Uninformed PetSmart Worker
Oppy has a habit of destroying even some of the toughest toys, so we decided to take him to PetSmart to pick out a new frisbee and a bone. While we were in the store, one employee came up to him and started petting him and letting Oppy give him kisses. He asked if Oppy was a Cardigan or maybe a mix. We just looked at him with weird faces, because our little man is obviously a Pembroke. The reason he thought this was because Oppy's tail isn't docked, so he's got the full thing to wag. Other than the tail, he's not the right coloration for a cardigan, his ears are too small to be a cardigan, and his coloring would be all wrong. The employee claimed he had a pembroke and claimed that he was born with a nubby tail and had never heard of docking. Even before we got Oppy, we did some pretty decent research on the breed, this guy obviously didn't do his homework. We just thought it was pretty bad how this guy who works at a pet store doesn't understand his own dog.
Also, here's Oppy in his long tailed glory! (This is actually a somewhat old picture, his tail is a little bushier now)
Also, here's Oppy in his long tailed glory! (This is actually a somewhat old picture, his tail is a little bushier now)
Comment
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Comment by Shepdog on July 28, 2009 at 12:18pm
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Just a quick comment (I'm good and won't get into the food comments here at all since that was not the point of the post.) Not all show people are jerks. The thing is, is that if you take your dog to a show and look actively for an opinion, you're going to get a bluntly honest one from a lot of people. Nope, not every dog is perfect and gosh knows mine sure aren't, and that doesn't make them any less of a wonderful pet. However, for conformation showing, there are breed standards they're trying to get the closest too - and a lot of good breeders who do show and who do health checks and strive to further their chosen breed end up picking up the pieces and rescuing dogs from a lot of poor or uneducated breeders. That's not saying anyone here is that way, I'm just trying to offer a reason that show people often come across as short and dismissive. Is it polite or right? No. I really try to give a hand ,since I sure remember being at that total novice stage - and the helpful critiques really stayed with me over the years and taught me a lot, in both obedience and conformation.
Unfortunately, I've learned - any sort of competition, dogs, cats, horses, heck, target shooting - hahah, you're going to have to have a thick skin and take things with a grain of salt. Some of the harshest opinions I ever got sure didn't feel great at the time, but stepping back later and looking at it --- they were honestly right.
I think all Corgis pretty much have the adorable button turned on all the time, regardless what they do for a living. :) Personally, I'd love to see Op walk into my shop and say hi - in all my years I've only seen one other Pem with a tail, and he was an imported dog! :D It's really interesting to see how fox-like that tail really is when it's not a nub!
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Comment by Matt & Hilliary on July 28, 2009 at 10:30am
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Thank you Sam. Roger/Laurie: show people are very strict. If your dog is not perfect it will be ripped apart, which is a shame. Chepstow is adorable and looks like a great Pem to me. Same thing with Oppy, he might not be up to exact standards, but he is definitely 100% Corgi. Not everyone/dog can be perfect.
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Comment by Sam Tsang on July 28, 2009 at 10:20am
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Oppy is very cute :) Love that tail!!! That pose reminds me of a sea otter!
We were all once students and didn't know anything about corgis, so be kind, be helpful, Matt and Hillary started this blog post, respect their opinion and space, if you feel differently, settle your difference privately. No one likes an obnoxious house guest.
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Comment by Roger/Laurie on July 28, 2009 at 9:12am
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When our Chepstow (red/white) was 5 months old we took him to a Corgi show in South Carolina. We had some "idea" that if he had good conformation we would not neuter him and breed him. We thought where else would we get expert information. Within 5 minutes our baby was torn apart. Tail (1/2 in) to long, legs are a little to long, coat to smooth, small for a male and etc. We did get our answers but they were very mean about it. Only one person said anything nice about him. But to add insult to injury a women showing her Corgi came up and said "is that a Jack Russell"? Now he may not be a perfect looking show dog, but he is definitely a nice looking Pembroke Welsh Corgi.
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Comment by eric on July 27, 2009 at 3:51pm
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Yeah, and Oppy's a cute dog so Matt and Hillary are automatically right.
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Actually, Cassie, Science Diet is probably one of the best foods you can feed your dog. Matt and I are both DOG lovers, and I (Hilliary) am very educated on breeds. Cardis are very rare in red and white and the only people who know that are people who own them and have read entire books on them or people who are obsessed with dogs. We appreciate your input, but please keep your rude comments to yourself.
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How's the weather up there on that pedestal?
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Comment by Cassie and Jaunty on July 27, 2009 at 3:08pm
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It IS good for me. I guess I wish other people were just as interested or at least curious about other breeds. I was hoping that all Corgi owners were dog lovers. I give. You're right. By the way, the correct term is 'coat', not 'fur'.
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Ah well, faildog on that entry - haha, don't use notepad. I misplaced the section where I said he's at that puppy grow-every-which-way stage in your photos where everything's out of proportion for a while. Head, tail, body, everything looks a little off because it's catching up and growing in spurts. (Oh man, and trust me, my two boys are at that stage right now of "Please grow into that head..." They look really sort of all over awkward right now. Like teenagers, haha, minus the fact they can't drive my car... thank goodness.)
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Yeah, those aren't the most recent pictures (probably 2 months or so old, he's only 8 months old now). He's also not the most photogenic dog, always turning his head away or something right when you want to take the picture.
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