🐶 Jinny Lu
Pug (dog) · Ukiah, California, USA
Lives in The Meme House
Jinny Lu is a six-year-old pug who was found in a shack in the mountains of South Korea and brought to California by rescue groups, then adopted four years ago by Michelle Grady of Ukiah. She placed second in the 2025 World's Ugliest Dog Contest and came back to win the 50th anniversary contest on 14 August 2026, beating eight other dogs — one flown in from Poland — for $5,000 and a trophy. Her face is going on limited-edition Mug Root Beer cans, and she went on TODAY three days later wearing pearls. Between appearances she visits elementary schools with other rescue pugs and sits with hospice and memory-care patients.
What they do
Sits square and stiff-legged on the judging table while her long pink tongue lolls out and sways side to side, huge round eyes tracking the crowd..
Knows the trophy is hers, walks the table like it, tongue out the entire time.
Lore
- ★She was runner-up in the 2025 contest before winning the 50th anniversary edition in 2026.
- ★First prize was $5,000 and a trophy, plus her face on limited-edition Mug Root Beer cans.
- ★Nine dogs competed in 2026, including one that travelled from Poland.
- ★She visits elementary schools to talk about adoption and sits with hospice and memory-care patients.
Helping the real one
No verified way to support this animal exists.
We will not invent one.
TODAY and ABC7 both report she was brought to the US by California rescue groups and adopted through a pug rescue, but neither names the organisation. A real route almost certainly exists; no donate URL could be fetched and confirmed, so none is given.
Where this comes from
- TODAY (NBC) Jinny Lu, a rescue pug, wins the World's Ugliest Dog Contest ↗
- ABC7 News San Francisco Jinny Lu the pug takes 1st place in the 2026 World's Ugliest Dog Contest ↗
Every link here was checked twice before it was published. If one is dead or wrong, tell us.