Yorkshire dog dubbed 'Britain's ugliest dog' stars in new Marvel film Deadpool and Wolverine alongside major Hollywood actors including Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman

Peggy, a cross between a pug and a Chinese crested dog, first found fame in 2023 when judges for the competition crowned her Britain’s ugliest pooch.

The winner started from rags and made it all the way up to Blockbuster levels by starring alongside Ryan Reynolds in the new Deadpool and Wolverine film.

This month, Peggy walked the red carpet with co-stars Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman at the premieres and stars as Dogpool, a sidekick to the protagonist Wade Wilson in the film.

Ryan said in an interview with Extra TV: “We were looking for a dog that kind of looked like Deadpool under the mask. We found the ugliest dog in the UK and that was Peggy.”

Peggy started from humble beginnings, as the runt of an accidental litter and the last one to be adopted.

One by one, her siblings were being taken away to their new homes and Peggy remained unwanted, with families likely put off by her unique appearance.

She stayed with her mother’s family for six months while they desperately searched for a new home for her.

Then along came Holly Middleton, from East Yorkshire, who came to take a look at the puppy and she was smitten.

Peggy’s owner Holly said: “We loved her the Instant we laid eyes on her with her big brown eyes, little tuft of white hair and her tongue lolling out to one side. I just felt sorry for her, sat there with no hair and her tongue out.

“She was six months old so I just felt like no one wanted her. We didn’t set out to get a quirky dog, an underdog. I hope it encourages people to overlook the little oddities of those dogs left on the shelf.”

Holly entered Peggy into the competition after many friends and family members encouraged her and told her she was probably in with a good chance.

While there was some strong competition, Peggy swept the judges away who thought she deserved the title for being both ‘ugly’ and ‘cute’ at the same time.

Founder of ParrotPrint that launched the competition, Matt Dahan, said: “When we launched a fun contest in late 2022 to find Britain’s ugliest dog we could never have imagined that we would discover a star - but that’s exactly what happened when Peggy entered the competition.

“We were flooded with entries but the vast majority were simply too cute to be serious contenders in an ugly dog competition.

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“Peggy was the exception. She was an early entrant, submitted by her owner Holly, and right from the start, she stood out as the dog everyone was talking about.

“Using her wonderful entry picture, featuring her wearing a pearl necklace, we called out for more ugly dogs to enter the contest, and that was when the phone started to ring off the hook with the media wanting to speak to Holly and meet Peggy.

“Despite some strong late entrants, our judges were never really in any doubt about who deserved to win the title.

“Peggy’s success is a classic rags to riches story. She started life as the runt of an accidental litter and was the last one to be homed after all her brothers and sisters were selected for adoption and now she is a Hollywood superstar.

“Incredibly, Ryan Renolds and the Deadpool team found Peggy when they did a Google search for ugly dogs and came across our competition.

“We might be biassed but we think Peggy will steal Ryan Reynolds's thunder in the new Deadpool & Wolverine movie.

“She took everything in her stride when she promoted our contest and wasn’t phased once by the bright lights, the TV cameras or the famous presenters.

“We all absolutely adore Peggy. When we launched this contest I never once thought we’d find a dog like her who manages to be both ugly and so, so cute all at the same time.

“We aren’t surprised one bit she has become such an international star and we don’t think she looks one bit like Wade Wilson under the mask, she is much better looking.”

The new Marvel film is out in the cinemas across the country including Yorkshire.