Scarlett O’Hair of North Carolina

Karen S. writes:  “My very first dog was a Corgi mix named Kira. She came into my life when I was fifteen and stayed with me until cancer took her on November 20th, 2011.”

image:  Diane Lewis Photography

“Kira was and always will be my very best friend. She was more than a dog, she was an extension of my spirit and my guardian. She came to me at a very difficult time in my life when I was all alone, and she watched over me and cared for me for almost twelve years, not leaving my side until she could rest assured I was finally at a safe, happy and new stage of my existence. She walked me down the aisle at my wedding in April, 2011, and stood with my husband and I, smiling up at us, as we shared our vows. She had done her job and she knew now that he would take care of me (almost) as well as she always had. Shortly after we came home, she became ill, and left us just months later.”

“Grieving for Kira, I began to throw myself into work with a new fervor. I began searching for the perfect breed — one that could follow in Kira’s footsteps and become a wonderful certified therapy dog. One that could easily travel with me all over the world for dog shows, and one that was smart enough and sassy enough to take over the world with me. It didn’t take long to come to the easy choice of a Corgi, and that’s where Scarlett O’Hair came on the scene.”

“The breeder heard what I was looking for and said unequivocally “THIS little female is YOUR puppy!” Although she was from a litter of five, Scarlett alone stood out from the get go, in more ways than one.”

“When we went to go visit her for the first time, about a week before she could come home, she was like nothing I had ever seen. That Corgi rump and ears just won me over. Anyone who loves Corgis can probably remember the first time they fell in love with a puppy’s rear end!”

“We brought her home at eight weeks old and started training right away. The first thing she mastered was how to sleep in eighteen different ways that could melt our heart and lead to agonizing choruses of “Awwwww”, “Squeeeaaal”, and “Eeeeeeeee”. I think we spent most of her first few weeks home just obsessively watching her sleep!”

 

 Eight weeks old and taking over Mum’s spot on the bed!

Caught in a compromising position …

“Scarlett gave us a crash course in Corgis almost immediately. There were a few things that became quickly apparent. She was a genius. She was starving to death and every meal we had fed her had, of course, been stolen by fairies and needed to be replaced. She was the sweetest dog in the world and could do no wrong, a natural comedian and a daredevil.”

“Within a month, Scarlett had a concussion. Flying out of a shopping cart to the tune of sweet old ladies who were in obviously desperate need of her company, Scarlett went flying onto the pavement head first and busted her noggin. She quickly recovered and decided she wanted to take things further, so she started at the end of the hall way one day and ran under our bed full speed until she finally succeeded in banging her head just right on the underside of the bed, slicing it wide open. Four staples later, our little Frankenpup decided to take a break — for a few days.”

 

“Since then, Mum and Dad have spent half of their retirement on Corgi safety features, including but not limited to puppy stairs, elevated car seats, safety harnesses, bed stilts, and much, much more. We are currently working on a patent for a Corgi “bubble suit” design we’d like Scarlett to wear, with a complementary helmet at all times until she reaches the age of twelve.”

“Much to my delight, she has a natural flair for training and sports. She comes to work with me almost every day of the week, and has the benefit of being that kid who’s mom OWNS the playground. Scarlett is the social butterfly in our area, and thinks all the students who come to our training center to learn are really there to play with HER!”

“Scarlett has trained in six cities, attended two full training conferences, and was picked at four months of age to showcase her work at a freestyle conference in Tennessee. She takes agility lessons, is learning her rally signs, and loves doing tricks. At seven months she can now sit, down, wait, stay, stand, spin, focus, heel (on or off leash), come when called (even with distractions), do commands from a distance, roll over, cross her paws, target, leg weaves, by me, around, get in, place, and much much more. Her favorite by far is probably agility, but her obedience and trick “work” runs a quick second on her list of favorite activities. She even attended the Duke University Canine Cognition Program and got her Freshman diploma from Duke, though she may have been more excited by the free toy than the sheet of paper.”

“We constantly take adventures together, training and playing together in all the places we can think of; hikes on greenways and new trails, going to nature parks, dog events all over the state, picnics, drives, stores, parties and more. She even comes clothes shopping with me and waits right in the dressing room
as I try on new digs!”

“With her gusto for life, amazing intelligence, and faithful friendship, Scarlett has quickly made herself an irreplaceable part of my life and our family. Her brothers and sister adore her (we have five dogs total in our home). Our friends, family and clients all spoil her rotten, and she has Dad wrapped neatly around one tiny pink little paw. I’ve never seen my husband this way about any animal, dog, or maybe even another person. She is a total Daddy’s Girl.”

“I watch Scarlett embody the spirit of Corgi Nation every day and realize that my life would be completely different if she hadn’t come into it. She keeps me going, keeps me laughing, keeps me motivated, keeps me smiling, and teaches me everyday to stop for frequent frap breaks and Corgi on when things get tough.”

For the love of Corgis, I present you with my beautiful southern belle, Scarlett O’Hair!