, held at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds in Petaluma, California, is in its 27th year.

The dogs are scored by a three-judge panel in several categories, including special or unusual attributes, personality and natural ugliness.