Japan pooch sets yoga ball speed record

A floppy-eared Japanese beagle with paw-fect yoga skills has scampered into the record books after setting the world mark for the “fastest 10 metres travelled on a ball by a dog.”

Ten-year-old female Purin — the Japanese for “pudding” — shot to fame last year when footage of the fluffy pooch breaking the Guinness World Record for the “most balls caught by a dog with the paws in one minute” went viral. Not content with putting Japan’s J-League goalkeepers to shame, Purin will have yoga fanatics sobbing into their yoghurt after nimbly steering an inflatable training ball over a distance of 10 metres in just 11.9 seconds to become a double world record holder. Purin, who lives with her owner Makoto Kumagai in Tokyo, broke her latest mark in some style, producing her record-breaking balancing act on March 23, when dog-lovers around the world celebrated National Puppy Day.

“Purin is a superstar in her own right now, having achieved double-record status with her latest exploits,” said Guinness World Records editor-in-chief Craig Glenday. “Justin Bieber is the youngest artist ever to achieve five number one albums — but can he run 10 metres on a Swiss ball ” Purin made “Beliebers” of the doubters in September by saving 14 mini footballs in a minute by standing on her hind legs and catching them with her paws. The fluffy keeper expertly brought the ball into her chest in textbook fashion, doubtless to avoid “ruff” tactics from opposing strikers. The multi-talented beagle can also skateboard, walk on two legs and skip with a rope, helped by Kumagai.

Japan owns some of the strangest Guinness records, including the world’s heaviest strawberry.