It's not just about the dog itself, but the relationship you have with it!

ForPaws Helps Corgis and Corgi Mixes


Dedicated to Bart, who had the Most Beautiful Tail

"It's very simple. Dogs and cats and other talented animals have tails; their tails, with their thousands of flourishes, provide them with a wonderfully complex language of arabesques, not only for what they think and feel and suffer, but for every mood and vibration in their feeling tone. We have no tails, and since the more lively among us need some form of expression, we make ourselves paintbrushes and pianos and violins..."

Hermann Hesse


Thursday, April 1, 2010

Rescue Update- Another New Mix!


In the mid-90's ForPaws Corgi Rescue started out specializing in helping corgi mixes, when few other rescuers were doing so. At that time, the most well-known corgi rescuers were affiliated with breed clubs that only rescued the purebreds. In response to the need, the group of small, independent corgi rescuers has proliferated and there are now more who will take mixes.

In 1997 I actually had a well-known "show person (pembrokes)" tell me that, "There is no such thing as a corgi mix." She contended that corgi owners were all so responsible that there was absolutely no way that a corgi mix could ever happen. Seriously....what world was she living in?

That comment still dumbfounds me, and was my first wake-up call to the fact that we each have areas of passion where dogs are concerned. Just because you know the nitty gritty of one, doesn't mean you know diddly about another! And there is always more to learn, regardless of your experience level.

In any case, the rescue niche that ForPaws occupies by helping mixed breeds has meant that we've see a lot of different corgi mixes. Last I cataloged, we'd seen over 100 different corgi-xxx mixes that we'd been able to identify - and many that remained mysterious.

Recently, we added another new (cute, cute, cute) corgi mix to our library. Meet Lacey! (Fostered in the San Francisco Bay Area, CA)

Our best guess on Lacey is CWC/Cavalier King Charles (Ruby) Spaniel. She has a much softer temperament than a traditional Cardi, but the same sense of humor! The result: a very affectionate, easy, loving temperament, with a bit of a character thrown in.

When she came to us she was clearly shy and under-socialized. But she's been finding herself while in foster care and has never displayed any aggression, in spite of her shyness. Recently we discovered that she's a toy thief...but only when you're not looking. Little by little she has collected all of the dog toys in the house and stashed them on her bed - frapping madly during the process!

She will need a relatively calm home (sans young children) with someone who can continue the work we've started to build her confidence (experienced owner required). She's still quite young, about 12-18 months. She has a lot of potential and is as sweet and affectionate as they come. This is a very cuddly dog!

The eyes are striking, and closer examination of her coat coloring substantiates the merle in her. But that gorgeous silky, golden coat comes from the spaniel. It's so soft!

As you'd expect, this dog is lighter boned than a Cardi, and not very big. Lacey weighs in at about 22 pounds. In this picture she's shown with my uncommonly-small Pembroke, Elbee, who weighs only 16 pounds. But the body shape, deep chest and leg structure are very Cardi-like. And check those pants! (BTW, we know for a fact that the white dog in the background is also a second-generation corgi mix...with plenty of sight-hound thrown in...go figure.)

Somewhere along the way someone taught Lacey to sit up in response to hearing, "Good Dog." She can sit like this all afternoon if she thinks it will command attention.

She's not ready quite yet, but at some point in the very near future, this incredibly-sweet little dog is going to make someone very happy - and the feeling will be mutual!

Welcome to the ForPaws Library Lacey! This breed mix is definitely a winning combination when it comes to creating a very nice companion!

2 comments:

JulieandCaleb said...

Oh. My. GOSH. She is amazingly beautiful!

Baledwr said...

Actually I see Pem head more than Cardi...and length and the herring gut/pigeon chest. Reminds me a lot of Ms Nellie in ways...ear shape is not cardi. I have seen (and owned) pems with fronts like that. Too much chiseling in the cheeks.

Not that we don't get cardi mixes (lol) but this one doesn't have anything more cardi to me than pet pemmie. I've had arguments before with pem people who automatically say Cardi if it's a fiddle front or has a tail. Having owned plenty of both I think I have a good eye for breed traits.

Not sure I see Cavalier either. The coat has got long silkies but is still a double coat. That red color comes from Corgi (not a red carried by Cavs or many other possibilities).

I'm looking and almost want to throw Sheltie back in there somewhere, which could account for the ear straggles, even more triangular ears and the height-length proportion. Rear structure looks like some of them too. Could account for merle too, though the eyes could also just be chinablue eyes (carried by both corgis).

Very cute though and I'm sure she'll find a lovely home.