From Cattle Herder to Royal Companion: What Makes Corgis Special

A Pembroke Welsh Corgi · Photo: CC BY 2.0

⏱ 3 min · Climate & Knowledge · As of: 31 July 2026, 10:05

Most people know corgis as the short-legged favourite dogs of Queen Elizabeth II. Yet the animals began as something quite different: sturdy working dogs. For centuries they drove cattle and sheep in Wales – and were only taken from the farm to the royal court in the 20th century.

A dwarf with a job

The name already gives away the size: „corgi“ combines the Welsh words „cor“ (dwarf) and „gi“ (dog) – dwarf dog. The short legs were no accident but a working advantage: low to the ground, the dog could nip at cattle's heels and duck away in a flash beneath kicking hooves. A Welsh legend even claims that fairies once used corgis as steeds and to pull their coaches – the pale markings in the coat are said to be the imprint of a fairy saddle.

Two breeds, one constant mix-up

Strictly speaking there is no single „corgi“ but two breeds: the Pembroke Welsh Corgi and the Cardigan Welsh Corgi, named after two counties in Wales. They were only recognised as separate breeds in 1934. The quickest way to tell them apart: the Cardigan has a long tail, the Pembroke almost none. The Pembroke is the better-known – and the royal – variety.

The Queen's dogs

The royal career began in 1933, when the future King George VI brought home a Pembroke named Dookie for his family. Elizabeth got her own first corgi, Susan, for her 18th birthday in 1944. Susan became the ancestor of almost all the Queen's later dogs: she owned more than 30 corgis over her lifetime, many from her own breeding programme at Windsor. In old age she deliberately stopped breeding – she did not want to leave a young dog behind. In 2012 the corgis even appeared in the opening film of the London Olympics, alongside James Bond actor Daniel Craig.

Nearly gone – then an internet star

Popular as the breed seems, in 2014 Britain's Kennel Club placed the Pembroke on its list of vulnerable native breeds, because the number of registered puppies had dropped below 300. What saved the corgi was, of all things, the internet – short legs, a broad grin and the royal reputation made it a fixture on social media and one of the most popular family dogs in the United States.

In context: The corgi shows how a forgotten working animal can become a cultural phenomenon. Between fairy tale, cattle pasture and Buckingham Palace, one thing remains above all: a small dog with a surprisingly big story.

Facts checked against Britannica, the American Kennel Club and the UK Kennel Club, among others. Symbolic image · Photo: CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.