Jinny Lu, a 6-year-old pug from Ukiah by way of Los Angeles and South Korea, took her unconventional beauty to a national stage this week following her victory at the 2026 World’s Ugliest Dog Contest.
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After being crowned the champion Friday, Aug.14, at the Sonoma County Fair in Santa Rosa, the celebrated rescue dog and her owner, Michelle Grady, traveled to New York City for a featured appearance Monday morning, Aug. 17, on NBC’s “Today” show.
“It was a complete whirlwind, but joyful,” said Grady, who runs the Pug Hotel senior dog sanctuary in Ukiah. “In what lifetime did I ever expect this to happen?”
During the broadcast, “Today” anchors Craig Melvin, Sheinelle Jones and Carson Daly, along with correspondents Dylan Dreyer, Savannah Sellers and Gadi Schwartz, fawned over Jinny Lu’s adorable hanging tongue and penchant for drooling. Schwartz, who was one of the judges at Friday’s contest, had traveled to Santa Rosa with his family to cover the competition.
Grady also unveiled Jinny Lu’s latest necklace, commemorating her win after three previous appearances in the contest.
Grady said she never expected her beloved pug to win, but attributes Jinny Lu’s victory to her personality.
“She’s got her silly tongue, but I feel like it’s more the way she looks into people’s eyes,” Grady said. “She genuinely wants to be held by people, and different people.”
Jinny Lu appeared to enjoy her newfound fame.
She loved the crowds at Friday’s competition and embraced the attention in New York, where she and Grady saw “The Outsiders” on Broadway, walked around Times Square and met fans who recognized her on the street and asked to hold her for photographs.
“Every five steps, we were stopped because somebody wanted their picture taken with Jinny Lu, and that’s before the ‘Today’ show (broadcast),” Grady said. “I couldn’t have been more stunned that Jinny was famous.”
The attention is a long way from Jinny Lu’s beginnings.
Four years ago, volunteers with Pug Rescue of Korea rescued her from a small wooden box in South Korea. Grady later adopted her through the Los Angeles-based rescue organization.
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“I took one look at her and said, ‘That’s my pug,’” Grady said. “And I’m forever grateful because she’s such an important part of our grumble.”
As the contest winner, Jinny Lu received $5,000 in prize money, which is being donated to the Pug Hotel to help the nonprofit provide sanctuary for senior pugs and to rehabilitate, foster and rehome pugs in need, Grady said.
Jinny Lu will also appear on limited-edition cans of MUG Root Beer, which sponsored the contest.
When she’s not competing, Jinny Lu serves as an ambassador for the Pug Hotel, which Grady relocated from Rohnert Park to Ukiah in April. She frequently visits elementary schools with Grady to teach children about pet rescue and visits hospice patients and people in memory care facilities.
“These pugs are so healing,” Grady said. “When you hold Jinny Lu, it just sort of lowers your heart rate.”
The World’s Ugliest Dog Contest, a nearly 50-year tradition produced by the Sonoma-Marin Agricultural Association, celebrates dogs’ individual quirks and imperfections while promoting rescue and adoption. At this year’s competition, Jinny Lu beat eight other contestants, including dogs from as far away as Poland, to take the title.
“This event has always been about celebrating the dogs that might otherwise be overlooked,” Mandy Clendenen, CEO of the Sonoma-Marin Agricultural Association, said in an Aug. 15 news release.
For Jinny Lu, though, the national spotlight appears to be just another opportunity to do what she has always done best: make people want to pick her up.
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And, apparently, take her picture.
Pug Jinny Lu and owner Michelle Grady, front, wait with other competitors during the World’s Ugliest Dog Contest at the Sonoma County Fair, Friday, August 14, 2026. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
Pug Jinny Lu, owned by Michelle Grady, wins the World’s Ugliest Dog Contest at the Sonoma County Fair, Friday, August 14, 2026. Jinny Lu placed second in 2025. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
Dog judge and NBC Correspondent Gadi Schwartz meets eyeball to eyeball with Zebuoodle, during the World’s Ugliest Dog Contest at the Sonoma Fair, Friday, August 14, 2026, in Santa Rosa. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)