11/11/2026
Before there were Cardigans in my life, there was Pembrokes. And long before Highplains Herders, there were three little but mighty dogs who started a love that would last for a lifetime.
It all began when I was a young adult, with Sassy. A beautiful red and white Pembroke who lived up to every bit of her name. She was bossy, opinionated, comical, and had a deep love for her soccer ball that knew absolutely no end. Her dam was a beautiful red and white, who had graced the pages of numerous magazines. Her sire was well accomplished in the show world. But Miss Sassy? She had her own agenda, and the world simply revolved around it. Or so she liked to think.
Not long after came my Beau. Same Dam as Sassy but a different sire. Also a beautiful red and White.
My sweet beau. Where do I even begin?
He was my ride or die. My main squeeze. My once in a lifetime kind of boy. He was such a derpy, goofy boy. I swear he operated on one functioning brain cell. We often joked he had an ADHD brain. But gosh, that boy had a heart bigger than words could ever describe.
He was my constant. My shadow. My best friend. When I lost him, I lost a piece of myself right along with him. Some dogs leave paw prints on your heart, while others take a piece of it with them when they go. Beau was one of those dogs.
A few years later, Lily came into our lives. Another beautiful Red and White. She was my rescue girl with the gentlest soul. She was calm, patient, and loved everyone, especially my daughter, very dearly. I could mow the lawn right around her, and she wouldn't so much as bat an eye, or even lift her head. She was simply content being there, surrounded by the people she loved. She chased off plenty of yotes out here and came back prouder than could be.
Looking back, I realize just how much each of them gave me during different chapters of my life.
Sassy brought the laughter and chaos. Beau brought a love and companionship I'll never forget. And Lily brought a quiet, gentle kind of love that asked for absolutely nothing in return.
I've had corgis since I was a young adult. They've been beside me through growing up, becoming a mother, life's changes, its happiest moments, and some of its hardest goodbyes. And I truly cannot imagine a life without them.
Now, my heart has grown to love the Cardigan Welsh Corgi just as deeply. But no matter how many dogs come into my life in the future, I'll never forget the ones who started it all.
Before there was a breeding program, before there was a kennel name, and before there were dreams of what I wanted to build someday, there was simply a young woman who fell in love with a little dog.
And that little dog changed everything.
Sassy. Beau. Lily.
They may have only been part of my life, but they’ve been the entire reason corgis will always be in it.
