Corgi Race at Ohio State Basketball Game Highlights Disabled Champion Sadie Mae in Wheelchair

Natalya Clermontel/Getty Images

The highly disciplined contestants at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show rarely stray from the script, while the corgis that take part in Ohio State University’s annual race do the exact opposite.

Held on the halftime of a men’s basketball game, the third‑annual corgi dash drew more than 6.8 million TikTok views and 503,000 likes. The clip captured the pups sprinting in every direction, a few playful “cheats,” and owners playfully nudging the animals. The race’s champion was Sadie Mae, a corgi who earned the trophy while comfortably navigating a wheelchair.

“Everyone got distracted halfway 😂through,” wrote one viewer. Another added, “Adorableness 10/10. Sense of direction 1/10. 🤣.” Some joked that racing in a wheelchair might be an advantage, while others teased that “one was racing with aftermarket parts” and that “that’s cheating, you can’t enter a transformer in the race.”

Training a Dog to Use a Wheelchair

Sadie Mae’s confidence in her mobility device didn’t appear overnight. Training a disabled dog to use a wheelchair follows the same principles as teaching any new skill: patience, positive reinforcement, and gradual exposure.

Start by letting the dog observe and smell the wheelchair, then introduce short, rewarding practice sessions. Once the dog is comfortable at home, take the wheelchair outside for walks on familiar terrain, progressively increasing distance and variety. One TikTok viewer wrote, “Slow and steady wins the race 🥰,” and another said, “I love when people love their dogs.”

For more uplifting stories of pets defying their disabilities, check out the nervous two‑legged dachshund’s runway debut or the rescued paraplegic cat that spreads joy with its “cutest waddle ever.”

Want to learn more about training pets? Contact licensing@viralhog.com for licensing or usage.

♬ original sound – @stu_osborne