“Petey Edward is an Oklahoma born and raised Pembroke Welsh Corgi who just turned four in May.”
“I can’t believe it’s been almost four years since he joined our family” writes his Mom Yoko C. “Since day one, he has been a very important part of our home.”
“I got Petey for my birthday in 2007. We looked for a Corgi puppy at local shelters, but we didn’t have a luck so we started looking into breeders. When we first went to see Petey at a breeder’s house in Oklahoma City, we said we would only look. She was the very first breeder we visited, and I didn’t know what to expect.”
“When we met him he was about a month old, shy and not really friendly compared to his siblings, but for some reason I was drawn to him. I knew he was the one.”
“Although we promised to only look that day, we decided to take him. To me, he was the cutest and the most perfect dog I had ever laid my eyes on. We had to wait another two weeks until he could leave his biological family. It was the longest two weeks ever! During our wait, we got his bed and bedroom (crate) ready and got many toys and treats. It really felt like we were welcoming a baby.”
“I was able to spend the first few weeks with Petey at home, as I’d just graduated from college and had a couple more weeks before starting my first job. It was perfect timing to welcome a puppy. He still wasn’t really friendly and didn’t want to be around me or anybody. When we held him, he wanted to get away.”
“He always took a nap between shoes. I really didn’t know what to do but to just let him do what he felt comfortable with, and gave him some time to get used to a new environment.”
“As the days passed, he warmed up a little more each day. Petey still isn’t the most friendly dog around. He still values his time alone, but also loves to just to be near us.”
“When I’m at a computer desk, he lays by my feet. When I watch TV, he wants to lay against me. When I go to bathroom, he wants to come in with me. When I go to kitchen, he is already there.”
“He’s grown to LOVE guests! When we have people over, he wants to play with them and be the center of their attention. “
“Petey adores playing and fetching. I’ve heard some dogs are not really into eating. Not the case here at all. He eats anything and everything. He would eat that Royal Wedding Corgi cake all by himself if he got the chance!”
“My husband, who always had a dog growing up, says Petey is lucky because he has everything and so much more. I don’t think he is lucky, although I hope he feels that way. I try my best to meet his needs every day. If he has enough food, water, toys, chews and a clean bed to sleep on, that’s the least thing I can do for my baby who makes me happy everyday, right?”
“I would describe him with three S’s: shy, smart and sweet. He is extremely smart. So smart that he sometimes doesn’t want to do tricks when I ask him to do without a treat. My husband has his own ringtone on my cell phone, and when he calls me, Petey knows that’s him and runs to my cell phone and looks at me like he is asking me to pick it up. He doesn’t do that when other people call.”
“The only thing he fears is the shower. When I say “shower”, he runs and hides under the couch or in his room (kennel). We always have to drag him out of there and take him to the bathroom. Once he’s in a bathtub though, he’s so well-behaved you wouldn’t know he hates being there.”
“Before life with Petey, I hated when I had some animal fur stuck on my clothes. Now I’m like “Well, it’s Petey. It’s OK, he sheds.” My Mom didn’t believe me! I don’t mind his fur, his drool and his everything.”
“He is my baby and I embrace it all.”
“We decided to move to Japan earlier this year (before the disaster happened). Some people asked us what would happen to Petey. I’d reply “What does that mean?” I didn’t understand what they meant. There is absolutely no way we would leave him behind. NO WAY! He is a member of our family and a big part of our lives. I can’t imagine us without him.”
“Maybe they thought we couldn’t import dogs to Japan or something, I really don’t know. I personally can’t believe people leave their animals behind when they move or whatever reasons they have.”
“If I get an animal, (s)he is with me for life no matter what. I’m really sorry that Petey has to go through a long flight from the States to Japan. He will be confused and scared. When we leave him at the airport counter, he may think we’re abandoning him. The thought of it can make me cry. I will probably cry at the counter.”
“Once we get to Japan, we’ll make sure to be around him as much as we can everyday until he feels comfortable living in a new environment. We want to make sure his new life in Japan isn’t a scary thing. I hope we all will love our new lives there.”
“The recent disaster in Japan made me realize that we all have to appreciate what we have today and not take anything for granted. I will continue to show Petey my appreciation everyday. I didn’t know a dog could be such a big part of my life. I wonder sometimes if I’d picked another dog and he stayed with his biological family or went to another family whether he would be happier. I hope not. I hope he is as happy to live with us as we are to live with him.”
“We love you very much, Petey!!!”
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Welcome to The Daily Corgi, sweetie Petey!
Petey is SO CUTE!!
When I moved from Japan to the U.S. 5 years ago, I brought my Corgi with me. Now I have 2 Corgis and 1 Papillon. They are all my family members 🙂
Petey kind of looks my corgi, her name is Princess, she is almost 7 ( her birthday is June 23 (Tomorrow)) and I like you could not imagine my life without her.
What a sweet story and I love the name. Travel safely!
Corgis seem to be very popular in Japan. It actually took one of my most beloved corgis several years to become the love bug he ultimately did. He was always close, and sweet, but for the longest time, a little stand offish too…and then he became the most affectionate dog ever ! Petey is adorable, the baby pic in his bed with serious toy action all round is a hoot