Category Archives: corgi
Fredericksburg Pet Expo
I spent the past weekend at the first annual Fredericksburg Pet Expo in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The two-day event was even more crowded on Sunday, so word must have spread about all the great events and vendors. Even though I was stuck at my booth most of the time, I got to see some of what the show had to offer, and I recommend it for animal lovers everywhere.
The event coordinators did a fabulous job. Everything looked great when we arrived, making it easy to set up:
On Saturday, I left the corgis with a family member–10 a.m. until 6 p.m. seemed long for them, and Leia completely freaks out when there’s so much action. Instead, I brought Corgi the Corgi Mascot. He spent his down-time well, playing one of his favorite video games when he wasn’t posing for pictures:
Corgi the Corgi playing Angry Birds
On Sunday, the show only ran from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m., and at the suggestion of a fellow vendor (specializing in dog training), I brought Yoda along, leaving Leia with a family member (she got to spend the day with a new dog friend!).
Trying to get Yoda to pose for the camera!
The trainer gave me a few simple techniques to use, telling me that soon enough, I would look down and see Yoda on the floor, relaxing or sleeping. Sure enough, it worked:
Those of you who know Yoda know this is not a common sight in such a busy place.
At the end of the show, we got to go around and chat with the other vendors. Eric’s favorite was the vet booth next door, which featured a strange lizard:
There were other animals as well–farm animals, reptiles, and a variety of pets that came in costume or in special hairdos. One patron even stopped by with the calmest cat I’ve ever seen simply resting on her shoulder as she walked from booth to booth.
Because the corgis’ birthday is September 25, Eric said we could buy them each a Halloween bandana.
Yoda showing off his “Boo” bandana. Appropriate for a fraidy-dog!
Later, in the car on the way home, Leia shows off her pirate skull bandana.
It was a busy weekend for everyone, and the dogs slept like little corgi-shaped logs all the way home. A special shout-out of thanks to the event coordinators at the Fredericksburg Expo Center for hosting such a great event… and a shout-out to the guy from Doody Calls who spent the whole weekend circling the Expo Center floor with a mop and bucket to clean up after all the dogs!
Corgi the Corgi Mascot
This summer, I decided to create a corgi mascot costume for use at book signings. Since summer signings are too hot, though, I delayed the project until recently. But with fall book signings starting to multiply, I decided to tackle the project. Here’s how I did it:
I started out with newspaper sculpted around a beach ball.
Before paper-mache-ing the newspaper, I decided to add an open mouth as part of the mask.
In the meantime, while the paper mache was drying, I found a pattern at the fabric store, which I modified to suit my purposes. First step: cutting the pattern and the fabric.
The cut fabric starts to come together, thanks to my sewing machine. Old but reliable. A real trooper!
With the paper mache dry, I attached a lightweight construction helmet to the inside of the mask, insuring it would stay balanced and snug on the head of the victim–I mean, volunteer–who gets to wear the costume!
A zipper makes the suit come together!
Elastic on the cuffs.
With the mask dried, I drilled holes for increased ventilation (and to lower the weight) and covered the eyes with a double layer of screen.
Now the hard part. Because I am an English teacher, not a math major, I had to figure out how to sew different shapes of fabric over the mask to create the corgi look. I used a bit of glue for security, then sewed the edges of all the pieces together.
I sewed… and sewed…
…and sewed…
And added the nose… and the eye lining…
Until it all came together…
I added the red tongue and eyebrows just in time for Corgi the Corgi’s first book signing!
It turns out Corgi the Corgi is a pretty good dancer… and was the star of the evening!
A special thanks to my husband for donning the costume all night. Hey, at least with all the dancing, he got in his exercise for the day!
Stay tuned–Corgi Capers Book 2 is coming soon!
Crack the Case
Detective Adam Hollinger here. I’ve been busy getting back to school. Most kids don’t like going back to school–I must be the only kid who does. Anyway, I’ve been gone long hours–Autumn League is really picking up, and I have baseball practice almost every day after school now. Coach is using me to pitch more and more. Dad even says I might get a scholarship for pitching one day, but he has to remember that I’m only in fifth grade!
Anyhow, the corgis are still getting used to me being gone so long. Courtney comes home right after school, so I have to trust her to take care of Zeph and Sapphie. I’m not sure she’s doing such a good job, and here’s why:
Zeph’s been more scared than usual. I think it’s because Sapphie’s been crazier than normal. Sapphie’s an energetic little dog. She was the runt of the litter, and she makes up for her size with her energy. She needs lots of attention, and she just doesn’t get enough while I’m at school. Courtney really needs to play with her more, but she’s always obsessed with her cell phone and some new friends she has.
I came home from school today and found this:
It’s the metal covering to the air-conditioning duct in the kitchen floor. It was lifted clear out of its place. After I snapped the picture, I put it back. It weights a good two or three pounds–solid metal. And to lift it out of its place, it has to be raised three or four inches in the air. I don’t know how Sapphie moved it, but I know it was her. Zeph wouldn’t do a thing like that. Even if he wanted to, he’d be too scared. And besides, that silly-looking pink toy? It’s one of Sapphie’s favorites. There’s one more thing. Zeph’s snugly rocketship bed was wet when I came home. That’s right: someone had peed on it! And I doubt Zeph would pee on his own bed. Besides, Sapphie’s the one being difficult with the housebreaking.
So I was wondering if you could help me out. What do you think happened in the picture above? How did that heavy metal grate get moved? Why was Sapphie’s favorite toy left nearby, and who peed on Zeph’s bed (and why?)? I’ve put on my detective hat and started to think about it, but I could use your help. Let me know what you think. I’m just glad Sapphie and Zeph have grown big enough so they can’t fit in the vent shaft. Can you imagine? Sapphie crawling through the ventilation system of our house? How would we ever get her out?
Well, time to finish my homework so I can get to sleep. I was pitching all afternoon and need my rest. Be sure to check back soon. You’ll be able to read about my newest adventure in just a few short weeks. It’s called Corgi Capers: Spinelli the Sorceress. It’s a Halloween-themed tale.
While you’re waiting, take another look at the picture, and let me know if you can figure out what happened!
A Very Corgi Morning
Do your pets have morning routines? What is their favorite part of the day? The corgis are most affectionate in the morning—each day they act as if they haven’t seen me in years! It’s one of the things I love about dogs. Here’s a typical corgi weekday:
Do I REALLY have to get up??
The day starts at 4:55, when the corgi’s person makes her way down the stairs. It’s still dark out, so they have no idea why she would bother getting up. Nonetheless, Yoda obediently greets her while Leia lifts her head to the irritating kitchen light, yawns, and cozies back in bed.
Yoda watches from afar as his person makes coffee, breakfast, and lunch—he has to make sure everything is in order. If his person does anything out of routine, he lets out an alarming bark to let her know it. He only approaches when the ice cube dispenser is activated, at which point he runs over to catch any ice cube casualties that hit the floor.
Leia remains in bed.
Yoda–watching carefully to make sure everything is in order.
Soon, the corgis’ other person descends to the kitchen. The corgis both give him a quick howl, but he heads straight for
the coffee machine while their first person continues making and packing lunch. At this point, the Leia deigns to get out of bed, and the corgis lie parallel to each other, watching both people with deadpan seriousness. Getting ready in the morning is, after all, a serious business.
After the corgis’ other person leaves for work—that’s when the fun starts! The corgis get to race down the stairs and run outside. Sometimes, if they’re lucky, there are moths or bugs on the patio that they can chase. Sometimes there are even birds in the garden or squirrels on the fence. Those are the best kinds of mornings. The corgis race to the edge of their domain, ears perked and ready to defend against those pesky creatures of the suburbs.
Getting to go outside is one of the morning highlights
Like a good dog, Yoda does his business in a timely manner and comes back to the door. With Leia, it all depends. If the grass is too tall, it is okay to chase squirrels or birds in, but it’s not okay to use the bathroom in. If the grass is too dewy, it’s okay to chase bugs across, but it’s not okay to use the bathroom in. If it’s too hot outside or the wind is blowing in from the north… well, you get the idea. On days like this, stubborn Leia’s person comes out and points at her, directing her to do her business.
She responds by coming right over and rolling onto her back, submissive. But it’s not submission, not really. It’s a challenge. Leia’s person has tried time and again to beat her in a test of wills, but Leia held out once for 23 minutes. That’s a long chunk of a person’s morning. So now, whenever Leia flips on her back, she is promptly put on a leash and taken out to the front yard, where she will take care of her business in about two seconds flat and prance back inside, happy to be given special treatment—and happy to have trained her person so efficiently.
When the corgis return inside, it’s all cuddles and jealousy, fighting for their person’s attention. Leia gets so excited that she has to find her “growly rope,” which she chomps down on to release her excess excitement (otherwise she accidentally bites her person, and that never makes for a good morning). When the corgis settle down, their person asks them, “Are you hungry?” They lick their lips simultaneously, which always seems to entertain their person for some reason. Then the eating begins.
Yoda eats at a steady pace, not hurried yet not leisurely. As he nears the end of his bowl, he often growls at his sister—for good reason. Leia eats at an uneven pace, waiting for her brother to start, and then digging in with the speed (and sound effects) of a ravenous pig. She finishes first and puts her ears into full-alert mode, stalking her brother and his dish. As soon as he finishes, she rushes to his empty dish and licks it clean just in case it wasn’t already.
By this time, the corgis’ person is usually sitting at the counter for breakfast. Yoda rushes to her left and Leia rushes to her right. They look up expectantly. They’re corgis, after all, and demand attention. Their person pets them each with her toes—for a minute or two. And then she has the audacity to stop! Yoda makes his disapproval known with a low “wooo.” If it is ignored, the “wooo” is upgraded to an all-out howl, repeated in short intervals until his person realizes her mistake and continues petting him with her toe.
Leia is less vocal, though no less insistent. When her person makes the mistake of ignoring her, Leia claws her softly with her paws, increasing the duration and intensity of the clawing until her person succumbs to petting. Then, the corgis wait. They listen carefully to their person’s sounds. Their ears have become so attuned to the noises of human eating that they know when their person is finished. And when that final sound rings—whether it’s the dropping of a fork on a plate, or the scraping of a napkin against a cheek, they jump from their blissful petting and compete for a prime mooching spot. Sometimes their person puts a plate down on the floor, and they can lick scraps of egg or the last bit of milk from a cereal bowl. But sometimes their person says nasty things like, “I’m not giving you guys syrup” or “there’s nothing to lick off this plate.” Those phrases are unacceptable, and the corgis let their person know it by drawing their ears back and making their eyes look as cute and pathetic as possible.
Their person is then required to give them a cookie. It works every time. She even sometimes lets them do tricks for the treats, and tricks make the cookies taste even better!
After breakfast, their person sometimes goes to the couch to read for a bit. If this is the case, the corgis fight over who gets to sit closest to her head. Yoda usually jumps onto the couch first, curling up at her feet. Not to be outdone, Leia jumps onto her person’s lap, sometimes trying to nose her way between her person and her person’s book (that never turns out well for Leia).
But sometimes their person goes to the kitchen table to type on that glowing screen she likes so much. If this is the case, Yoda howls in excitement, and Leia grabs her growly rope and wiggles her body in happiness. They vie for the prime spot right up against the table’s center pillar, where they can—you guessed it—howl or paw at their person until she pets them with her toes while typing away on that glowing screen.
Unfortunately, even the happiest of corgi mornings has to come to an end. Many mornings, their person goes upstairs to get dressed and go to a thing called work. She must like it a lot, for she’s always there. But the corgis don’t mind too much. By the time their person leaves, they’ve had quite a lot of fun, and they’re ready for their early-morning nap. Sometimes, in the early summer, their person stops going to work, and it annoys the corgis for the first few days. How are they supposed to nap with their person home all the time? Chasing her around the house and making sure she’s following her normal routines is tiring work as it is—and doing that full-time can be quite draining.
Resting after a tiring morning of fun–recharging for later!
Luckily, the corgis get to rest all day so that when their person returns from work, they’re two bundles of energy ready to do it all over again!
So what about you? Do your pets have morning routines? Quirks? Comment below to share!
Dueling Corgis
This Friday, June 8th, Leia and Yoda will join up with another pair of corgis to take part in a book signing event at Books and Other Found Things, a used book store in downtown Leesburg. This will be part of Leesburg’s First Friday celebration, so I hope the weather holds out. We’ll be set up in the beautiful back yard of the store under a canopy of trees from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Before the signing, I wanted to introduce the corgis’ canine partners.
Merlin and Razz are the canine authors of The Tale of Two Corgis (they wrote it with help from their human parents, Claudia and Bruce Winkle). Merlin and Razz are the corgis of the Cardigan variety—they are larger and have tails, as compared to the stubbly-butt Pembroke Welsh variety (i.e., Yoda and Leia). The beautifully-illustrated book documents the daily adventures of the two Cardigans.
Yoda, a Pembroke
Merlin, a Cardigan
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Meet the stars of The Tail of Two Corgis
Merlin
About Merlin:
Merlin is an AKC registered Cardigan Welsh Corgi, officially named “Dobcarr’s The Magician”.
The Brindle-and-White-colored corgi was born on March 7, 2009.He has a white blaze on his face which is shaped like a heart at the top. His white collar goes all around his neck, and he has a black polka a dot on his right front knee.
He loves to have people admire how handsome he is and to make new friends. Merlin has been in many breed dog shows and have lots of ribbons. He enjoys seeing all the other dogs at the shows and making new friends.
Razz
About Razz:
Razz is an AKC registered Cardigan Welsh Corgi officially named “Dobcarr’s Razzamatazz.” He was born on October 19, 2010. Like Merlin, his coloring is also Brindle and White, but he has lots of blond highlights on his back end. The white blaze on his face is shaped like a flame at the top, and his white collar only goes three quarters of the way around his neck. He is training to start showing in Rally.
Photos of Merlin and Razz courtesy of Bruce Winkle.
You can learn all about Merlin and Jazz here.
The book signing will also feature splotch artist Steve Loya (check out his awesome artwork here)
About the Books:
A mystery adventure for young detectives! In this chapter book, fifth-grader Adam Hollinger takes on a serial burglar in the town of Stoney Brook, Pennsylvania. With baseball practice, comic books, and an annoying older sister, can he and his newly-adopted corgi puppies find the criminal in time? A great read for independent readers, and an enjoyable read for adults to read to their children.
.
A Beautifully Illustrated Children’s Book about the true daily adventures of two spirited Cardigan Welsh Corgi dogs. Your family will connect with the Cardigan Welsh Corgi breed and enjoy the fun, and the mischief, of Merlin and Razz…..The Corgis with the Tail.
Written by Merlin and Razz with the help of their Mom and Dad.
Bark for Life!
I set up a booth to sell and sign copies of Corgi Capers: Deceit on Dorset Drive, donating a portion of sales to ACS.
Last weekend, I participated in The American Cancer Society’s Bark For Life event. It was organized by Brenda Mahone of Hanover, PA, and was the first event of its kind there—but it was a great success. We had a beautiful day at the West Manheim Township Recreational Park. This is a huge park, lush and green, with rolling hills and two large fenced in dog-play areas (one for small dogs and the other for large ones).
The walk commenced with a one-mile fun walk for dogs and their people, and the day ended with dog contests and a search-and-rescue demonstration. Bark For Life raised over $500 to help the fight against cancer. Being a dog person, I enjoyed a major theme of the event, which is honoring dogs as caregivers to humans, especially those affected by cancer. (See this article for details ) Most of us know someone who is or has been affected by cancer. Sometimes, all it takes to reverse a bad day is a happy look from a dog and a wagging tail.
The corgis dressed up for the event with “Bark for Life” shirts. Yoda even won “best dressed!”
Overall, the day helped to reinforce the positive side of human beings. With so much negativity in the world, and so many challenges (cancer being one of them), it’s good to know that people can come together and rally for a good cause. The day was filled with optimism and good cheer, with people glad to know they were helping to raise money for a good cause, with stories of cancer struggle and survival—and everyone already looking forward to next year’s event.
It goes once again to prove that dogs do help make the world a better place. So no matter how bad your day or life seems to be going, just think that it could be worse: we could live in a world without dogs.
To see more pictures of the event, check out the West Manheim Township Recreational Park’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/WMTpark (photos courtesy of WMT Recreational Park).
Walking the corgis
Lyme Disease Awareness
This weekend we participated in the Loudoun Lyme 5K. The event was held to raise awareness and find solutions to the problems
of Lyme disease, and proceeds benefitted the National Capitol Lyme Disease Association. Luckily, neither we nor the corgis have Lyme disease—I am as paranoid as they come when checking for ticks after being outside. The corgis are trained to roll over for me when I say, “Time to do a tick-check.” You can find out more about the organization at www.loudounlyme.org.
For those unfamiliar with the disease, here is a concise summary from www.loudounlyme.org:
“Lyme disease is a bacterial spirochete, named Borrelia burgdorferi, transmitted by ticks and may be accompanied by several co-infections. Lyme disease is growing at four times the rate of AIDS and is quickly becoming our nation’s most misdiagnosed and fastest-growing infectious disease. Estimates state that only one out of every ten cases of Lyme disease is reported and that many people are misdiagnosed. Over 38,000 cases reported by the CDC in 2009 are more likely estimated to represent over 380,000 cases. Lyme disease may be difficult to diagnose, because many of its symptoms mimic those of other disorders like multiple sclerosis, arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, lupus and Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, the only distinctive hallmark unique to Lyme disease, the “bulls-eye” rash, is absent in almost half of the people who become infected. The inadequacies of today’s laboratory tests make proper diagnosis difficult, because they were meant for surveillance purposes rather than diagnosis. Misdiagnosis of the infection can lead to protracted disease that is difficult to treat.
Lyme disease can attack virtually any system in the body. Some of the first symptoms may include a rash and flu-like conditions including but not limited to fever, chills, headache, stiff neck, achiness and fatigue. Other symptoms can include pain in various joints and muscles, neurological problems, heart involvement, changes in vision or hearing, migraines, low-grade fever and other symptoms. Lyme disease, if left untreated, is far more difficult to treat because the infection can spread to other parts of the body.”
My husband and I attended the event to support awareness and treatment for Lyme disease by sponsoring a booth to promote Corgi Capers. We took both corgis to the book signing. This was the first time they were together in a public setting that included lots of dogs. The challenge with the corgis is that they play off of each other’s bad habits. Yoda is a barker. Any jingling of a dog tag, any echoing bark, any retracting leash sets him off. Leia feeds off that energy by biting on Yoda’s leash and tugging as hard as he can. They did relatively well, though, settling down quickly. By the end, they weren’t even barking at any of the dogs.
The event highlighted their personalities. Yoda, afraid of many irrational things, was fearless at the event. He spent most of the day sitting at the center of a gathering of children, letting them pet him, talk to him, and performing tricks when requested. The children even helped to keep him quiet when another dog was passing by—and Yoda was more cooperative listening to them than he was to me. Yoda has always had a sense of propriety, knowing how to act among different types of people, children being one such group.
Leia, on the other hand, was the typical diva. At first she ran jealously to whoever was petting Yoda, demanding attention. But when the runners gathered around our tent for the sponsored pre-race warm-up, Leia freaked out and insisted on sitting on my lap, burying her face under my arm to avoid the intimidating crowd. Yoda, on the other hand, sat with the children, never flinching a muscle.
It was a fun day, even with the cool temperatures and misty rain. I encourage you to check out www.loudounlyme.org and the Lyme resources there. The best way to combat the disease is to be educated about it: the faster it is caught, the easier it is to treat—usually with a simple dose of antibiotics. It’s when it’s not caught that it travels around and gets dangerous. So as the warm weather settles in, have fun outdoors—but check for ticks!
What’s So Good About “Being Good”?
I know it’s Adam’s turn to introduce himself today, but I don’t care. I have something to say, and I’m going to say it now, now, now!
Last night, when our People put us in our crates, they latched mine nice and tightly, but they didn’t latch Zeph’s all the way. When he turned around on his blanket, the door popped open. You know what I would do if my door popped open? I would spend all night running around the kitchen in big circles. I would try to knock over that delicious smelly thing that people call Trash, and I’d eat as much of it as I could. Then I’d roll in it until I smelled delightful. After that, I’d dance in my water dish the way I love, tracking dirty pawprints all over the kitchen floor. That would be a fun night!
That’s what I would do if my door weren’t properly latched.
But you know what Zeph did?
Nothing! Nothing, nothing, nothing!
He just sat there in his crate, turned around twice, and curled up.
“Zeph!” I shouted.
“Shhh! Our People said it’s time to sleep.”
“I don’t give a darn what our People said,” I told him. “Your crate door is open.”
“So?”
“So that means you can escape. Run around the kitchen. Do whatever you want.”
Zeph just looked at me like I had three eyes. I don’t think a naughty thought has ever even crossed his mind. “Zeph, Zeph, Zeph!” I tried again. “Push open your door. Run around wild. It’ll be fun.”
But he just ignored me and went to sleep. In the morning, when our People came down, they saw that Zeph’s door was open, and they saw that he was still sitting inside.
“What a good boy, Zeph!” Adam said.
Zeph sat up and wagged his tail, but he STILL DIDN’T GET OUT OF HIS CRATE. In my opinion, there’s a line between “good” and “stupid.” And Zeph crossed that line. Anyway, Adam kept telling Zeph how good he was. By this time, I’d had enough, so I was clawing at my crate to get out.
“Out, out, out!” I barked.
But Adam turned to me and said, “Sapphie, Shhh!” The nerve of him!
Then he went to the cookie jar and got one cookie. Just one. I thought surely it would be for me as an apology for not leaving my crate unlatched, too. But then—Adam did the unthinkable. He walked over the Zeph’s crate—Zeph was still sitting in the crate—and gave Zeph the cookie.
“Good boy,” Adam said again. “You could have escaped and made a mess, but you didn’t.”
A cookie, for barking out loud! Zeph misses the opportunity of a lifetime, and he’s rewarded with a cookie! The injustice of it!
Well, I just thought I’d post that little incident so that the world could see how unfair things get here at the Hollinger household. Can you imagine, being rewarded for staying in a crate! Because of the injustice of it, I thought it would be nice if all of my online readers took pity on my situation and sent me a cookie. If each of you just sent me one, I’d have more cookies than I can count. You can just send them to the Hollinger household, care of “Sapphie Corgi.” I’ll make sure they get to the right place.
Anyway, I hear Zeph playing with his favorite squeaky toy. And you know what that means—it’s time for me to take it from him.
Happy Barking! And send me those cookies!
Until next time,
Sapphie
Meet Zeph
I’m sharing pictures of some of the characters from Corgi Capers: Deceit on Dorset Drive. These pictures were created by the fabulous Marji Cooper. Along with each picture, I’ll introduce a bit more about each character. If you enjoy these characters, be sure to check out the free short story (posted earlier in this blog) or the novel, available in print or e-book format.
Zeph:
My name is Zeph. I’m a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, and above all I’m a good boy.
I was the third dog to be born in our litter, and my sister was the fourth. When I found out all of us puppies were going to new homes, my father pulled me aside. He told me my sister was a rambunctious bundle of trouble, and he asked me if I would watch over her. I made sure we got adopted together, and I’ve been keeping track of her ever since. One time she found a stack of newspapers. She tried to climb it, but she ended up pulling it on top of her instead. Luckily, I was able to sniff her out in time, but watching over Sapphie is a full-time job.
Right now she’s sleeping in my rocketship bed, something that my Person, Adam, gave to me. But Sapphie likes it better than the one she has, so I let her sleep in it from time to time. It’s what a good brother would do. Besides, if I didn’t, she would just tackle me and bite my ears until I gave up.
Aside from keeping Sapphie out of trouble, my main concern is watching over my Person. His name is Adam, and he’s a good kid. He also has sister issues—his sister is almost as much of a pawful as Sapphie. My favorite thing to do is curl up at Adam’s feet as he reads something called a “comic book.” I’m named after Adam’s favorite comic book hero, outer-space Captain Logan Zephyr. But when I’m not curled up at Adam’s feet, I also like watching him play baseball—though I’m afraid of the ball… and the yelling crowd… and the strange noise made by a scary thing called an “ice cream truck”… there are some scary things out there in the world.
My other interest is language. There’s absolutely nothing scary about language, so it’s my favorite hobby. Ever since I was a puppy, I have been learning as many words as possible. They come in handy when I’m trying to figure out what Adam and his family are saying. My sister isn’t as good at language, so I have to explain things to her. All the time.
I hear Sapphie trying to sneak into the basement, so I’d better stop her before she finds trouble.
Thanks for stopping by!
How the Corgis Found Their Person
In the novel Corgi Capers: Deceit on Dorset Drive, the Hollinger family finds their new pets after a series of seemingly-random occurrences. But as wise Grandpa Pickwick tells them, a coincidence is often more than it seems. My own life serves as inspiration for that bit of wisdom, as the day my husband and I found our two corgis, many things happened serendipitously. And in my mind, that’s just another word for Fate.
For Christmas 2008, my husband had wrapped up a little piece of paper stating that I had his blessing to get a dog. I am not one to cry, but I teared up a little at the gift. It had been a battle years in the making, with me constantly asking for a dog and never being told “yes.” Each Christmas prior to 2008, all I asked for was permission to get a dog, and each year that request had been denied. In 2008, I had given up, so the gift came as a surprise.
On Saturday, February 7, 2009, the movie Coraline had just been released. Normally, my husband and I don’t see movies in the theatres right away—we wait a few weeks to avoid the crowds. But I wanted to see the movie so badly that I just couldn’t wait. We went to an early show all the way in Tysons Corner—cheap matinee pricing, comfy seats, and a huge mall to boot. Still, there were plenty of closer theatres we could have chosen. Additionally, we went to a relatively early morning show even though there was a later one we could have attended.
The deal, as usual, was that I would drive to the theatre, and my husband would drive home. We left the mall in no particular hurry. Neither of us had eaten yet, and we planned on stopping for lunch on the way home. But contrary to normal, my husband convinced me to drive home. When he drives back from the movies, I usually put the passenger seat all the way back and stretch out until we get home. If my husband had been driving, I would have been happily stretched out in the passenger seat, and fate would have passed me by.
But that’s not what happened. Instead, I was driving.
“Wasn’t it cute how there were so many dogs in the movie?” I asked.
In the film, there is a scene where an entire theatre is filled with dogs.
My husband groaned. He is not, nor has he ever been, a dog lover.
“Don’t worry,” I reminded him. “Even though you told me I could get a dog, I promised I wouldn’t actively search for one. I know you don’t want one, so unless one slaps me in the face, I’m not going to look.”
Little did I know these were my famous last words.
I resumed my mindless driving. As usual, Route 7 was littered with a barrage of signs, each advertising something or other. Trying to keep my eyes on the road, I ignored them. But there was something up the road that was so out-of-place that it jarred me from my driving. A woman with signs under her arm was hammering something into a telephone pole. It was only the strangeness of it that made me look at the sign.
And that’s when my heart skipped a few beats. CORGI PUPPIES FOR SALE, the sign read.
“Did you see that?” I asked my husband.
The look on his face told me he had.
“You’d better turn around,” he mumbled. “
Really?” I squeaked in disbelief.
“I told you you could get a dog, didn’t I?”
I turned around and hurried up the driveway.
“That was fast,” a woman said as I jumped out of the car. “My daughter didn’t even finish putting up all the signs yet.”
I realized how perfect my timing had been. Literally, if we had left the mall ten seconds earlier, the sign would not have been up yet. If I had sped through one yellow light, or driven just slightly faster, the sign wouldn’t have been up yet. Come to think of it, if I had been much slower, the woman would have been finished hammering in her sign, and I probably would have ignored it along with all the other signs littering the road. It was literally perfect timing.
“Remember,” my husband said, “purebred corgis are expensive. We’re just looking. We’ll only buy one if the price is right and you like their personalities.”
I nodded, swallowing over a lump in my throat that told me they’d be priced beyond our range. Luckily I was wrong. The woman selling the dogs had two adult corgis at home, and her female had become pregnant unexpectedly. She was trying to sell the puppies before the new liter arrived.
There were four dogs left in the liter. I had wanted a female, but the only one in the liter was wild. She wouldn’t stay still for me and only quieted when my husband held or pet her. So instead, we asked about their personalities and selected the most mellow puppy, a male.
But on the way to the car, my husband stopped. “Do you think we should get two?” he asked.
“What?” I thought I must have misheard.
“I mean, they can keep each other company while we’re at work,” he muttered. I couldn’t believe my ears. And of course I didn’t object.
Our choice for the second puppy was a no-brainer: the only female of the liter practically jumped into the arms of her favorite person, my husband.
When we found them, the puppies were old enough that their personalities were well-established from the start. Yoda, the Fraidy Cat, cried as soon as we pulled into our garage. He yelped and ran under the car, hiding despite our coaxing. Meanwhile, his curious and rambunctious sister Leia had already circled the car twice, exploring all the smells in her new garage. And it’s been an adventure ever since.
There is much in life that is beyond our control. There are some things we just have to accept, and there are battles we fight never really knowing whether we’ll win in the end. But amidst all the struggles of life, it’s nice to know that there are events out there that coincide perfectly. Like a trip to the movies. Events that make it seem like a benevolent power is pushing us toward our destinies. After all, as Grandpa Pickwick likes to say, I’ve been around long enough to know that a coincidence is often more than it seems.
Corgi Capers 