Cardigan Complex

(Just an extra Corgi puppy Friday too… since we have Corgi...

Fri, 24 May 2013 18:48:12 -0700

(Just an extra Corgi puppy Friday too… since we have Corgi puppies!)

One of these Corgis is doing their own thing! ;)

Tempe week! Corgi puppy Friday!!! :D <3 Man, she was just a...

Fri, 24 May 2013 18:42:27 -0700

Tempe week!

Corgi puppy Friday!!! :D <3

Man, she was just a squishable, snuggable puppy!

Tempe week — Tempe and Ginger being bff’s on the...

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:24:55 -0700

Tempe week —

Tempe and Ginger being bff’s on the sofa tonight. :) It’s funny, they pass the chew back and forth while they’re watching TV.

I know, I know. I’m cheating on Tempe week with babies,...

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:54:00 -0700

I know, I know. I’m cheating on Tempe week with babies, but…

Come on, look at Topaz’s tongue. She is like pbbbbtthhhht. How can you not love that? ;)

For such a girly Hello Kitty fan, Tempe as a puppy...

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:45:00 -0700

For such a girly Hello Kitty fan, Tempe as a puppy didn’t quite see the joy in unicorns.

“This better be the last unicorn. Heh, I made a funny. Get it? Get Peter S. Beagle on the phone, he totally needs to hear this.”

(It’s okay. When she was a teenager, she totally went horse crazy. I guess she’s my kid after all. ;) )

Tempe week, day 2 — Tempe on the farm, hanging out with...

Tue, 21 May 2013 22:43:24 -0700

Tempe week, day 2 — Tempe on the farm, hanging out with her pal Mercedes the Great Dane.

Aw, springtime girls. :D

Do we get to see a picture of mama Kate? -rose8423 Sure!...

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:43:12 -0700

Do we get to see a picture of mama Kate? -rose8423

Sure! Kate’s a lovely girl. If you follow my blog at all, these puppies are half-sisters and brothers to Ginger. :D

Will your other dogs be meeting papa Caleb's puppies? I remember seeing the picture of Simon meeting Tempe for the first time and his expression was priceless.

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:38:00 -0700

Yup, when the time comes, they will be in and out of my house too! Both the co-breeder and I feel that puppies need to be socialized with all dogs and new places and things. My dogs are grand with puppies, and Simon loves puppies, so… hahah, I have a built in babysitter.

Poor Simon. ;) I am totally only paying him five dollars an hour for it too. I’m sure he’ll save it all up and buy himself a Wubba.

Two questions! Firstly, loooove your blog, your dogs are so beautiful! I was wondering how you got into showing, and what tips you'd give for a beginner looking to get into it/acquiring a "show quality" puppy. I'm already a show-lurker, just wondering how you'd advise the next steps. Secondly, seeing as your cardis are show dogs and so I'm assuming intact.. How do you handle the inevitable bedlam when Tempe comes into season? Bit of a weird question, but I'm curious! Thank you!

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:33:04 -0700

Awwww… thank you! :)

Actually, my love of showing comes from cats. I started with Household Pets when I was like oh, five. The cat was bigger than me. Then we had an Old English Sheepdog my parents showed - and then horses. When I moved out, I still showed cats (my Korats) and then got into working GSD’s that progressed to a show GSD, and then when she finally passed away- I went to Cardis. :)

Still have the cats. Will always have cats. Love cats, shhh. ;) I could totally do a cat blog, but man, the internet is full of better cat pictures than mine.

Honestly? My tips would be this. Find a breed you love, and then find a breeder that is willing to mentor you. Talk to all the people you can, go to dog shows and look at all the dogs you like and make notes as to the breeders. Most of the time at dog shows I don’t have time to talk until I’m done showing, but man, I love to talk with folks about the breed and if you just say, “I know you are incredibly busy, but I’m interested in the breed and would be interested in learning how to show, could we talk later or could I get your number so I can contact you when you’re not so busy?” I will make time for you, you bet! Most folks are awesome about that. They love to talk their dogs. It’s just showing is a ton of busy prep and a bit of stress of course.

If I was to give one bit of advice, it would be this. Chances of getting an amazing quality girl from a show breeder if you haven’t proven that you will show (most people start and then drop out) is very slim to none. Your best bet is to start with a boy. That’s what I did on both of my breeds of dog, and I got a much higher quality boy to start out with and as breeders saw I was serious and sticking with showing- then the offers of “I just might have a girl for you…” started coming in. That’s how I ended up with Tempe. Her breeders knew I showed and would show and I would stick with it. It’s good for them and good for me. Plus they know they’d have to pry her out of my cold dead fingers. ;)

Hahah, actually… the bedlam isn’t too bad here. When that time comes, Tempe sleeps in her crate next to the bed with the crate cover on. I don’t let her out of my sight and of course, she’s not allowed alone outside by herself or with the boys, period. Usually I take her to work with me and she sleeps behind the counter all day and that helps a lot to break it all up for the dogs.

The boys really are good and don’t get stupid until the actual day (and boy do they know.) Simon’s actually a pretty easy going dude about it, he’d uh… rather play ball than hang out with the girls, and always has. The worst I get is a whole lot of whining and a bit of howling. :)

I’ve had them out around all sorts of girls in heat and ever since they were puppies my rule has been “mind your manners.” I say leave it and I mean it - and they do. No lifting your leg all over the place, no throwing yourself at girls. Honestly? The two unfixed boys are politer than Riley, and he’s been fixed since he was 10 weeks old. I don’t like rude boys and neither do most girls. ;) It’s totally uncalled for and can be redirected postively somewhere else.

Nah, not a weird question at all. :) Lots of folks I know run mixed households and it can be tough to live with. I have two good tempered boys with good minds and good manners, and I appreciate them every day for it!

Gotta share with all you awesome Corgi Tumblr people before I go...

Tue, 21 May 2013 01:40:36 -0700

Gotta share with all you awesome Corgi Tumblr people before I go and bed down myself for the night. Shh, you get to be the first to know since it’s 1:40 in the morning here.

Caleb x Kate babies arrived tonight. <3 All happy, all healthy. Five girls, three boys. Mom is doing great, babies are great… me? I’m going to go curl up into a ball now and go to bed.

Start of Tempe week! There she goes as a puppy — top...

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:52:24 -0700

Start of Tempe week!

There she goes as a puppy — top speed! ;)

I loved Caleb week! Can you post another video of him singing?—...

Sun, 19 May 2013 18:07:18 -0700

I loved Caleb week! Can you post another video of him singing?— randomponeh

Of course! Caleb week can end on a wooooo. ;)

Sunday — last day for Caleb week awwww… <3 So with Tempe sort...

Sun, 19 May 2013 15:56:13 -0700

Sunday — last day for Caleb week awwww… <3

So with Tempe sort of poking herself in places she doesn’t belong… (hahha, poor Caleb) we start Tempe week tomorrow! :D

Another older shot of Caleb… he’s about 15 months...

Sat, 18 May 2013 14:10:48 -0700

Another older shot of Caleb… he’s about 15 months here, I think. :)

I just love all the reds and contrast of the green and the bench…

Caleb week and Corgi puppy Friday… :) “I know you...

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:46:20 -0700

Caleb week and Corgi puppy Friday… :)

“I know you said we’re going in the house, but… um, I can’t hear you.”

“You have ears, Caleb. Use em.”

Hoarding bones… Caleb, you’re doing it wrong. ;)

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:23:31 -0700

Hoarding bones…

Caleb, you’re doing it wrong. ;)

A) my life goal is to someday meet Simon B) my mom says you should never let me near Simon cause I'd probably try to steal him C) I want a blue Merle someday when I have the money, but I would really like a Simon clone/baby Yes I am a bit obsessed with Simon just like everyone else. His eyes, his expressions, his mothering towards others, HIS TREE CLIMBING!!! Ok I could go on for awhile but I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed Simon week <3

Wed, 15 May 2013 19:22:37 -0700

Hahaha, awwww… well, I kinda like the goofball. He’s a pretty special dog. You ever get this way, you can totally meet him. Besides, I’m not worried— you’d give him back in a few hours after your arm fell off playing ball with him on the beach. <3 He’s a bit obsessive, shhh.

I love the merles too. I totally wanted a merle after having two tone Shepherds. Shh. Not that I don’t love all colors, but man, there’s just something neat on how merle is never the same, every dog looks just different.

Oh man, well, the first time he climbed a tree I about had a heart attack. I was like “ahhh, don’t fall, don’t…” nah, he didn’t, he just laughed and I realized okay, well… you obviously know better than I do! ;)

So Simon, I would like to thank you for being the dog responsible for starting my corgi addiction. 5 years ago I laid eyes on a picture of you on DeviantART and I have been coo-coo for corgis ever since. Over the course of those 5 years I have been persistent in begging my mom for a corgi of my own, and about a month ago, my wish came true. Rorey is a blue-tri pembroke and the love of my life. I'm not sure what I'd do without her, so I'd like to say thanks so much for sparking my quest. -Taylor

Wed, 15 May 2013 19:10:49 -0700

Simon sez, “That’s one short step for me, but a giant leap for all Corgikind! Woof! You has good taste in dogs! Corgis are the best!”

Actually, aw… this totally made me smile. This is the sort of thing I love to hear, I’m so glad that my photos made you smile, and that through them fell in love with the breed. Five years is a long time, and it sounds like your family and you did your research, that you agreed that a Corgi was right for your family, and that the breed fit your lifestyle. :D

It sounds like Rorey has a fantastic home, and that you have a fantastic friend, and I’m glad that my photos and my dogs brought you on that path of dogdom. <3 That’s something pretty special, to know that there’s a bond out there that happened because of my love for my crew. I adore all my animals from the time they walk through my door to the time they leave my life, and I can’t imagine my life without them for all the good times and all the bad ones. They support me, they laugh with me, and they laugh at me too. ;)

I’m sure Rorey is like that for you too, and I hope somewhere along the line someone sees a picture of her somewhere and goes coo-coo for Corgis and they go on a search of their own and the cycle goes on, and on. Dogs and the people that love them sure make the world even better. <3

Caleb down on the beach practicing his super model poses…

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:27:00 -0700

Caleb down on the beach practicing his super model poses…

Day 2 of Week Caleb — Caleb, at 8 months old. I love his...

Tue, 14 May 2013 16:26:00 -0700

Day 2 of Week Caleb —

Caleb, at 8 months old. I love his wonderful round ears and the planes of his head. He’s just always been a pretty boy.

(Also I think he’s got Dish Network for free, just saying.)