Elvie Whitworth Longfellow is
a Pembroke Welsh Corgi.
Pembroke Welsh Corgis are a very old breed.
They have been used in Wales as herders and general farm dogs for hundreds
of years. They are highly intelligent, devoted, playful, and yes, a little
bossy! If you want a lapdog, this may not be the breed for you, although some corgis are more that way than Elvie. The
most important thing to remember when deciding on a dog to share your home and life, is to match the
breed to your lifestyle. This will give you the best chance for a long,
happy relationship with your canine companion.
Here's
Elvie at five months of age, helping shuck corn. It was the first time
he had met his good friend Ayla, a young adult Rottweiler. He was a bit
afraid of her at first, but he snarled at her when he thought she might
get his corn! Ayla has gone to the Rainbow Bridge now. She was one of the finest dogs I ever knew.
Elvie completed
the first of his many community service activities the next month. We took dogs to
a day care, did a short talk, questions and answers, and playtime. Animals,
left to right: Ayla, Rottweiler; Ruffles, Shepherd mix (hard to see); Chloe,
Basset Hound; Elvie, Pembroke Welsh Corgi.
Here's
Elvie at the Jaycee's Annual Doggie Daze, a charity event which benefits
the local Animal Shelter. In front of him is his Basset Hound buddy, Lucky (who has since gone to the Rainbow Bridge).
Elvie and dogs from the Humane Society Shelter marched in the 1999 and 2000 St. Patrick's Day parade in Dublin, Iowa, helping to publicize the local Animal Shelter.
Elvie has two sisters. The older one's name is Angel and she is an All-American mixed breed. She is mostly brown, about 16 pounds, and we believe she may be a mix of terrier, beagle, corgi, and Chihuahua. When she first came to us, she exhibited many signs of abuse (bad teeth, malnutrition, cringing and yelping at a light touch). Angel has lived with us since 2000, and we are seeing the last of those abuse behaviors melt away. She is a great little companion; she and Elvie love each other and are inseparable.
Elvie's younger sister is Clare, a tri-colored corgi. She came to us as a rescue...we planned to get her orthopaedic problems fixed and find her a home. She found her home with us. She had a lot of growing up and learning to do, but consistency and love have done wonders!
If you have an only dog, I really recommend getting a rescue or shelter dog as a companion. Your dog will teach the new dog the ropes, and you will be rewarded 100-fold with canine love!
Links to other sites on the Web
Back
to Elvie's Mama's homepage
Corgiaid: assistance for rescue corgis with medical needs.
Rescue Contacts for Welsh Corgis.
Want to learn more about Pembroke Welsh Corgis, and their cousins, Cardigan Welsh Corgis? Subscribe to Corgi-L discussion group. Their homepage is:The Official Corgi-L Homepage
Spay and neuter your companion animals. Leave breeding to responsible, knowledgeable breeders. Every day millions of healthy dogs and cats are euthanized in America. This is no way to treat our best friends, so when it's time to adopt a new family member, go to a shelter and SAVE A LIFE. Elvie hates to think of dogs and cats without good homes. He'd like you to visit your local Animal Shelter and if you can't adopt, ask what you can do to help.
When you see rainbows on my pages, they are in memory of my sweet human rainbow child, Michael Benjamin, born and died May 13, 1986. I know he would have loved animals as much as his dad and I do.
Thank you for visiting my home page.
MaryAW (Animal Woman to my friends)
We are all in the same boat, both animals and men. You cannot promote kindness to one without benefiting the other. -E.E.Hale
Who says dogs don't have souls? They take a part of ours when they leave.
© 2009 Animal Woman