A dog, once crowned the 'World's Ugliest', has scooped an award for being a hero.

Mugly, a Chinese Crested therapy dog, won the 'Most Heroic Hound' at the SuperDogs ceremony over the weekend and praised for the work he does with "children, people with sensory loss and the adult disabled".

The 12-year-old dog was abandoned at three days old because of his appearance and named Britain's Ugliest in 2005.

He was crowned World's Ugliest in 2012 - beating 28 pets in a contest in the United States - but owner Bev Nicolson sees another side: "I just don't see him being ugly, I see those adorable eyes that just make me melt."

The dog has been a therapy dog since 2010 and has helped children overcome their fears of dogs and helped a deaf man "come out of his shell".

"He has this ability to know when someone needs him, I don't know how he does it," she added.

However despite his many admirers, Bev admits some people aren't so keen: "He is a bit like Marmite, some people love him and other people don't. Older people want a big fluffy dog to hug, not Mugly."