Maybe it’s the way his lolling pink tongue juts out, or how his glittering wide eyes bejewel a tiny head under a mop of long, frizzy, brown-and-white fur, but there’s just something about Wild Thang – and a panel of judges agreed.

The eight-year-old Pekingese from Oregon has been crowned the World’s Ugliest Dog, confirming that when the looks are, well, lacking, there’s something to be said for persistence. It was his fifth try for the top prize at the competition.

“His victory is a testament to his undeniable charm and resilience,” said a statement released following Wild Thang’s big win at the competition, held in Pentaluma, California, on Saturday (AEST).

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Wild Thang’s life got off to a difficult start, according to his biography (yes, he has one). As a puppy, he contracted distemper, an infectious disease caused by a virus that attacks dogs’ respiratory, gastrointestinal and nervous systems. He barely survived, and his biography notes that Wild Thang was left permanently affected by the disease: “His teeth did not grow in, causing his tongue to stay out and his right front leg paddles 24/7.”

Nevertheless, Wild Thang is “a healthy, happy glugly (glamorous/ugly) guy” who “loves people, other dogs and especially his toys”.

Like other beauty pageant winners, Wild Thang champions causes dear to him, according to his biography. He has helped raise money to get his fellow Pekingese dogs in Ukraine to safety — and has already saved seven of them from the war zone.

According to his biography, Wild Thang’s “purpose in life is to promote the necessity of getting your pets vaccinated”. He recently retired to Oregon with his owner, Ann Lewis, who was not available for comment.

On Wild Thang’s Instagram, pictures and videos of the “glugly” dog show him in “goblin mode”, taste-testing food and staring intensely with his big brown eyes, his fur a large brown storm swirling all around him.

Fiona Ma, the California state treasurer and a judge in the competition, said Wild Thang’s persistence won some hearts. The fact “that he was the bridesmaid and never the bride, I think really tugged at our heartstrings,” she said.