With her pink sparkly collar and nails to match her slobbery tongue, Zsa Zsa the English bulldog is making the most of her new life as a celebrity.
The 9-year-old canine from Anoka took first place this weekend at the annual World's Ugliest Dog Competition in Petaluma, Calif., and then jetted off to New York the next day for an appearance on NBC's Today Show.
Her squished-in face, crooked stride and drooling mouth have won the hearts of people around the world.
"She's loving the attention. We couldn't even walk down the street without people stopping," said Zsa Zsa's owner, Megan Brainard, who met fans of the dog from as far as Sweden and Japan.
Four years ago, Brainard saw a picture of the bulldog online and knew she had to have her. Zsa Zsa had spent five years at a puppy mill in Missouri before being purchased at auction by a rescue group.
"It's hard for me to call her the ugliest dog because I always tell her she's so pretty," she said.
Brainard said the bulldog was named after Hungarian actress Zsa Zsa Gabor because she liked to lay on the couch "like a beautiful model" — though her taste for Chipotle and Slim Jims can sometimes make it hard to maintain a perfect figure.
Zsa Zsa had some tough competition. Many of the other 13 dogs parading around the stage at the 30th annual event also were strays or rescues with a signature look.
