Newshound Ady & Flo www.sunlive.co.nz

The World's Ugliest Dog competition begins this week, with some gruesome hounds lining up to contest the title of the planet's worst looking mutt.

Some of these characters are truly scary, but that just makes them all the more lovable. We can't all be Dogue models, right?

Not these entrants anyway, it would be enough to drive a girl to gnaw her own paw off, if she woke up in a kennel with one of these misfits.

And before anyone asks: No, you cannot enter Helen Clark.

The contest has been happening at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, California for 25 years, offering testament that not all dogs have to meet pedigree standards to be man's (or woman's) best friend.

'The owners of all kinds of dogs are also all kinds of people, from youngsters to senior citizens, each proud of their pet despite missing fur, crossed eyes, duck waddles or mismatched ears,” the website states.

Many of the entrants have gone on to fame and fortune, some help raise awareness of animal rescue, spay and neuter campaigns.

Hey, I reckon there must be plenty of interesting characters out there in Sun land.
Send us your pics of your animals, even cats. (Aren't they all ugly?)

The gnarliest will win a prize! photos@thesun.co.nz

- Flo