FALMOUTH, Maine — Tostito, the bug-eyed Chihuahua from Falmouth, has won third place in The Ugliest Dog in the World Contest.
Tostito was accepted as one of nine contestants vying for the title. The contest has been happening for almost 30 years aims at promoting the adoption of unique looking dogs saying "the pedigree does not define the pet" rather than making fun of them. The contest frequently highlights dogs who have been rescued or saved from puppy mills.
Molly Horgan rescued Tostito and she says it was love at first sight.
"I saw his face and I knew I just had to have him right away." Horgan said.
But Tostito was not always as loved as he is now by Horgan. Tostito looks the way he does because he was severely neglected to the point his lost his lower jaw when it rotted away.
"He's just unique," Molly's friend Sami Gardner said. "And being ugly doesn't mean you don't deserve to be loved."
Tostito even has his own Facebook page.
The World's Ugliest Dog Contest is held in Petaluma, California and the winner gets $1,500, a trophy and a free trip to New York. This years winner is Scamp the Tramp who was the runner up last year.