Goodbye, Mr Corgi?

Hello, everyone. Are you all well? I hope so.  Oh, don’t worry about the headline to this post! Cadwaladr and Graigcoch are safe and well! And even though they can be very naughty sometimes, I am not thinking of saying goodbye to them. Oh, I cannot even imagine life without my Corgi boys! No, this post is about the decline of the Corgi population in Britain.

As you all know, our family really enjoys hiking—especially Cadwaladr—and when we have spare time and good weather we always try to do lots of hiking. At the weekend we had a very nice time hiking in the Brecon Beacons. It was wonderful to walk on top of the mountains. There was snow at the top and it was misty; it almost seemed like another world. I felt very peaceful and serene.

 

We let Cadwaladr and Graigcoch off their leads as we walked back down and it was wonderful to see them both running down the mountain. They were having so much fun chasing each other. They seemed so happy and carefree. My Corgi boys looked so beautiful! I thought to myself, “Yes, this is where they belong!”

 

When we got home I kept thinking of them running down the mountain together. It is so nice to collect beautiful memories, isn’t it? You can play them back inside your mind like a favourite film. But later I began to think about other things. I thought about how rare it is to see a Corgi in Wales. I thought of all the hiking trips we have taken together around Wales, and I could not remember seeing any other Corgis during our hiking trips. There are always lots of dogs hiking with their owners: Labradors, Border Collies, Shelties, Westies, Huskies...but never Corgis.

 

Corgis, it seems, are a dying breed in their home country. The Kennel Club have been doing research into this and Cardiganshire Welsh Corgis and Pembrokeshire Welsh Corgis are now on a list of dog breeds whose numbers are in decline. The list consists of breeds which achieve 300 or fewer registrations every year in the UK.  The list can be viewed here:

(Link to Kennel Club Article: http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/getting-a-dog-or-puppy/finding-the-right-dog/vulnerable-native-breeds/)

It is very sad news for Wales as Welsh Terriers and Welsh Springer Spaniels are also on the list of vulnerable breeds, and Skye Terriers, Old English Sheepdogs, and Irish Wolfhounds are all in decline, too. It is very sad for the whole of the British Isles. I don’t know why these breeds are in decline. All I know is that I just feel so thankful that I have my Corgi boys and that I can look forward to collecting more beautiful memories of them.

 

 

For anyone reading this in other countries, how is the Corgi population where you are? Have you seen any of the other vulnerable breeds listed lately?