Dally of Kentucky: Call Me Badonkadonk!

Today on The Daily Corgi I’m handing the blogging reins over to Megan Arszman. Her Pembroke, Dally, appeared here in recent weeks as Queen of the Roadtrip and again as a fierce competitor at the 2013 AKC National Agility Championships. 

Take it away Megan!

This is Dallas Mae. Or Dally, or the Diva, or Dallas Corgi Furr … whatever you want to call her, she may or may not listen to you. You see, Dally has that Diva-licious attitude that only Corgis have, and maybe a bit more.

Her little attitude was evident from the start. Dally came into my life after I graduated college in the Fall of 2005. I was looking for a companion as I set out on my own and knew I wanted a Corgi as my faithful sidekick. While I was looking at puppies on an Indiana horse farm, Dally sat down next to me and started “apping” for attention. My Mom said “That little sable one wants to go home with you” and I succumbed. (The first of many times this would happen).

At nine weeks-old Dally attended her first horse show, where she entertained herself by digging holes and bossing my show horse around. In just one day, Dally was leash and horse show trained.

As I hit the road from Indiana to Texas, then Texas to Oklahoma, and finally Oklahoma to Kentucky in pursuit of career opportunities, Dally rode shotgun for miles in my pick-up.

When I moved to Kentucky in 2007, I knew Dally (like all Welsh Corgis) was too smart to be just an apartment dog, so I set out to find something we could do together. I grew up in a horse show and dog show family, so I had a bit of experience in dog training and had picked up a lot by being around the shows. When I located a local dog training group that offered agility, I looked at Dally and said  “Well, I need something to train and you need a job!” That’s how our agility journey began.

Dally likes to take her time on the contact obstacles because she knows the crowd is watching, as seen in this perfectly balanced teeter.

Since then, we’ve been a great team. Dally and I have competed in agility at American Kennel Club (AKC), Canine Performance Events, and North American Dog Agility Council agility events for five years now. We’ve earned two trips to the AKC National Agility Championships: first in Reno, then in Tulsa. In November 2012, Dally earned her Preferred Agility Championship (PACH).

Dally earned her PACH the same weekend a friend’s dog earned Master Agility Championship (MACH).

Dally’s full name and titles: PACH
Frontiers Honkytonk-badonkadonk RN, AX, AXJ, MXP3, MXPB, MJP3, MJPB,
PAX, NF. Given the way she sashays her
Corgi pants (aka “badonkadonk”), it’s the perfect name for a
Corgi.

This girl is my heart dog. Because I had to leave my horses and family behind for so many years, she became my everything — and still is. Dally has been through the tears and the laughter, the moving boxes and the long hauls. After settling in Lexington, Kentucky, our incredible journey only got better when we discovered agility.

Three
years ago we added Dally’s “sister” LaMesa, a Swedish Vallhund (Corgi
cousin, as we like to say). At first Dally wasn’t too thrilled about
sharing the attention, toys and chewies, but now they’re the best of
friends. Dally has taught LaMesa the fine art of “apping” at anything
and everything, and LaMesa has taught Dally to be more friendly with
other dogs. (Dally tends to be a little snobbish towards dogs that aren’t in her Small Dog Posse at agility).

At a young age, Dally also taught LaMesa the perfect position for eating chews.

My husband Matt and I love to take the girls (aka “The Stump Kids”) for long walks and hikes. Dally is a big fan of wading into creeks and ponds to cool her tummy, but she doesn’t care much for pools.

Dally likes to get dirty. Mud or any kind of animal poop will do. She’s none too girly!

When we’re not hiking or doing agility, Dally loves playing “tennie” and visiting my parents’ farm to check on her horses.

She won the silver medal in Ball Toss at the 2012 Canine Olympics, barely losing to a large Lab!

Of course one of Dally’s favorite things is sleeping, whether in the car or on the hotel bed watching TV with her best buddy Porter.

Dally turns eight in July, but she’s still going strong. I never imagined I could love such a little dog so much, but I’m crazy for this Corgi. 

She’s been there through so many life changes, including my wedding this past October.  

A friend of mine made the girls’ wedding collars. When the officiant (my brother-in-law) asked for the rings, a friend turned Dally and LaMesa loose to come running down the aisle towards us. It was really important to have them be part of the special day. They even hung around the reception all night.

(Ed. note: That. Is. AWESOME!)