This story is a little out of the blog’s remit but it seemed a good antidote to too much Christmas cheer. The above monstrosity is called Gnasher. The Brummie beast recently won an ugly dog competition run by the Warwickshire-based Purity Brewing Company.
The independent brewery called on its Facebook fans, Twitter followers and website visitors to submit photos of dogs so ugly that they could only be loved by their owners.
Despite some truly hideous competition, Gnasher was voted the winning pooch. His less-than attractive looks have resulted in his owner winning a tour around Purity’s brewery; a prize which may seem like small consolation for having to be seen in public with such an abomination.
I don’t know that it’s the smartest PR stunt for a brewery but its quirkiness appealed to me.
I know they are gross, ethically obscene and medically inadvisable but I’ve always liked the eat-an-inhuman-amount challenges which restaurants sometimes set as a PR gimmick.
The American chains are usually boss at this sort of thing but I have come across one in Scotland. The Spur Steakhouse is a new franchise operation that has set up in the just opened Union Square shopping centre in Aberdeen. Once a day, they will allow one customer to try and scoff 64 ounces of rump steak. The hardy souls that manage it don’t pay the £59.95 cost of the dish and are given a free t-shirt. I guess they have to buy their own digestive medicine.