July 22, 2015 Wednesday

World’s ugliest dog - level 3

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all? Well, certainly not Quasimodo!

This 10-year-old pit bull and Dutch shepherd mix has just been crowned the world’s ugliest dog at the annual competition in Petaluma, California. Quasimodo hails from Florida and was rescued from an animal shelter.

Multiple spine defects have resulted in a backbone too short for his body, but that has not held him back! According to event organisers, he loves to jump and play and because of his appearance, he is a great ambassador for teaching people about acceptance and tolerance.

Last year, he was runner-up in the competition, but this year, Quasimodo managed to beat 19 other finalists for the title. The winner takes home $1,500 US dollars and can expect to make many local and national TV appearances. Many of those competing were shelter dogs.

The first competition was held over 50 years ago in Petaluma, and owners have been taking their pets to compete ever since. Perhaps it’s not so bad to be dog-ugly!

Difficult words: fairest (most attractive – old use), hail (to come from), animal shelter (a place where animals live until people can adopt them), defect (problem), runner-up (somebody who finishes second in a competition), dog-ugly (to be as ugly as a dog).