In an unofficial competition, an animal rescue organization marketed one of their available dogs as the world’s “ugliest” in hopes of gathering attention for his adoption, while also proving that there’s no such thing as an ugly dog.
When a fellow rescuer reached out to Mac’s Mission about Joiner, the organization immediately stepped in to help. One look at him told them everything: He needed attention.
“He was absolutely covered in fleas, with painful scabs across his body, especially around his neck, where it looked like a collar had once been,” a representative from Mac’s Mission told Newsweek. “It was clear he had been neglected for far too long.”
Some described him as “cute in an ugly kind of way,” but to Mac’s Mission, they thought he was perfect—patchy fur, scabby skin and all. During his time at the rescue organization, the 10-year-old Shih Tzu received nicknames such as Crusty, Crustopher and “The World’s Ugliest Dog.”
That’s when it dawned on the organization to run with that title, hoping to attract the perfect forever home in a witty Facebook post.
“We used his funny nicknames to share his story on social media—and guess what? The world noticed,” the representative said. “His post sparked a big conversation and, most importantly, gave this scruffy sweetheart the attention he deserves.”
The July 15 Facebook post reached over 6,300 likes and 1,100 shares within two days. People flocked to the comment section, defending Joiner’s perfect self.
“No, there’s no such thing as an ugly dog, especially this one,” wrote one Facebook user.
“Bless his sweet heart! Praying for a loving home soon,” another person wrote in the comments.
However, the attention has yet to lead to his forever family. The representative said there had been no interest in adoption for Joiner so far.
Until that day comes, he’s happily enjoying his time with the organization’s medical fosters as he is recovering from his severe flea allergy that left his skin and fur in “ruins.” He began antibiotics and has since been diagnosed with a grade 3 heart murmur.
Those interested in adopting Joiner or another available animal can apply through the Mac’s Mission website.
“Joiner may have been overlooked before, but around here, he’s nothing short of a star,” the organization said. “Ugly? Nah. We call it character.”
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