Corgi Canines

The Welch Corgi has two breeds that come from Wales which are the Cardigan and the Pembroke. They originated in Cardiganshire and Pembrokeshire Wales respectively.

The Cardigan Corgi is bigger. They seem to be traced back to one of these breeds: the German Deutsche Brachen, the Teckel or the German Dachshund. Some were later bred with the Welch Collie which may have been the origination of the blue merle coloring of some Corgis. Their tails have a foxlike brush.

The Pembroke Corgi is smaller than the Cardigan. The Swedish Vallhund or the Grousehunt Spitz was a part of the gene pool of the Pembrokes. Many Pembrokes are born without a tail, but if there is a tail it needs to be docked, but not so short as to leave an indention.

Since both dogs were interbred long ago, it is still a bone of contention as to which breed came first.

In 1925 a man named Captain J.H. Howell formed the Welsh Corgi Club and some agreed upon breeding standards were determined. There was a split between the two breeds in 1934 then the Kennel Club of Great Britian granted each breed it's own category. That year there were 59 Cardigans and 240 Pembrokes registered.

The Royal families in England starting with King George VI. Since that time many Corgis have resided at both Windsor and Buckingham Palace as well as other royal residences. Queen Elizabeth II is famous for having Corgis.

In 1933 the first Corgi, Little Madam, was brought to America by Mrs. Lewis Roesler (who became Mrs. Edward Renner). At the same time she also imported a male named Captain William Lewis. Little Madam was registered with the AKC in America in 1934. There was also a man from California named E.M. Tidd who owned a female named Toots which he acquired in Canada. And he also acquired a male champion named Bowhit Pivot who he registered. Pivot was the first of his breed to become a champ.