Search for the UK's ugliest dog comes to Wigan with a makeover offer for the winner

The competition, run by photography company ParrotPrint.com, has been set up in hope of finding the UK’s least beautiful dog, and comes with a warning that pretty dogs need not apply.

Owners are being invited to send in pictures of their pets with the prize of a professional doggie makeover and a before and after photo session.

While every dog is beautiful in the eyes of their owners, the organisers claim that the aim is to celebrate the pooches who are visually challenging (to everyone else).

A spokesman said: “Britain is a nation of dog-lovers but there are some pets out there with a face only a mother could love.

“We are talking about the pug-ugly mutts who are truly difficult to look at. There are some awful looking dogs out there but we wanted to give all of them the chance to shine.”

The spokesperson said that a large number of ParrotPrint.com orders were for canvas prints of dogs and cats – reflecting the affection that Brits have for their beloved animals.

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

The spokesperson added: “There have been a number of TV shows where humans get tarted up and given a makeover so we thought it would be fun to do the same thing for a dog.

“There are plenty of cute doggies out there across the UK but we don’t want to hear from them. This is a competition for only the most ugly dogs in the land. Forget about the cute dogs: we want to see the uncute.

“I am talking about the dogs you’d cross the street to avoid. The mutts who look so ugly their owners feel they have to apologise for owning them.

“We believe we can transform them into something truly beautiful and give their owners a fantastic photoshoot experience too. But it has to be a challenge so pampered pooches need not apply.”

To find out how to create the perfect print of your pet to hang on your wall at home click here