Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF – Fri-Yay/Good News

~ John W. Howell
AP Photo
Today’s good news story comes from the Associated Press

Little legs, big dreams: More than 100 teams compete in Lithuania’s international Corgi race

By  LIUDAS DAPKUS
Updated 7:46 PM CDT, August 24, 2025

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Cute and adorable Welsh corgis, widely known for their association with the British royal family, are in fact a breed of passionate racers.

That’s at least according to the 120 teams from around Europe taking part in the Corgi Race Vilnius, in Lithuania’s capital, which drew an international bunch of furballs and their owners from countries including Poland, Latvia, Germany, Austria, and Italy.

Thousands of Lithuanians gathered in the capital’s largest park on Saturday and Sunday to watch the events — a solo sprint, a contest for the “mightiest voice,” costume challenges, and group racing.

The event is set to culminate on Sunday with the so-called World Corgi Meetup, where dogs in Lithuania will be connected via a live broadcast with their peers in the United States, Ireland, and Poland.

“This is so much fun and great emotion for the entire family, something bright that many people are craving for these days,” said retired teacher Janina Stoniene, who attended the race with her three grandchildren. The children said they admired the costume challenge as dogs were dressed in eye-catching outfits like Batman, a princess, or an airplane.

A corgi named Amigo, sporting a factory-themed costume complete with two tiny chimneys and “Fur Factory” lettering, was named the proud winner of that contest.

Another called Mango, whose owners are from Lithuania, was the champion of the solo race.

“So this is a mango, like a fruit mango, and we are participating (for the) second time in Corgi Race 2025,” said Ignas Klimaika, a proud corgi lover from Vilnius. “Last year, we didn’t manage to end the race perfectly. We had a really good training. We had trained every day, but this year we decided we just go without training, just to participate, just to enjoy all the lots of corgis,” he said. A corgi dog participates in a fashion show during a international event Corgi Race Vilnius 2025 in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

A corgi dog participates in a fashion show during the international event Corgi Race Vilnius 2025 in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Saturday, August 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

Corgis race during a international event Corgi Race Vilnius 2025 in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

Corgis race during an international event, Corgi Race Vilnius 2025 in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)
A corgi dog participates in a fashion show during a international event Corgi Race Vilnius 2025 in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

A corgi dog participates in a fashion show during an international event, Corgi Race Vilnius 2025, in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

But this year, Mango won the racing competition, while his owners screamed and waved to try to inspire him to triumph.

“He knows what he did and he’s really proud of himself,” said Ignas, who is already planning for 2026.

Here is a link to a video of the event
https://apnews.com/video/lithuanian-capital-becomes-centre-of-the-corgi-universe-with-host-of-corgi-contests-9964ad598f17454890307ecc6aefc3af

The good news here is that folks from around the world have a common interest. Today’s JohnKu discusses the commonalities in the human race.

Sharing by John W. Howell © 2025

We all have interests,

It warms the heart when they’re shared . . .

Aids understanding.

 

64 thoughts on “Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF – Fri-Yay/Good News”

  1. When corgis run, well . . it’s one of life’s great gifts to humankind to be able to bear witness to such adorable earnestness. And to add the names mango and amigo is just pouring cuteness on top of cuteness. On this count anyway, the royals really do know what they’re doing.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Rita Mae Brown has used it in one of her cozy mystery series about the nearby real town of Crozet, VA. One of the animal regulars is a corgi called Tucker. The animals help their human, Harry, a woman solve mysteries.

    Liked by 1 person

  17. I LOVE Corgis … and don’t tell the Monk, but if I didn’t have a Sheltie, I’d have a Corgi! They’re just so doggone cute, with those little legs and their happy-go-lucky expressions. Thanks for a day-brightener, John.

    Liked by 1 person

  26. How fabulous!

    Love these sweet dogs, and they look like they are having a lot of fun.

    Dogs are sociable with people and love to please. These dogs love running, so RUN!

    This is an uplifting post. Sometimes good new comes in small packages!

    A lovely, positive JohnKu! Thank you, John!

    🐶X 🐶X

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.