Britain's Ugliest Dog 2024: Entries invited to succeed Deadpool & Wolverine star Peggy - aka Dogpool

Peggy appeared on the big screen as Dogpool alongside superhero royalty Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman playing the titular world-savers in Deadpool & Wolverine.

Media coverage of the competition in the UK brought the distinctive-looking pooch to the attention of actor and producer Ryan Reynolds, who explained to Extra TV: "We were looking for a dog that kind of looked like Deadpool under the mask. We found the ugliest dog in the UK and that was Peggy.”

The competition, once again run by photography company ParrotPrint.com, is asking dog owners to send in photos of their ugly pets in the hope of discovering the next doggie superstar.

The organisers claim the contest sets out to celebrate the diversity of Britain’s beloved pooches by finding the pet with “a face only a dog mummy or daddy could love!”.

Dog owners can send in photos of their pets if they truly believe them to be visually challenging, with the prize of a professional doggie makeover and photo shoot for the winner - and possible global superstardom.

Competition judges have warned potential entrants to consider whether their mutt is unsightly enough to take Peggy’s crown before applying.

A spokesman said: “We received too many photos of cute mutts last year and this time around we want to see more dogs of Peggy’s calibre. Britain is a nation of dog lovers so it was perhaps unsurprising we received so many pictures of pretty pooches. There are some unique-looking dogs out there, and it is those pets that stand out from the crowd and make you look twice that we want to see this year.”

The spokesman added: “When we launched the competition over a year ago we never would have believed our winner would become a superhero and Hollywood star known worldwide.

“Last year's competition set the bar so high and we’d love to surpass it if we can by giving one lucky dog the pamper session of a lifetime and perhaps even make them a superstar.

“We can’t stress enough though, that it’s an ugly dog competition so only the ugliest mutts need to apply.

“As Ryan Reynolds admitted on Jimmy Kimmel Live when Hugh Jackman asked him about Peggy winning our ugliest dog competition - ‘Boy she earned it’.”

“So we are asking Britain’s dog owners to only send us pictures of the most unphotogenic pooches and we can’t wait to reveal the finalists soon.”

The contest is open for entries now and 12 shortlisted dogs will be announced in October ahead of the selection of an overall winner before Christmas. To apply send a photo of your dog to [email protected].