Collection: Personalised Pembroke Welsh Corgi Gifts

The name ‘Corgi’ actually translates to ‘Dwarf Dog’ which is a very accurate description as this small dog is really a large dog on a short leg – there is plenty of bang for your bark! Bark is right as the Corgi has an impressive voice like many exports from Wales and is a breed brimful of character.

Even though they have been a high-profile and long-standing favourite of Her Majesty the Queen, the Pembroke Corgi is actually in serious decline with sufficiently low numbers in the UK to make them quite a rare breed. There also used to be a larger version called the Cardigan Corgi but this was amalgamated with the Pembroke Corgi in the 1930s and the name disappeared although breeders still make a distinction between the two types and there are physical differences.

It’s no great mystery where these character dogs originate from, they hail from Pembrokeshire in Wales and have one of the most enchanting backstories in Welsh folklore. This breed reputedly pulled mythical fairy carriages during fairy battles. Two Corgis were gifted to two small children who happened to witness a fairy funeral and the rest as they say is history. The breed features a dark patch of fur under the shoulders which is still referred to as a fairy saddle.

Most experts believe that the Pembroke Welsh Corgi is descended from the Swedish cattle dogs, the Valhunds, which came to Wales with the Vikings in the 9th and 10th centuries. Corgis were first recognised by the Kennel Club in the 1920s and then in 1934, the Pembroke and the Cardigan Corgi were registered as two separate breeds. Despite the patronage of the Royal family, the Corgi is still relatively scarce in the UK.

Despite their working heritage, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi is very calm for a former working breed and have a very happy and loving personality. They are intelligent so easy to train but like many former working breeds, can be quite independent and wilful.