I get asked a few things a lot, so I figured I'd just pop it up here for fun!

Q: What kind of dogs are your dogs?

A: Well, three of my dogs are Cardigan Welsh Corgis - Simon, Caleb, and Temperance. Riley is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi.

Q: What's the difference?

A: I always joke that the first difference is that Cardigans will always have a tail (well, barring a horrific accident) and a Pembroke will usually have a docked tail. (Stubby bum!) This isn't always the case, but it's a good first glance sort of thing. Some Pembrokes do have their tails. Cardigans are usually a heavier, longer dog, with bigger ears, skulls, muzzles, feet, and chests. They come in two extra colors (merle and brindle.) They have completely different temperaments than Pembrokes for the most part - they tend to be one family dogs, friendly but aloof with strangers. My Cardigans are friendly but keep a close eye on the house and me;  my darling Pembroke would sell me out for a donut and a pat on the head and happily give up the TV for a cookie. The best phrase I've ever heard to describe the difference between the two breeds is that the Pembroke is the party animal with a lampshade on his head, and the Cardigan is the designated driver. So true in this house, that's for sure. Now, I've met some Party Cardis and some Serious Pems, but on the whole the breeds really do tend to follow these traits.

Q: How old are your dogs?

A: Simon is three, Caleb is two and a half, and Temperance is 14 weeks as of 7/18/11. Riley is six now.

Q: Do they make nice pets?

A: Yes, I sure think so! I think they're fantastic dogs. However, they're dogs for the right owner. Corgis shed buckets of fur. I'm constantly cleaning. I get a whole dog a day over here sometimes, yuck. They can be barkers. They can be diggers.  They are a herding breed; and bad nippers if not socialized properly.  (This is a big thing. My crew goes everywhere, meets a lot of people, strange places, strangers, etc.) They need a job to do, and they need to learn the word "no" from puppy hood. If you let your Corgi be the boss, he will boss you and boss you and he sure won't be a nice dog to live with.

Q: Can they run? I mean, they have short little legs, right? Can they jump?

A: Faster than me, that's for sure! And sometimes faster than my pudgy old Arabian horse does, but we don't talk about that. It would hurt my horse's feelings, ha! They can keep up with anything you throw at them; my Corgis hike, they run. I have friends whose Corgis mountain climb with him, and they're awesome at it. And yes, they can jump, I've seen Simon go four feet into the air when he wants to. Lots of power in those little springy legs.

More as I pick through my questions!