International Corgi Day 🐕

The first International Corgi Day was celebrated by the Omaha Corgi Crew. The soon-to-be nonprofit organization was established in December 2011. It started out as the passion project of a group of four friends who wanted to bring more attention to corgis. Today, the organization advocates for the rescue and adoption of corgis. Since it believes that all ‘doggos’ are great companions, the Omaha Corgi Crew also takes part in fundraising drives, not just for corgis, but other dogs too. The history of corgis can be traced back to around the 12th century when Flemish weavers traveled to Wales to reside there. The Pembroke Welsh corgi is most associated with the weavers because it is due to them that there was an increase in the population of this particular corgi breed. The Cardigan Welsh corgi is another common corgi breed, but it is heavier and bigger than the Pembroke breed. The Cardigan breed is also associated more with Norse settlers. Either way, both breeds of the Welsh corgis were used as herding dogs. They were known as ‘heelers’ because of their short stature and quick agility that allowed them to easily maneuver between large groups of bigger animals. Corgis would nip at the heels of their herding animals to make them move faster. The dogs are also known as the ‘dwarf’ dog or the ‘cur’ dog, with the latter name coming from the Nordic word ‘kurra’ meaning ‘to growl.’ There’s also some interesting lore based on corgis. One such ancient story suggests that corgis came to humans when two human children stumbled upon a fairy funeral in the woods. The mourning fairies gave two corgi puppies to the children. The line of rougher fur at the base of the corgi’s haunches are the saddle lines from when the fairies used them as war horses.