Corgi lovers learn about, test what Corgis can do at annual event
The Golden Gate Pembroke Welsh Corgi Fanciers (GGPWCF) hosted their annual Corgi
Faire at Lillard Hall in Davis on Nov. 10. Around 200 guests attended the event, and most brought their corgis to try out various activities.
Gina Lorenzi, the co-chair of this year’s Faire, described the event as a way to
demonstrate the agility and intelligence of the Pembroke Welsh Corgi.
“Our thought was to promote what this breed can do,” Lorenzi said. “Because we’ve got
amazing little dogs that can really do anything.”
The Faire had obedience demonstrations, conducted by Lila Lippow, and other agility tests, including going through tunnels and lure coursing for attendees’ corgis.
Lorenzi brought her own corgi to the Faire as well.
“My dog does seven different sports and works [professionally] for seven different sports,” Lorenzi said. “Basically, in any dog sport you can think of, there is probably a Pembroke Welsh Corgi game in it.”
The Faire also included a costume contest where attendees dressed up their corgis in a
creative way. Stephanie Hughes-White, a participant at the event, dressed up her dogs to resemble the characters of Disney’s “Moana.”
“I grew up with corgis,” White said. “So, the first thing I thought about was having a
Corgi that my husband and I would love.”
White described the corgi as bossy but a great companion.
“Being the size they are, corgis can still run the roost,” White said. “And they can be
very protective toward their mommy and daddy.”
According to Lorenzi, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi is different from the Cardigan Welsh
Corgi in several ways. They are two distinctive corgi breeds — the Pembroke Welsh Corgi is a spitz-type breed, whereas the Cardigan is more closely related to the basset hound.
“The Pembroke Welsh Corgi is a little more fine-boned than the Cardigan Welsh Corgi,”
Lorenzi said. “The Cardigan Welsh Corgi is always going to have their tails, but the Pembroke Welsh Corgi usually does not.”
Lorenzi also emphasized the sociable characteristic of the corgi.
“We lovingly call them the frat boys of the corgi world,” Lorenzi said. “Because they are
really sociable — they love their people, they love other dogs and they love doing things.”
Ellen Perlson, the board director of the GGPWCF, as well as a Pembroke Welsh Corgi breeder, said she has had corgis since 1995 and has been breeding dogs since 2001. Perlson described the corgi as a high-energy breed.
“They need an active home with an active lifestyle,” Perlson said. “Pembroke Welsh
Corgis are very outgoing, with high drive and high energy.”
Perlson also pointed out some downsides of the corgi.
“They like to bark and, most importantly, they shed a lot,” Perlson said. “The nice thing is that you will get used to the hair. I always have hair on me because I have six corgis.”
According to Perlson, the Pembroke Welsh Corgis blow their coats two to three times a year, with an undercoat growing profusely.
“You just need to give them a nice warm bath and comb it all out, getting rid of all the dead hair and you start fresh,” Perlson said.
The GGPWCF is the first regional Pembroke Welsh Corgi club in the United States,
established in 1957. Lorenzi said it was founded as a kind of fanciers to get people who love the breed together.
“I just love this breed,” Lorenzi said. “And getting out there with other people who love
the same breed is a lot of fun.”
To become a member of the GGPWCF, as Lorenzi said, one needs to know two people in the club for at least six months to get a letter of recommendation and fill out an application form, in addition to signing a code of ethics.
Written by: Rui Ding — city@theaggie.org
