Meet the Parents:
(See their photos below)
Dam:
CH Rocky L Kemosabe, aka "Comet," is the dam. She is two years old and this is her first litter. She had a stellar show career, winning her AKC Championship with four Majors. She also won my corgi club's AKC "B Match" in 2022 when she was a puppy. Comet is often a challenge, wanting to be "top dog," with my other corgis, but she is secretly always wanting to be a lap dog, and loves my grandkids - all kids in fact! she has an amazing "wiggle," and is super sweet and loving.
Sire:
CH Rocky L Silver Hammer, aka "Max," is the sire of this litter, from my "Beatles" litter in 2017. He is a six year old tri-colored dog I sent to a show home in Illinois as a pup where he was shown and won his AKC Championship. I co-owned him, always intending to use him in my breeding program. He was returned to me last year due to his other owner's family situation and the timing was perfect since Comet was the ideal choice for him. He now lives with his mother (dog!) elsewhere in CA, happy as a clam as a much loved pet.
SIRE: CH Rocky L Silver Hammer, aka "Max"
Click photo for larger view [Pedigree]
"Max," Best of Breed
New Champion
"Max," Best of Winners
Major win
DAM: CH Rocky L Kemosabe, aka "Comet"
Click photo for larger view [Pedigree]
"Comet" wins the Match!
"Comet," Best of Breed
"Comet," Winners, Major Pts.
Health:
"Comet's" health test results are DM "Clear" and EYES/vWD/ all Normal/Clear. Hips "Good." Review her official results here. "Max's" health test results are DM "Carrier,"
EYES/vWD/EIC/Cardiac/D-Locus all Normal/Clear, Hips "Good." Review his official results here. Both sire and dam have been tested for DM (Degenerative Myelopathy). "Comet," is "Clear/Normal," while "Max," is a DM "Carrier." All that means is all their puppies will only be "Carriers" or "Clear." There is 99% NO chance their offspring will ever manifest symptoms of DM. This litter will all be DNA tested for DM and microchipped in addition to being vaccinated and treated for parasites before they are placed in new homes.
What does this mean to you? Our dogs are tested, shown and bred
to "build a better Corgi" for show and performance competition. From a litter,
maybe one or two will reach the show ring. The rest are placed as
PETS.
The decision is very subjective and it is often a very slight difference
that sends one pup home as a pet and another to a show home;
it may be something as simple as color; a "mismarked" white
tip on an ear or eyes a shade too light, that determines whether
a pup misses
the
show
ring
and
is placed as a pet. The pet owners are the big winners in the long
run. Bottom line, ALL
the pups are healthy and strong, with less likelihood of any genetic
disorders or health problems later in life. Of course, there is no guarantee that some obscure thing may manifest itself, but the chances are less likely. A well-bred Corgi is usually a long-lived Corgi.
The litter is evaluated
at about seven to nine weeks, when show potential determination is made. Pets may go to their new homes at 10-12 weeks old and are sold
on a MANDATORY Spay/Neuter contract with a Limited AKC registration: once the pup is spayed or neutered the
new owner sends me the certificate and then I send the AKC registration
application to them. Neutered pets are easier to live with since they do not "mark" territory as much, are less likely to become aggressive, nor are they as obsessed with the opposite gender. In fact most neutered pets get along better with opposite sex buddies. (I'm only speaking DOG here, honest!)
Pet pups have NO restrictions - they may be shown in ANY event except conformation dog shows. There are MANY performance events which cater
to purebred dogs, regardless if they have been spayed or neutered.
Obedience, Rally, Agility (our personal favorite), Tracking, Herding,
Flyball etc. Corgis are ACES in ALL these events. It's fun too! MANY of our corgis have gone on to compete with their owners in a variety of performance events. Check out
performance events on the Golden Gate PWC Fanciers web site.
Of course, they are wonderful companion dogs, regardless if you EVER want to participate in competition events! :-)
Our Corgis are bred for companionship, conformation and performance - the all-around Corgi!
What you need to know about Corgis:
Corgis are a member of the Herding group. They are stout, tough and strong, And, they have no idea that they are short. THEY think they are 6 feet tall! They
were bred to move livestock. They need room to get plenty of exercise.
On the flip side, they are a good size (25-30 lbs; 12 inches high max.) so they do well
in a smaller space, like an apartment, but MUST have a dedicated owner
who will exercise them religiously. Physically, with their long back
and short legs they are VERY susceptible to weight gain and it will harm
their back, heart and circulatory system if they are allowed to get too heavy. This can be a challenge, as Corgis are ACES at fooling you into feeding them too much!
PLEASE don't allow your Corgi to become a fatty! You will do more harm than good!
Corgis get along well with people, other dogs, cats, livestock and they LOVE to travel because then they can make more friends! They
are usually GREAT with kids, if socialized well when young. Because of
their size, they are not physically intimidating to kids, but they are
not so small
as to be easily breakable either. (Corgis are pretty tough!) Corgis do
better in pairs (at least), with another Corgi(s) or other dogs. They
are
active and need a buddy or else they get bored. Boredom leads to barking,
digging,
chewing and other unpleasant habits. Corgis are masters at being
couch potatoes too,
so with a Corgi you have the best of several worlds: they are great at
being indoors, outdoors and because of their size, they FIT well, almost
everywhere.
Corgis travel well too. Ours go EVERYWHERE with us; and are
welcomed too, since they are always on their best behavior, friendly
and affectionate with everyone. We have used several of them very successfully as "Therapy Dogs" at local retirement homes and boys & girls daycare facilities. Keep your Corgi company, happy and occupied
and you will have a friendly, outgoing companion
who
is
a joy to live with and take
with you everywhere. Corgis are not usually the best guard dog (typically
they will run up to the burglar and ask for a snack and to be petted...),
but they will bark briefly when a strange person, dog or vehicle arrives. (Hello! Somebody is here! Maybe they brought dog treats!)
Corgis SHED. Be Aware. My favorite example is, "after a Corgi sheds for
a week you can assemble a whole new dog." Now, it's not THAT
bad. But, Corgis DO shed. Brush them weekly, and sweep the floor
- often. But it only works if you DO it, regularly! (And have a good vacuum cleaner!)
Reputable Corgi breeders test their dogs for health issues (for example, vWD, eyes
and hips, more recently, for DM) and do not breed any who are not clear of genetic disorders, or at the very least, are less likely to perpetuate a problem.
In this way most breeders are trying to reduce the incidence of hereditary issues. If you
find a Corgi "cheap," or from the pound or the paper - BEWARE.
Of course, nothing is absolute. Occasionally some obscure disorder will
manifest
itself in a well-bred dog, or a "pound puppy" will live to the
ripe old age of 17 without a single health problem. Remember the odds.
These are
exceptions. Good quality, well-bred Corgis usually have a minimum of health-related
genetic disorders
as
compared to many, many other over-bred breeds, overall.
This is NOT to say you shouldn't take a RESCUE Corgi - if you have the
opportunity! "Rescue" Corgis are often the best buddy you will ever make.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, occasionally a nice Corgi will be abandoned
or lost. The Corgi Rescue organization is RABID about finding and taking
these dogs in, caring for them and placing them in exactly the right
home. Rescued Corgis are the luckiest dogs! You may find one at www.goldengatecorgis.org/rescue.htm.
Our Puppies:
We raise our pups from day-one with care, affection, firmness and love. They spend their first month in the warm house; then they are weaned and moved into a large enclosure, either on the back porch or in the garage (weather dependent). They are clean and healthy; handled constantly; taken outdoors to play; exposed to our cats and horses and other dogs (when old enough). They are vaccinated, wormed and groomed regularly. No aggressive behavior is tolerated from the beginning. By the time they go home with their new owners they are brave, outgoing, healthy and strong. And FUN! HOWEVER, and I get asked this a lot: your puppy will be crate trained, but WILL NOT be leash or house trained. That training is YOUR job. But not all that hard to do as they get a little older! ;-)
We
hear from our "old" puppies quite regularly and get photos and
email often. In FACT, TWELVE or our Rocky L Corgis were featured in the 2012 Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club of America calendar! (March, June and August, as well as various candid shots throughout the calendar! How cool is THAT!
