MEET MR. HAPPY FACE The winner of the “World’s Ugliest Dog” Contest

By Cherese Cobb

said Benally. “It’s a homely run, but it’s still a run. Despite the conditions that I adopted him with, we've been able to give him a much better quality of life through holistic care.”

A Stroke of Luck

Benally entered Mr. Happy Face in the World’s Ugliest Dog Contest on a whim. It was her birthday, and she was working on her first radio show, Indigenous YOUth Nation While teaching a youth group how to mix and edit audio, they convinced her to sign Mr. Happy Face up for the World’s Ugliest Dog Contest. “Of course, I thought that was a ridiculous idea. Mr. Happy Face is one of the most glorious and gorgeous creatures who’s walked the planet, next to my kids,” Benally laughs.

She was flabbergasted when Mr. Happy Face nabbed the coveted title of World’s Ugliest Dog. “I hope Mr. Happy Face inspires people to adopt and not create any kind of deformities or uniqueness that could be harmful,” Benally says. “Mr. Happy Face is like a little Yoda. He’s taught me the stereotypes that we have toward each other are incredibly harmful. When we can look beyond what we're used to seeing, we get to really see how beautiful someone is.”

A Brand New World

Aside from bagging $1,500, Benally and Mr. Happy Face made an appearance on NBC’s TODAY Show. Before Mr. Happy Face became famous for his signature silver tuft and lopsided tongue, people could not fathom that he was a dog. “When we came back to Flagstaff, Arizona, people recognized him immediately. Their eyes would light up and their smiles would become as wide as the Grand Canyon,” Benally says. “It was beautiful to see how joyful they were just looking at Mr. Happy Face, and I’m sure he could feel that too.”

Cherese Cobb is a professional writer and photographer from Tennessee. When she’s not penning copy for magazines and blogs, she splits her time between family, nature, and cat-worship, and chugs coffee to survive all three.

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