Zsa Zsa the English bulldog, ‘World’s Ugliest’ canine, dies at 9
Zsa Zsa the English bulldog, whose droopy tongue, protruding teeth and penchant for Slim Jims earned her fleeting moments of fame last month as the winner of the World’s Ugliest Dog contest, died Tuesday. She was 9.
Her death was announced by her owner, Megan Brainard of Anoka, Minn., who said the dog had died in her sleep. She said Zsa Zsa had not had health problems. The average life expectancy for bulldogs, according to the American Kennel Club, is 8 to 10 years.
Zsa Zsa’s life had modest beginnings. She spent the first five years in a puppy mill in Missouri before she was put up for auction and bought by a rescue group.
After Brainard adopted her, Zsa Zsa spent her days lounging around, refusing to do much of anything unless food was involved. Her favorite snacks? A Slim Jim or a steak burrito from Chipotle.
But her life turned into a cross-country whirlwind after she won the World’s Ugliest Dog contest in Petaluma, Calif., on June 23.
Her family drove 30 hours from Minnesota to enter her in the contest.
Zsa Zsa’s résumé was tough to beat: a dry, dangling tongue. A severe underbite, with crooked teeth that almost touched her nose. A dose of drool.
Brainard said she had to carry the dog across the stage and entice her to impress the judges.
“She was eating part of a Slim Jim on the table and just sneezed all over them and was drooling on them,” she said.
In the end, Zsa Zsa beat 13 dogs to seize the title. After that, her life became as glamorous as that of Zsa Zsa Gabor, the actress for whom she was named.
The bulldog sported a pink manicure. Fans wore T-shirts adorned with her face.
“I felt like I was traveling with Brad Pitt or something,” Brainard said. “People would be screaming her name. It was just crazy.”
In Zsa Zsa’s final weeks, Brainard said, the world learned what she knew all along: When you’re loved, looks don’t matter at all.