Peanut is believed to be a Chihuahua and Shih-tzu mix, will forever haunt your dreams

Jun 23, 2014 08:14 GMT  ·  By

This past Friday, the 26th annual World's Ugliest Dog competition took place in the city of Petaluma in California, US, and the pooch featured in the photo above was the one to win first prize.

Truth be told, Peanut, as this 2-year-old dog is named, is so stunningly not-in-the-least-good-looking, that some might be quite surprised anyone even dared compete against him.

According to E! Online, Peanut is believed to be the love child of a Chihuahua and a Shih-Tzu. Still, its owner is the first to admit that, due to its looks, she cannot possibly label it as belonging to one breed or another.

In case anyone was wondering, the 2-year-old pooch was not born an ugly duckling. On the contrary, it ended up looking this like after being badly burned when it was still a puppy.

Thus, Peanut was rescued and arrived at an animal shelter when it was about one year old, and remained there for 9 months before Holly Chandler, who now lives in Greenville, North Carolina, decided to offer it a home.

“He had been at an animal hospital for over nine months and was ready for a new home. While his face scared away many, it melted my heart,” reads Holly Chandler's description of Peanut on the website for this year's World's Ugliest Dog contest.

Furthermore, “They named him Opossum - which was pretty fitting. Don't let his teeth scare you! He isn't growling. He is smiling! Because of his hardships as a puppy, his lips and eyelids are deformed. He no longer has hair on much of his body including his tail, legs, feet, and face.”

Despite its anatomical quirks and scary looks, Peanut leads a fairly normal life. Thus, the pooch loves and adores playing with plushy toys, and sometimes even goes chasing after Holly's other pet dog, a Pomeranian named Tucker.

Talking to the press, Holly Chandler explains that she only decided to enter Peanut in this year's World's Ugliest Dog contest in Petaluma, California, looking to raise awareness about the hardships that pooches that are victims of animal cruelty endure.

Hence the fact that the $1,500 (€1,102) that Peanut took home together with the World's Ugliest Dog Crown will be used to treat pooches that are in dire need of help, and whose owners or rescuers cannot afford to take to a proper veterinary clinic.

“He has been the greatest thing to happen to me!” Holly Chandler says about her relationship with Peanut. “He has helped me raise awareness for Animal Cruelty by allowing me to share his story,” the 2-year-old pooch's human adds.