Welsh corgis weave their magic a long way from home

Lowri Llewelyn

‘Estonia? What’s in Estonia?’ I’m asked every time I say I’m spending the summer here.

Corgis, it turns out.

I’m bewildered to find the cobbled streets of Tallinn crawling with Welsh corgis. Corgis are rather a rare sight in Wales, and I’m keen to learn why they’ve become so beloved in the Baltics.

Which is how I find myself at Estonia’s first Corgi Fest.

I ask founder Tanhel-Maria Rozenbaum what inspired the event. ‘As a corgi owner myself, I’ve noticed how people react with joy and excitement whenever they see my dog on the streets. It’s always heartwarming to hear people exclaim, “Look, a corgi! Corgi!”’

A metalhead named Denno is here with his corgi Alfred. Why corgis? ‘Look at them. What’s not to like? Why get another breed if you can get a corgi?’

Others note the breed’s medium size, suitable for apartment living. In a city of free public transport they’re also easy to move.

‘Goofy’

Melanie is here with her corgi Tõru (‘in Estonian it means acorn’). She notes the breed’s suitability as a family dog. But above all, looks do still matter. ’They’re kind of goofy dogs, you know?’

Pooches turn out in their finery for the event. Others take fancy dress in another direction ‒ there’s corgis constables, corgi lobsters, corgi hotdogs. There’s Pembrokshire corgis and Cardigan corgis. Do Estonians know the role their fur babies play in Welsh mythology?

Break down the word ‘corgi’ and what you’ll get is ‘corach’ (dwarf) and ‘gi’ (dog). From there, legend has it the ‘tylwyth teg’ (fairies) rode these dwarf dogs through the woods into battle.

Invariably dog owners are delighted when I share this, while corgis look at me like Duh.

As Mark Rees explains in his podcast Ghosts & Folklore of Wales, multiple versions of the story exist in literature.

One sees two children stumble across a fairy funeral procession in the forest. The corgis, left without anyone to ride them, are thus brought to the human world. In another version, children rescue the corgis from harm and are rewarded with dogs to help on their farm.

While it’s Queen Elizabeth II’s fondness for the breed that gained the corgi its infamy, long before that the dog had been favoured by Welsh farmers.

Herding

Corgis made excellent herding dogs owing to their intelligence and short stature, able to nip long legs while dodging the kick of a displeased cow.

The Welsh Corgi Club was founded in a pub in 1925. While farmers were keen to showcase the corgi at dog shows, arguments ensued as to whether the Pembrokeshire corgi or Cardigan corgi had the superior characteristics.

The foxlike tail of the Cardigan corgi or the Pembrokshire corgi’s large, pointed ears? It would take until 1935 for the British Kennel Club to put the bickering to bed by creating two separate categories.

I find myself suffering from loneliness in Estonia and the familiar faces of Corgi Fest bring some level of comfort. I’m delighted the fairies are bringing corgis on their own European adventures.

So, where to next?