Stuff About Corgis

My mama has been sick and busy and hasn't been able to type my blog for me (stubby legs, no opposible thumbs, you see my problems with a keyboard.)  Anyway, since today is St. Patrick's Day, I remembered an article I previously wrote for Corgi Cuteness and thought it might be appropriate to roll it out again today.
I'm a fan of Irish things--the Irish are closely related to my Welsh self, you know.  I even have a lovely Irish middle name, Roisin  (that's pronounced Ro-sheen and means Rose).  We're having family and friends over tonight for Irish Stew!  I bet I get to slurp up some of that goodness, one way or the other.  Happy St. Patrick's Day to all and please celebrate safely.  Here's that recycled article:

Love Ya,
Lily the Corgi

About Corgis

Every year, my mama and daddy go to something called an Irish festival. Dogs aren't allowed at this thing, so I had to ask what it was all about. My mama says it is a chance for people of her breed (Irish) to get together and celebrate their culture. She says they do this by eating food, listening to music, dressing a certain way, speaking their native language, storytelling their legends and just having a good time. All that sounded pretty good to me, so it got me thinking, “Is there a corgi culture?” Let's think about that, shall we?

First off, mama says this culture business is about eating food. Well, no doubt, corgis are all over that since corgis are about the most food motivated dogs you'll ever find. Corgis can hear the fridge open from out in the yard. A corgi will eat his own meal, then steal his sibling's meal, then finish off by staring at his human until the human shares her meal. People who adopt a corgi sometimes think they'll be getting by economically because they're getting a “little” dog. Make no mistake, humans, corgis are NOT little dogs. We are just average sized dogs with little stubby legs. And big appetites. The biggest challenge involved in loving a corgi is limiting the food, because fat corgis are in danger of terrible orthopedic problems in our long spines.

Mama says celebrating culture is about listening to music. Corgis can get into that, too. Your typical corgi doesn't bark a lot, but we do vocalize, and quite beautifully if I do say so myself. An excited corgi will yip and we do bark sometimes (I personally bark to discipline my boyfriend, Dexter, next door. He'd never make it on his own if I didn't bark out some guidance to him each day.) One thing a lot of corgi humans seem to enjoy is our deep-throated little growl/howl/song that sounds like, “Barrrrooooooo.” Yes, let me sing you the song of my breed.

Not only are corgis great musicians, we also love to dance. Corgis were bred to herd livestock and that background makes us the ultimate doggy dancers. We like to dance close—my mama says we are trying to herd everyone and everything. It is true that we will get up close and personal with livestock, other dogs, and small children. Our dances are quite playful, but sometimes a corgi will get so caught up in the dance that he will even nip...this doesn't make the corgi vicious, just exuberant, but you need to be sure your corgi keeps himself under control with that nipping stuff.

When mama's people have their festivals, they wear strange clothes (the men wear skirts!) Some dogs also wear clothes, but usually a corgi doesn't need anything except our own God-given fur. Corgis have a double coat, with a longer, coarser outer layer and a short, dense layer of fur near our skin. This fur pattern allows us to deal with the elements without having to wear store bought clothes.

Most corgis are generous little beings who are happy to share their fur with everyone. Corgis are shedding machines—if you can't stand dog hair, don't adopt a corgi into your home! Corgis need to be brushed a lot; using a “Furminator” type device is also highly recommended to keep that coat under control. I, myself, thoroughly enjoy going to the groomer for a spa day from time to time; my parents are just excited to have someone else deal with the shedding for a few hours.

(I like to have a nice spa day!)

When with people of their own culture, humans sometimes speak a different native language. Guess what? There is a special language for those who love corgis. If you adopt a corgi, you'll have to learn some totally new words and meanings. Here are just a few examples:

FRAP—Frap is an acronym for either Frantic Random Acts of Play or, alternatively, Frantic Running and Playing. Let me tell you, you'll know frapping when you see it. Corgis will sometimes just get so filled with life and excitement that we just must run and romp and wrestle and jump—sometimes all of those things at the same time. That, my friends, is frapping.

Derp—Ever see a corgi with a goofy look on his face, tongue lolling out to one

side? Just basically looking a little demented? Yeah, that is derp.

Drummies—Corgis really enjoy lying on our bellies with our short, stubby little

legs stretched out behind us. Some people think this reminds them of chicken legs

and, thus, affectionately call our little extended legs “drummies.”

Blowing—This is something our coat does twice a year. It means that instead of

just shedding wildly like we always do, our coats actually just turn loose and fall

off in great hunks and piles. Most corgis will blow coat fall and spring. Just an

aside: While I appreciate the ability of corgis to blow coat, we are still amatures

compared to my brother Claude, the grouchy husky mix. That boy can blow coat!

During their festivals, my mama and her people like to tell stories and legends about themselves. My mama's people tell stories about leprechauns and other such imaginary folk. Corgis also have legends. Do you know a corgi with a white band across her shoulders? That's called a fairy saddle or fairy harness. Legend has it that corgis are the favored ride of fairies. Noble Steeds of the Fairy People, the story has it. I don't believe I've ever been ridden by a fairy, but I have been wallowed and served as a pillow or lap desk for little children...I think it's sort of the same thing.

(Here I am, serving as a prop for my human-cousin Izzy's iPod.)

After looking at all the facts, I have decided that there is certainly a corgi culture and I believe we corgis should celebrate that culture. Many localities have “meet-ups” where their corgis can get together to frap, sing, talk, tell stories and just have a great time. Hey, a corgi festival—just like my mama's!