Jinny Lu grew up in freezing temperatures in the wintry mountains of South Korea. She lived in a modest wooden box.
Now, the 6-year-old white pug has turned her life around. Over the weekend, she took first place in the World’s Ugliest Dog Contest, held each year at the Sonoma County Fair in Santa Rosa.
Lu was brought to the U.S. by an organization called Pug Rescue of Korea, headquartered in Long Beach. She was adopted four years ago and now lives in Ukiah, Calif.
The contest celebrated its 50th year on Friday, and Lu’s win earned her and her adoptive human mom a $5,000 prize as well as a trip to New York, where Lu is scheduled to appear on NBC’s “Today.” She also is set to be featured on limited-edition cans of Mug Root Beer, which is a sponsor of the contest.
Lu, who has protuberant light brown eyes, small black ears and a floppy tongue, loves to snuggle with her four-legged foster siblings and stretch out in the sun, according to the contest website. When her foster mom is preparing dinner, Lu sneakily samples from her siblings’ meals, snaking her tongue into each bowl.
When Lu isn’t “wreaking havoc on the dinner table,” you can find her “screaming at her reflection in the mirror,” the contest website said.
It isn’t Lu’s first go-around in the competition. It’s her fourth time participating, and last year she secured second place, losing to a 2-year-old hairless Frenchie and English bulldog mix named Petunia who had been rescued from a backyard breeder in Las Vegas.
This year, an albino Pomeranian-Chihuahua named Pinky snagged second place in the competition.
The contest, hosted by the Sonoma-Marin Agricultural Assn., promotes the adoption of all animals. The competition website explains that the event isn’t meant to make fun of dogs but instead celebrates “wonderful characters” and “reminds us that true beauty comes in all shapes, sizes, and smiles.”
“For 50 years, this event has celebrated the uniqueness of every dog while sharing an important message of compassion, rescue, and acceptance,” said Mandy Clendenen, chief executive of the agricultural organization, in a recent news release.
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