International Corgi Day Date in the current year: June 4, 2024

The Welsh corgi, often referred to simply as corgi, is a small herding dog breed that originated in Wales. The name corgi can be loosely translated from Welsh as “dwarf dog”. There are two separate corgi breeds: the Pembroke Welsh corgi, originating in Pembrokeshire, and the Cardigan Welsh corgi, originating in Cardiganshire. They were originally listed as one breed, but were recognized as separate breeds in 1935.

Cardigan Welsh corgis are larger than Pembroke Welsh corgis, have larger ears and a longer tail. In addition, the breed standard of the Cardigans allows for a greater variety of colors. The Pembroke Welsh corgi is the more popular of the two breeds because it is the preferred breed of Queen Elizabeth II, who has owned more than thirty Pembroke corgis and dorgis (corgi-dachshund crosses).

Although corgis aren’t exactly low-maintenance because they have a double coat that requires regular grooming and are very energetic and therefore need long walks and active play sessions, they are one of the most popular dog breeds. This is not surprising at all because corgis are cute, intelligent, loyal, playful, and easy to train.

Originally bred as herding dogs, corgis have become a popular companion breed. They are affectionate with family members and people they know well, good with children and other pets, and generally feel comfortable in a small apartment, as long as you make sure they get enough exercise.

Sadly, the growing popularity of corgis has a downside: some people adopt corgis because they’re so cute and popular only to end up realizing that owning a dog is too much work and responsibility. Because of this, even adorable corgis can be given up by their owners and wind up in rescues and shelters. Due to this, one of the goals of International Corgi Day is to raise awareness of rescues that specialize in finding new forever homes for corgis and corgi mixes.

International Corgi Day has been celebrated every year since 2019. It was founded by the four crew leaders of the Omaha Corgi Crew, a community of corgi lovers who help others with purchasing, adopting, and responsibly re-homing corgis and corgi mixes, as well as organize fundraisers for local small-base rescues that are often overlooked by “big” donors and are in a desperate need of funds.

International Corgi Day is most widely celebrated in the United States where it originated, but anyone can host an International Corgi Day event in any country. If you’re a proud corgi owner or someone who loves corgis, you can celebrate the holiday by purchasing official Corgi Day merch to support a corgi rescue or donating to a corgi rescue of your choice directly, spreading the word about the holiday on social media with the hashtag #InternationalCorgiDay, showing some love to the corgis around you, and looking up cute corgi pictures and videos.