Hello, I'm Krystal a 25yr old vet tech, living in Minonk with the love of my life with our 7 dogs and 7 cats. I am the proud mom of 3 dachshunds, 2 PWC, and 3 CWC. It's a crazy house but I wouldn't have it any other way.
Cooper and Nora are by far the best dogs ever! They are absolutely inseparable, having to be with one another at all times. They came from Sandy Johnson at Sunny Garden Farm Corgis in Oneida, IL.
Grady came from a family in Bowling Green, MO. This was their first litter, they do not have a kennel. Their son does FFA and wanted to breed his dogs, and ta-dah.......that's how I got Grady.
Izzy came from Connie Whan over at Davenitch Cardigans.
Merle are the same price for me. I do not price them on color but on quality. The average pet price is $600-$700. The average show price is $900-$1000. Blue merles can only come from a breeding of a blue and a black. I do not have a blue girl but I do have a black boy. My friend has a blue litter coming up soon. She is from Davenitch Kennels in Andulusia, IL. I would consider you for a puppy later on, but I do not have a blue female and will not be having blue merle puppies in the near future. Some breeders do charge more for blues but my friend does not. Otherwise I will have another litter coming up is a year or two depending on when she takes. I do not breed often, but I do breed quality puppies.
I will be going to the Rosemont,IL show with Sandy December 19th and 20th. You are welcome to come and see my puppies in the show ring. It will be the first time for this litter since they will be 6 monthes old. I also will be showing their mother and my black and white male Tobi.
It is a bit crazy with six Corgis, but we also have a shi-poo inside with the Corgis and a Leonberger who is the consumate farm dog--he resides primarily outside. So all totaled that makes eight. It can be very noisy when they are all excited at the same time. Living on a farm makes it so much easier. We walk all together off leash when the fields are harvested, otherwise we take walks in shifts to simplify things. Six is not much differnt than five...
Actually I have 8 dogs..one rescue that is part Chow and 7 Corgis...2 males 5 females and then just had 2 litters making an additional 12 puppies. I have a big yard...the back yard is 500 ft deep and all the dogs live in the house which makes for alot of grooming and cleaning. LOL
It can be a bit crazy at times BUT I wouldn't trade it for anything!They all live in the house and I take 1-2 to work with me most days! We have 5 acres for them to roam and play! I do have to get up about an hour earlier to get chores done but my husband usually helps! The hair does occasionally get frustrating so the brushing is a biggie! I am looking forward to a litter in early Feb. and then maybe one in May...that's like another full time job as Bella had 8 for her 1st litter! It is fun!!!!
We've had 3 Pems, so this is heresy, but I feel the draw of the cardi too. Those huge ears and otter tails. Maybe you'll have to wait a few more years, but I'd like to hear some owners of both breeds hold forth on the differences. I've never known a Cardi. Grady sure is cool looking.
Well, he is normal corgi super naughty monster, but that was to be expected! He has decided that rather than the big scary creatures he thought our cats to be when we brought him home, they must actually be giant moving squeaky toys placed in the house for his amusement. Any recommendations on how to get a corgi to stop chasing cats? lol! Other than that, he is learning commands very quickly and our 3 year old daughter has decided she is the boss of him, so she spends most of the night bossing him around. Which is cute cause he weighs 10 lbs more than she does. So other than his occasionally accidents in the house (which I don't really mind because my husband usually gets up first), he has been doing awesome!
That's funny! Guess I don't feel so bad about him chasing the cats now. They have been living in the closet since we brough him home, so I made them a little room in there were they could get out of his reach. It is complete with cat bed and pink plush cat couch. We now refer to our closet as the cat room lol!
It occurred to me that I should have used your cardi for a reference instead of one on the internet--but only after I finished it! D'oh! Here you go. :3 I love merles.
Sorry it took so long, lol. Spring break ending and a video game I've been dying to play came out this week-- plus I had 2 tests, so this got shoved under the rug a bit. I hope you like it. I tried to get his markings as well as I could with the minimalist style and ref pics I could snag.
I looked on puppyfind when I started searching for a Cardi too but I wasn't trusting enough to get a puppy from a website like that. I know they are not all bad breeders though and Grady is proof of that. He may not come from a show line but that doesn't mean he can't be handsome.
I wonder where they got the parents from? Do you have papers on him? I'm curious if there are any dogs from well known breeders anywhere in the line. It's possible that he and Finn share an ancestor somewhere in there. :)
Oh, ok. Finn doesn't have have any Legacy in his pedigree but that doesn't mean Grady's parents don't have some of Finn's relatives in their lines. Either way, he's a doll. :)
We had Finn neutered as well. he ended up with a retained testicle so it was in his best interest to be neutered.
I agree that blue merles are the prettiest and I was set on having one too. A dog is something you are going to have for so long so I think you should get what you want and not have to settle. I'd be a lot more open when choosing a second Cardigan but for my first one, I was dead set on having a blue boy and I really wanted him to have one blue eye and the fact that Finn ended up having just that was such good luck.
Finn is a year and a half old and he can still be a brat too but he has such a fun, loving, happy personality that the good times outweigh the bad.
I've been looking into doing herding with Finnigan as well. You'll have to let me know how you (and the dogs) like it.
That's great that you can take him to work with you and he's lucky to have an owner with an obedience background. I wish I were better versed in obedience because Finn could use more training. We did a puppy class and my husband and I taught him quite a bit at home but he has some habits that I can't seem to break. We'll eventually do another class but I mostly want to do the herding. It is expensive. I checked several places out here (they too are all breed) and they can be costly but I think Finnigan would love it and it would help him burn some energy. We have to be careful though because of his hips. They said he could work ducks and sheep but cattle may be too rough on his hips.
Finn is like Grady in that he thinks everyone and everything is his friend, even birds. That's great that Grady isn't a shy guy. Sounds like you've got a great little Cardi. I'm sure he'll grow into a handsome dog. Finn went through some awkward stages so don't be surprised if suddenly his head looks too big or his body looks to long and skinny. :)
Yes to all. Finn still just kind of scoots back to sit on his butt. It's definitely unlike long legged dogs and it does look funny. I think that's totally normal for Cardis.
As far as the waddling, Finnigan has always had a lot of sway in his hind end when he walks. My Mom's Cardigan has a little but not as much as Finn. When we saw a specialist about his hips recently she said he definitely doesn't walk normally.
When we got Finn at 8 weeks, he was not using his hind legs much. The breeder said he had seen this before and it sometimes just takes a pup longer to get the hang on it and they move in an odd way because they are stiff, kind of like when you see a human baby learning to walk. Another breeder confirmed that this is true but I had a bad feeling about his legs from the get go but we took him because we were already in love with him. He would avoid standing if at all possible and when he stood his legs were very stiff and straight, he didn't bend his legs at all and they were wobbly. When he'd walk he'd keep them straight and kind of swing them around the side and he could bend them in ways that made me cringe. He couldn't run, he'd trip and he couldn't step/jump up onto anything over an inch high. The vet said the tendons were very loose and he probably just needed to strengthen his legs. He did start using them more over time and in a more normal way. I still was concerned by how he'd kick his back legs to one side when he ran and he still couldn't jump onto things like the couch or the bed so at 8 months we had his hips x-rayed and we found that he did indeed have dysplasia. My gut told me he did and we could have returned him to the breeder but he was already our little boy. he will now limp if he gets too much activity for extended periods of time and his hips makes a faint popping sound when he does that slow waddling walk but his legs are much stronger and he can finally jump on the couch (it took him a year and a half to achieve that). So, I'm thinking if you had Grady's hips checked and they are fine then he may just need more time to grow and become strong. Did you see his hip x-rays? How old is he?
Here's Finn at 11 wks and this is about when he started bending his legs. You can see that they are bent in the picture.
Is Grady clumsy? Finn has always been very clumsy. He'll trip with one of his front legs all the time and turn his head and smack his face on the wall or whatever he was standing too close too. He used to stand up on his hind legs (really just sitting on his butt) and lose balance and fall backwards. He can beg now without falling most of the time.
Finn is the only Cardi puppy I've been around so I always wonder how different he is compared to others. I've seen videos of other Cardis and the biggest difference I see is how well they move at a young age compared to how Finn was.
Since you've already ruled out the hips, I would guess he just needs to build strength. Like I said, Finn's back legs have been getting noticably stronger since the day we got him and now at a year and a half old he is finally able to jump up onto things such as the couch. Progress has been slow obviously but he has made huge progress none the less. We went for a couple 15-20 minute walks a day and tried to keep Finn at a steady fast walk, we also walked him up inclines when possible such as hills in the park and we started letting him climb the stairs when he was about 10 months old (but not go down) and that seemed to build muscle. Swimming would be great too but we haven't tried it yet. Just keep up with the strengthening exercises (but don't overdue it since he is still young) and he'll get there. If you have a way of filming him I'd love to see a video of him moving. ??
How did you find that out? I'm sorry to hear that. I wonder how bad it is. I was only vaguely familiar with the condition so did some reading on it here and it sounds like no matter what, it is treatable. We thought in the beginning that Finn might have something like that causing neuro problems because of the walking, the weakness and his incontinence (which we still experience now though it's not extreme). Te specialist said he didn't move like a neuro dog but he may have a deformity inside causing him to dribble. :(
Did you talk to the breeder? I wonder if any of the other pups are experiencing anything like this.
I just realized you're a vet tech. That's convenient!
I'm sorry for you and Grady. Hopefully it won't cause him problems.So I take it they don't know if it's effecting his nerves?
At least you've made the breeder aware. I don't know if there is anything that can be done to prevent it with future litters or not. It would be nice if the breeder would help with the medical cost or refund some of your money. I know some do, but my breeder didn't do any of that either when I proved to him that Finn has HD. He did offer to buy him back but I'm not about to get rid of him.
Maybe Grady will be able to do herding when he's older if no problems present themselves. I'm sure he'll be happy even with the activity limitations; I know Finn is. :)
oh you are sooo kind !!! I tell you the Lord brought this guy to me at just the right time in my life. I am home alone quite a lot of the time and Fin is such a faithful friend and companion. I am thrilled that you love this breed as well : )
Natalie, Lance &Tucker
Aug 23, 2009
Deanna
Aug 24, 2009
Chris
Aug 24, 2009
Wendt Worth Corgi's
Oct 6, 2009
Maggie and Judy
Oct 10, 2009
Kelly
Oct 13, 2009
Kelly
Oct 13, 2009
Kelly
Oct 14, 2009
Natalie, Lance &Tucker
Thanks for the bday balloons, that was sweet. :)
Oct 29, 2009
Natalie, Lance &Tucker
Oct 30, 2009
Teresa Kannard
Nov 9, 2009
Teresa Kannard
Nov 10, 2009
Teresa Kannard
Nov 10, 2009
Teresa Kannard
Nov 11, 2009
Kristen
Nov 14, 2009
Wendt Worth Corgi's
Nov 17, 2009
Jane Christensen
Dec 7, 2009
Natalie, Lance &Tucker
Dec 26, 2009
Sam Tsang
Jan 19, 2010
Cheri
Jan 25, 2010
Lee Moy
Jan 27, 2010
Natalie, Lance &Tucker
Jan 30, 2010
Nanmar
Jan 30, 2010
John Wolff
Feb 20, 2010
Alice
Are those his dew claws in the back I'm seeing? I don't think I've ever seen them intact before.
Feb 22, 2010
Alice
Now that you have one of each Corgi, how would you say they are different so far?
Feb 23, 2010
Jay
Feb 25, 2010
Jay
Feb 25, 2010
Chris West
Mar 3, 2010
Chris West
Mar 3, 2010
Rachael & Waffle
It occurred to me that I should have used your cardi for a reference instead of one on the internet--but only after I finished it! D'oh! Here you go. :3 I love merles.
Mar 8, 2010
Rachael & Waffle
Mar 9, 2010
Rachael & Waffle
Sorry it took so long, lol. Spring break ending and a video game I've been dying to play came out this week-- plus I had 2 tests, so this got shoved under the rug a bit. I hope you like it. I tried to get his markings as well as I could with the minimalist style and ref pics I could snag.
Mar 21, 2010
Christine Jones
Mar 26, 2010
Alice
Apr 2, 2010
Alice
I wonder where they got the parents from? Do you have papers on him? I'm curious if there are any dogs from well known breeders anywhere in the line. It's possible that he and Finn share an ancestor somewhere in there. :)
Apr 2, 2010
Alice
Apr 2, 2010
Alice
We had Finn neutered as well. he ended up with a retained testicle so it was in his best interest to be neutered.
I agree that blue merles are the prettiest and I was set on having one too. A dog is something you are going to have for so long so I think you should get what you want and not have to settle. I'd be a lot more open when choosing a second Cardigan but for my first one, I was dead set on having a blue boy and I really wanted him to have one blue eye and the fact that Finn ended up having just that was such good luck.
Finn is a year and a half old and he can still be a brat too but he has such a fun, loving, happy personality that the good times outweigh the bad.
I've been looking into doing herding with Finnigan as well. You'll have to let me know how you (and the dogs) like it.
Apr 5, 2010
Alice
Finn is like Grady in that he thinks everyone and everything is his friend, even birds. That's great that Grady isn't a shy guy. Sounds like you've got a great little Cardi. I'm sure he'll grow into a handsome dog. Finn went through some awkward stages so don't be surprised if suddenly his head looks too big or his body looks to long and skinny. :)
Apr 6, 2010
Alice
As far as the waddling, Finnigan has always had a lot of sway in his hind end when he walks. My Mom's Cardigan has a little but not as much as Finn. When we saw a specialist about his hips recently she said he definitely doesn't walk normally.
Apr 7, 2010
Alice
Apr 7, 2010
Alice
Is Grady clumsy? Finn has always been very clumsy. He'll trip with one of his front legs all the time and turn his head and smack his face on the wall or whatever he was standing too close too. He used to stand up on his hind legs (really just sitting on his butt) and lose balance and fall backwards. He can beg now without falling most of the time.
Finn is the only Cardi puppy I've been around so I always wonder how different he is compared to others. I've seen videos of other Cardis and the biggest difference I see is how well they move at a young age compared to how Finn was.
Apr 7, 2010
Alice
Apr 9, 2010
Alice
Apr 13, 2010
Alice
Did you talk to the breeder? I wonder if any of the other pups are experiencing anything like this.
Apr 14, 2010
Alice
I'm sorry for you and Grady. Hopefully it won't cause him problems.So I take it they don't know if it's effecting his nerves?
At least you've made the breeder aware. I don't know if there is anything that can be done to prevent it with future litters or not. It would be nice if the breeder would help with the medical cost or refund some of your money. I know some do, but my breeder didn't do any of that either when I proved to him that Finn has HD. He did offer to buy him back but I'm not about to get rid of him.
Maybe Grady will be able to do herding when he's older if no problems present themselves. I'm sure he'll be happy even with the activity limitations; I know Finn is. :)
Apr 14, 2010
Alice
Apr 14, 2010
David
Apr 16, 2010
Liz Hart
Apr 19, 2010
Dawn Kellogg
Apr 22, 2010