It’s not all about short-legged speed when 150 corgis gather for an international race celebrating the little dogs. There’s a costume parade, the ‘smartest nose’, and – of course – the loudest bark.
The fifth Corgi Race Vilnius drew dogs and their owners to the Lithuanian capital’s Vingis park for what organisers said was the biggest edition yet.
There were competitors from Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Estonia, Germany, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, the United States and Britain – the country most closely associated with the breed, famously a favourite of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
“In the first year, we gathered 40 corgis from one city. This year, it’s 150 from nine countries, and for the first time we have a participant from the place where the breed originated,” organiser Edvinas Miskas said.
“We call Vilnius the European capital of corgis, and when people from the breed’s homeland start coming to us rather than the other way around, that title begins to sound a little more serious.”
Ninety-four dogs took part in the main running event, competing in qualifiers, semifinals and the final.
In the final, which pitted corgis against each other over 25 metres, the winner was American competitor GG, short for Gustave the Girl Dog.
Another US entrant, Mr. Corgington, finished a close second. Lithuania’s own Moka, a two-time former champion, was third.
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