Seven pooches are competing to be crowned the ugliest dog in Britain, as a nationwide competition draws to a close.
From buggy eyes to crooked teeth to patchy fur, these little dogs are all hoping to take the crown as the nation’s most aesthetically-challenged mutt.
Hundreds applied (or their owners did, at least) but now only a handful of dogs remain.
The breeds still in the running are mostly either bulldogs, pugs, or some sort of cross-breed featuring one of the two, with one rogue Brusston (a Brussels Griffon and Boston Terrier mix) remaining.
The competition has been organised by photography company Parrot Print, who ‘believe every pet, no matter how ugly, deserves to feel special’.
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The winner will be treated to a free grooming and photography session to celebrate and champion their… erm… unusual appearance.
Representing the north of England on the shortlist for the Britain’s ugliest dog award is Bella, a pug from Sheffield; Peggy, a pug/Chinese Crested mix from East Yorkshire; and Roger, a pug/toy poodle cross from West Yorkshire.
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Winston George, a British Bulldog from the West Midlands. Credit: Parrot PrintsJazz, a brusston from North Wales. Credit: Parrot PrintsRoger, a pug toy poodle cross from West Yorkshire. Credit: Parrot Prints
There’s also Wiltshire’s French bulldog Marnie, a British bulldog from the West Midlands called Winston George, Jazz (the aforementioned Brusston) from North Wales, and Milo, a blue French bulldog from Kent.
Their most remarkable features include an underbite (Roger, Marnie and Milo all guilty of this one) and squashed faces (which is basically all of them).
But our front-runner has to be the gorgeous Peggy, whose fur sprouts out in patches from her wrinkled skin and whose tongue lolls out sideways.
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Even her own owners described her as ‘Marmite’.
Bella, a pug from Sheffield. Credit: Parrot PrintsMilo, a blue French bulldog from Kent. Credit: Parrot PrintsMarnie, a French bulldog from Wiltshire. Credit: Parrot Prints
They told the BBC: “Sometimes I forget that she doesn’t look like a normal dog and then we walk down the street and you can hear people whispering and saying ‘Oh wow, look at that!’.”
Matt Dahan, founder of Parrot Prints, said: “We received hundreds of entries and these seven were the ones who made our eyes hurt when we looked at them. There really are some ugly mutts out there in the UK and we hope our contest will celebrate the best of them.
“We were clear from the outset that no pretty pets need apply and these seven certainly could not be described as good looking in any way, shape or form.
“Now our judges have the tough task of choosing exactly which of these mutts is the most offensive to look a t.We will select one of these pets for the coveted title of Britain’s ugliest dog and they will win a makeover and photo session. Let’s see if we can transform the winning ugly dog into a beautiful pooch and brighten up its owner’s life at the same time.
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“There have been a number of TV shows where humans get tarted-up and given a makeover so we thought it would be fun to do the same thing for a dog. We believe we can transform them into something truly beautiful and give their owners a fantastic photoshoot experience too.
“We look forward to selecting the winner and sharing their photoshoot experience with the world when we hope to show that every dog is beautiful no matter how ugly they might first appear.”
Featured image: Parrot Prints
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This Manchester hotel has a Bonfire Night ‘escape’ package for pets to help keep them calm
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s most luxurious hotels is transforming into the ultimate pet refuge again over the firework season.
Bonfire Night is loved across the UK for the spectacular firework displays and all the festive-themed activities that go along with it, but the November annual event isn’t so fun for our four-legged friends, as fireworks can be frightening to pets due to loud bangs, flashing lights, and the unpleasant strong smell of spent explosives.
With multiple bangs occurring from numerous displays too, pets are rarely able to pinpoint where the booming explosions are coming from, only making it more terrifying for them.
This is why, after becoming a huge success following its launch last year, Kimpton Clocktower Hotel in the heart of the city centre has brought back its special ‘Bonfire Night Escape’ escape package, turning the already pet-friendly hotel into a firework-free sanctuary.
The hotel‘s year-round ‘PAWfect Stay’ package includes any dog staying at no extra cost, plus a pet tuckbox, a guide to the best dog-friendly places in the city, and a toy waiting for them in the room, but this fireworks season, pet owners will also get a luxury hamper including Pet Remedy’s ‘Party Season Survival Kit’
The kit comes together with a range of fast-acting products to help immediately in stressful situations such as fireworks, and includes calming spray, a plug diffuser, and some calming wipes too.
On top of that, dog owners can also take advantage of the hotel’s Music Concierge service, which allows guests to request a record player and vinyls to be placed in the room ahead of check in – with lots of classical and relaxing music records available to distract anxious pets from the noise of Bonfire Night celebrations.
Kimpton Clocktower Hotel has a Bonfire Night ‘escape’ package to help keep pets calm / Credit: Elisha Terada (via Unsplash)
The award-winning The Refuge Bar and Restaurant inside the hotel also offers a menu of carefully-curated dog treats throughout the week, as well as doggy Sunday roasts all Sunday.
David Lockhart, who is the General Manager at Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, said he likes to think of the hotel as a “home-away-from-home for our guests”.
“Our top priority is making sure everyone is feeling safe and comfortable,” he added. “We can’t wait to welcome our November guests and help them care for their four-legged family members, giving them everything they need.”
The Bonfire Night Escape package at Kimpton Clocktower Hotel is available to book from Friday 1 November, subject to availability, and you can request the package via the hotel concierge or by emailing [email protected] to book.
Scissor Sisters confirm reunion after more than a decade ahead of massive Manchester gig
Danny Jones
Still a firm cult favourite from the 2000s, Scissor Sisters are officially back and are bringing a special reunion tour to Manchester and the UK and Ireland at large.
The American outfit were one of the biggest and most well-known pop groups on this side of the Atlantic during their heyday, notching three BRIT Awards and two number-one albums.
Starting out in New York, like many bands in an oversaturated music market, they ended up proving to be much more popular here in Britain than they ever did in the US, not to mention becoming real icons among the LGBTQ+ community.
And now, over a decade later, the Scissor Sisters are set to repay the likes of Manchester, Leeds, London and more with a series of comeback shows, including one at Co-op Live arena – a gig which the venue has already teased earlier this week.
Confirming the reunion on social media on Thursday, 10 October, the band said: “Exciting news, for the first time in over a decade, we will come together again, live next May across the UK and Ireland.
“And for the first time ever, our debut album Scissor Sisters will be performed in full in celebration of its 20th anniversary – alongside all the other Scissor hits from along the way… See you very soon. Jake, Babydaddy, Del.”
Long-time fans were quick to notice that there was no mention of fellow founding member Ana Matronic nor former drummer Randy Real; the band themselves told BBC that the current lineup following their indefinite hiatus is by no means a way of replacing anyone but does give them a chance “to get some people on stage and ask some friends to do fun things.”
Frontman Shears’ 2023 Cabaret co-star, Rebecca Lucy Taylor, was also teased with a possible appearance on the Scissor Sisters reunion tour. Either way, they’ve promised a “little bit of chaos, anarchy” and an “‘anything can happen’ energy again.”
It’s been 12 whole years since we last saw them out on the road, so it’s only fitting that they give us a dozen UK/IE dates, starting at Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena before bringing the comeback party down the home stretch in Dublin.
Scissor Sisters are set to stun the Manchester crowd with their Co-op Live debut on Wednesday, 21 May 2025, with special guest support from Alison Goldfrapp of the iconic electronic music duo, and we truly really can’t wait to roll back the years with them.
Pre-sale goes live on Wednesday, 6 November at 10am which you can access via their website and general admission tickets will be available from the same time the following Friday, 8 November.
We can’t wait to hear all the favourites – ‘Filthy/Gorgeous’, ‘I Don’t Feel Like Dancin”, ‘Take Your Mama’ and more – but, until then, the announcements coming out of Manchester’s biggest new music venue just don’t stop…
Daisy Jackson -
20th January 2023 
