Wild Thang, World’s Ugliest Dog, will be featured on a limited-edition MUG Root Beer can

The 2024 World’s Ugliest Dog is making his way to stardom following his big win. Wild Thang will soon make his debut on a MUG Root Beer can.

The eight-year-old Pekingese from North Bend, Oregon, took home the first-place trophy on June 21 for the competition held at the Sonoma Marin Fair in Petaluma, California, about 38 miles north of San Francisco.

The contest, which tested multiple canines on their extracurricular activities and not so cute appearances. Wild Thang participated in this competition five times. The dog showed his persistence and diligence to continue to compete to win the hearts of the judges and voters.

MUG Root Beer was a first-time sponsor of the event that offered a cash prize pool of $10,000 for the top three winners. The first-place winner received $5,000, second place $3,000 and third place $2,000. In addition, the company said the winner will be featured on a limited-edition can of root beer, the fair said. 

Here’s what you need to know about Wild Thang and the limited-edition root beer can.

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Who is Wild Thang?

If you want to see a dog that is determined to thrive and survive, first-place winner Wild Thang would be the face of that. Born in Los Angeles, the canine is now retired with his family in Oregon.

When he was a puppy, Wild Thang contracted distemper from a rescue foster. Unfortunately, another puppy did not survive, but he did. Although he has suffered permanent damage like his teeth not growing in properly or his right leg paddling 24/7, he has overcome these obstacles to become a happy and healthy dog.

Since recovering from this traumatic incident, Wild Thang has made it his initiative to be an advocate for getting pets vaccinated. Using his Instagram account he has posted his GoFundMe where he has tried to send resources to his fellow Pekingese that are in Ukraine. Seven dogs have been safely rescued from the country and have been adopted by families in Canada and the United States.

Wild Thang is featured on a limited-edition MUG Root Beer can

As the winner of the World’s Ugliest Dog competition, Wild Thang will have his face on the Mug Root Beer can.

The company’s mascot, Dog, is giving Wild Thang his time to shine. Wild Thang will be featured on 1,000 of the MUG Root Beer cans, the company said.

Wild Thang and MUG Root Beer fans have the chance to win a limited-edition can on the company's social media accounts @mugrootbeer.

The cans will be available in mid-July the company said.

Ahjané Forbes is a reporter on the National Trending Team at USA TODAY. Ahjané covers breaking news, car recalls, crime, health, lottery and public policy stories. Email her at aforbes@gannett.com. Follow her on Instagram, Threads and X (Twitter) @forbesfineest.