The home of the Pembroke Welsh Corgi is the Celtic country of Wales and, as the name suggests, the county of Pembroke. There is also the Welsh Corgi Cardigan, which will not be discussed further here. As with many breeds, one can only speculate about their early beginnings. The similarity of the Pembrokes to the Västgötaspets (Swedish Vallhund) and the Lundehund, which came to the British Isles with the Vikings, is striking.

In the 10th century, Welsh legislation threatened a heavy penalty for stealing or killing a "curre" or "cur" dog. Corgi means something like “small (low) dog” in Welsh.

For centuries, Corgis were irreplaceable farming dogs. The Pembrokes have always been used only for large livestock: they brought cattle and ponies to the extensive, unfenced pastures and back again and, if necessary, drove them over the mountains to the cattle markets all the way to England. They also kept rodents and predators on the farm, reported visitors and also played with the children.

As a cattle dog, the corgi had to be small and agile in order to quickly pinch a cow's heel and dive nimbly under the footstep. This peculiarity earned them the reputation of “Hackenzwickers” in the 1950s. However, nothing of this is noticeable today, at most a gentle nudge with the nose on the calf. What has remained with the Corgis from this time is their constant alertness, their lightning-fast reactions, their self-confidence and their fearlessness, but also their robust health and weather resistance. The hunting instinct is not very pronounced.

Since 1925, the Pembroke and Cardigan have been recognized together as "Welsh Corgi" by the Kennel Club, and after much dispute between the camps, they were finally officially recognized as separate breeds in 1934. With the beginning of the show career and parallel to the restructuring of agriculture from beef cattle to sheep farming and the fencing of the pastures, the Corgis practically completely disappeared from the farms, but since 1933 a few Pembrokes have kept company "at court" of the English Queen Elisabeth.

*Source: VDH breed lexicon -https://www.vdh.de/welpen/mein-welpe/welsh-corgi-pembroke-*

Wales is a land of fairy tales, with castles around every bend and elves or fairies behind every menhir (menhir).

So it's no surprise that there are elf dogs in Wales too, and here's the story about the origin of the Corgi.

Queen Mab clapped her hands.

"I'm bored," she cried, "let's ride!" 

Immediately a small red and white dog appeared before the elf queen, wearing a golden collar with a golden bell. On his back lay a tiny saddle made of the finest leather and chased silver. Similar dogs appeared before the other members of the elf court. Each mounted on the back of his magic hound, and led by Queen Mab and her huntsman Dark Edric, they rode out of the caves of the hills. They flew through the Welsh forests by the light of the moon.

Suddenly one of the elves let out a scream. His mount had struck a poacher's iron trap!

Contact with iron means certain death for elves, and the courtier and his small dog were thrown to the ground by the force of the metal. The other elves gathered around her, but kept their distance so as not to be hunted down by the cold iron.

"What should we do?" asked Queen Mab. “We can’t just let them die here.”

A small, timid voice broke the silence that followed her words.

A human child peeked out from behind a tree, his frightened sister next to him. The boy said:

"If your majesty wishes, I can move the trap away so that it no longer touches the two of them. And my sister knows about medicinal herbs. She may be able to ease their pain."

"What are you doing here at this late hour, boy?" the queen wanted to know. “Don’t you know that the night holds many dangers for mortals.”

“My father is a shepherd,” answered the boy. "Our best sheep has disappeared, and if we don't find it, we will go hungry."

“Save my friends,” said the queen, “and I will repay you many times over.”

The boy and his sister dragged the heavy trap away until it could do no more damage.

Then the girl collected oak bark and blackberry leaves, which she moistened in the stream and made a pain-relieving compress. Thanks to the healing powers of the herbs, the elf and his riding dog were soon well again.

"I promised you a reward," said Queen Mab.

She rang the golden bell her dog wore around her neck twice.

Two red and white puppies appeared. They were short-legged, strong and robust, with dark eyes that sparkled with intelligence.

"They are elf dogs," said Queen Mab. "They are fast, clever and loyal, and they can herd both cattle and sheep. Be good to them and you will never lose your animals again."

Then she clapped her hands and she and her entourage disappeared. Only the two puppies remained.

The shepherd's family became wealthy and the elf dogs had puppies.

The corgis, as they were called - "cor" meaning dwarf in Welsh and "gi" meaning dog - were highly prized throughout the country for their herding qualities.

As a sign of their origins as elven mounts, all bore traces of the saddle or harness behind their shoulders.

And on St. John's Day, when the dogs were, for once, a little tired, the shepherds nodded their heads wisely.

They knew that the elves came back every year on Midsummer Night to ride the corgis so that they would never forget where they came from.

Found on the internet.

Source: Anita Nordlunde, -https://www.welshcorgi-news.ch-

Graphics: Billie Stahl, -https://www.corgihouse.de-