Trigg Alber and his ‘Bad Dog’ Tilly who won First Place in the ‘Bad to the Bone’ category in the costume competition. (Photo by Richard Gonet)

By Richard Gonet | North Forty News

It’s a popular maxim that dog owners bear a striking resemblance to their pets. Still, in a study presented to the British Psychological Society, researchers asserted that they even tend to act like them. According to the psychologists who did the study, the owners of Corgis, the dog breed favored by the late Queen Elizabeth, scored highest on extroversion among all breeds considered. If you went to the Tour de Corgi in Fort Collins last Saturday, October 7, 2023, you wouldn’t need a Ph.D. in psychology to tell you that.

Costumed Corgi on parade in Old Town. (Photo by Richard Gonet)

Hundreds of Corgi owners and their dogs dressed in matching costumes and paraded through Old Town after a judged costume contest involving over a hundred participants at Civic Center Park. If you walked through the crowd and met the dogs and their owners, it would have been hard to decide who was more extroverted, the Corgis or the people who brought them.

Sweet Corgi disguised as a bag of Reese’s Pieces in Old Town Square. (Photo by Richard Gonet)

Not only are Corgis extroverted, they are extremely energetic. Surprisingly, these little dogs were bred by the Welsh to herd cattle, which seems counterintuitive, given that they are so small and have such short legs. As a result of their breeding, they have come to require a lot of exercise, and they like to do a lot of walking. That desire to travel might explain how so many Corgi lovers came to Fort Collins from out of town to attend the Tour de Corgi. Corgis and their owners hailed from local Colorado towns like Windsor, Wellington, Greeley, Colorado Springs, Denver, and Leadville, but others came from places like Texas, Montana, Michigan, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Alaska, and one even came all the way from Brazil to parade in the Tour de Corgi.

Dan, Ellen, Margot, and Lindsey Fry with their Corgi, Henry, dressed as “Anger” from the film “Inside Out.” (Photo by Richard Gonet)

Entrance fees paid by costume contest participants and donations from local businesses are used to fund several local animal charities, including two animal rescue groups, Colorado Corgi and Friends and Wyoming Dachshund and Corgi Rescue. Two other organizations accept donations from the Tour. Bandit’s K9 Care provides financial assistance to pet owners whose animals need veterinary care, and 4 Paws Pet Pantry will provide free dog food to dog owners who can’t afford to feed their pets.

For more photographs and information about Tour de Corgi, its sponsors, and beneficiaries, visit them on Facebook and at Tourdecorgi.org.

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