Dueling Corgi Races, Surf Dog Championships, Ugliest/Cutest Pup Winners, and M

Even Corgis-bros have fun at the races. photo: AdobeStock

Dueling Corgi Races: Double the Fun

All around the world, last month brought canine contests galore. There are so many to recap, but let’s start with two continent-spanning Corgi races.

On August 15, the fifth annual Corgi Race Vilnius drew 150 short-legged dogs from nine countries to strut their stuff in Lithuania’s capital city. An American pup named GG (short for Gustav the Girl Dog) took top place in the main event - a 25-meter race - with another U.S. entrant, Mr. Corgington, coming in a close second. Lithuania’s own Moka, a two-time former champion, took a respectable third.

But it wasn’t all races at the Vilnius event. A Corgi named Amigo won the Costume Parade in his knightly duds, while Latvian pups Tora and Rusty tied for top honors in the Smartest Nose challenge. Meanwhile, the aforementioned Mr. Corgington took first place in the Loudest Bark competition, beating out Duke, a 12-year-old pup from northwest England. 

Still, Vilnius didn’t have a lock on all the Corgi action in August. The very next day, the second annual Saratoga Corgi Cup took place on the main track at New York’s famed Saratoga Race Course. Drawing more than 100 applicants for just 48 spots, this year’s short-statured entrants hailed from Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Washington, D.C.  

When the dust cleared, it was Kona, a five-year-old Pembroke Welsh Corgi from Smithtown, New York, who ultimately pranced off with the top prize, after holding a consistent lead throughout the race. “He’s a champ,” said Kona’s human Mark Shannon about his fleet-footed friend. “He was born to run.”

Sources: apnews.com; yahoo.com

Canine athletes competed in many categories at the World Dog Surfing Championships including length of time on the board, wave size, tricks, and overall confidence.  photo: World Dog Surfing

World Dog Surfing Championships: Hanging Ten with Rippin’ Rosie

Closer to home, California canines were busy competing in the World Dog Surfing Championships, now in its 10th year at Pacifica Beach. Thousands of spectators cheered pups of all shapes and sizes who sported colorful life jackets to stay safe amid the waves. Dogs were judged on a variety of factors including how long they could stay on the board, wave size, tricks, and overall confidence. 

A mixed breed called Bradley “Shortboard” Cooper took first place in the Small Dog category and a French Bulldog named Iza cleaned up in the Medium group. But the day belonged to Rippin’ Rosie, a five-year-old Yellow Lab who regularly surfs around Santa Cruz. A clear crowd favorite, she ultimately took home four first-place medals and the Overall Champ Spirit of Dog Surfing award.

“Everyone knows Rosie!” proclaimed one local surfer.  Now the rest of us do, too.

For a complete list of this year’s World Dog Surfing Championship winners, click the link.

Sources: goodnewsnetwork.org, apnews.com

Jinny Lu took in a Broadway show and basked in the limelight . photo: Getty Images

Beauty Is As Beauty Does:
World’s Ugliest Dog Is Still a Winner

All dogs are beautiful in their own way, which is why we’ve never been quite comfortable with the World’s Ugliest Dog Contest. Still, we’re duty bound to report this year’s winner: Jinny Lu, a six-year-old Pug known for her extra-long hanging tongue, mismatched eyes, and signature pearls. 

A previous runner-up, Jinny Lu finally snagged first place in last month’s contest, which celebrated its 50th year at the Sonoma County Fair.  Her winnings included a trophy, a $5,000 cash prize, and a trip to New York to appear on the “Today” show. Her one-of-a-kind face will also be featured on a limited-run of Mug Root Beer cans.

While in the Big Apple for her television appearance, Jinny Lu took in a Broadway show and basked in the limelight a bit herself. “She was walking the streets of New York and people recognized her,” Grady reports. No surprise there; she does have a memorable mug. 

While she may not be picture perfect, Jinny Lu hasn’t let her unusual looks slow her down. Originally rescued from South Korea, she now visits elementary schools with other rescue pups to teach children about the importance of adopting pets - and to help them understand that all dogs deserve love no matter what they look like. 

Source: today.com

The TSA cutie known as Bolt works at DFW and is ready to sniff your bags. photo: TSA DFW

The Envelope Please:
This Year’s TSA Cutest Canine Award Goes To…

August 26 was National Dog Day so naturally that’s when those fun-loving folks at the Transportation Security Administration announced this year’s winner of the TSA’s Cutest Canine Contest. Not just a collection of pretty faces, these contestants are all highly skilled sniffer dogs - the same pups who keep you safe at transit hubs throughout the country, using their noses to detect explosives or other threats at busy airports, rail stations, subways, or other spots where travelers congregate.

This year’s finalists included Epic, a four-year-old Yellow Labrador Retriever, who protects the flying public in Pittsburgh; Ember, also a four-year-old Yellow Lab, who patrols Orlando’s airport; Bolt, a three-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer, who works out of busy DFW; and Xaro, a veteran nine-year-old German Shepherd, who plans to retire at the end of this year from his current gig at the St. Louis airport. 

Clearly, these were all worthy contenders. But there can only be one winner and this year the title went to Bolt, the super alert yet somehow adorable German Shorthaired Pointer. As the official Cutest Canine, Bolt will be featured on the cover of next year’s TSA canine calendar (11 other semi-finalists will also get their own pages inside). And of course, he’ll bring home some pretty priceless bragging rights to DFW. 

“He’s quite a character,” says Daphne Wang, the human half of Bolt’s security team. “I’m so happy he gets to show the world his quirky personality. It’s definitely an adventure working with Bolt every day. There is nothing ordinary about him.” 

Want to get your very  own TSA Canine Calendar? You’ll have to wait a few months for the 2027 edition with Bolt. In the meantime, you can download a free pdf of the 2026 calendar here, featuring the current cover boy, a Black Lab named Steeler from - you guessed it - Pittsburgh.

Source: tsa.gov

Studies have once again proven the obvious - dogs are great for humans. photo: AdobeStock

No Contest: Dogs Know How You’re Feeling

In another case of science telling us what we already know, researchers at the University of Vienna have confirmed that dogs can sense the difference between negative and positive emotions in humans. 

Working with a group of 12 pet dogs, researchers put the pups - awake and unrestrained - in MRI scanners, then showed the dogs images of different human facial expressions. By monitoring activity in the dogs’ brains, they were able to confirm that dogs could differentiate between joy and a blank stare or between happy and angry faces. They also confirmed that the dogs could distinguish between more nuanced negative emotions, such as the difference between fear and anger or fear and sadness. 

The Viennese research team worked primarily with Border Collies, a breed they acknowledged is already skilled at following social cues and willing to interact with humans. In addition, all participating dogs were family pets presumably used to paying close attention to their humans. For these reasons, researchers cautioned that additional work would be needed to determine whether other types of dogs show similar brain activity. 

Far be it from us to stand in the way of more research, but most dog lovers already know the answer. As anyone who’s ever felt a gentle nudge from a cold nose when they’re feeling down can tell you, our furry friends are already on it.

Source: washingtonpost.com