The World’s Ugliest Dog competition simply crowned a new champion. A 17-year-old rescue called Mr. Happy Face left with the title and bragging – or barking – rights, and his mom couldn’t be more proud.

According to the main web site, the competition, which is held at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds and Event Center in Petaluma, California, “celebrates the imperfections that make all canines unique and special.” A lot of the contestants were rescue dogs like Mr. Happy Face.

Artist Jeneda Benally and her beloved senior dog won $1,500 and a journey to New York City to show up on the Today Show, while a Pekingese named Wild Thang took home the second place title.

A Chihuahua mix named Mr. Happy Face won the 2022 World’s Ugliest Dog contest out of a field that included a “hairless mutant,” a creature that resembled “a hyena or mandrill baboon,” and a dog with a “gorilla-looking head,” contest organizers said. https://t.co/lcBVdHiBBW

— NYT National News (@NYTNational) June 26, 2022

The hairless Chinese crested-Chihuahua mix was saved from an Arizona sanctuary in August 2021. Benally was told he was an “old canine” and likely wouldn’t live greater than a month. A lifelong need for medicines to treat multiple tumors and problems kept many from adopting the adorable puppy.

” When I initially met him, he was the happiest animal that I had actually ever before met. He hobbled up to me and selected me,” Benally told the Today Program. “I promised that day, he would be so liked that he would never ever remember how awful his previous life had actually been.”

The happy canine mother hopes her senior rescue inspires others to look previous age or physical limitations.

” I believe that this humble soul is likewise being an example, in refined ways, to help people realize that even old dogs need love and a family, too,” Benally said. “Love, kindness and mother kisses have actually helped him defy the anticipated brief life that we all expected him to have with our family.”

When Mr. Happy Face finishes up his media appearances, he’ll go back to doing what he does best: playing with his four-legged siblings, eating smelly things, cuddling with his mom and making the most of every single day.