5 Reasons Why Corgis are So Expensive

Corgis are one of the most adorable dog races in the world. The popularity of corgis grew significantly over the last few years, with pictures and videos plaguing all over the internet. Corgis are our little Welsh friends. As much as it is a delight to watch them play, it is much more of an expense to own one.

However, these adorable creatures are always longed for by dog lovers. Most probably, even if you aren’t a dog lover, the thought of owning a corgi has crossed your mind.

Welsh Corgi is used as a general term for two breeds recognized under its category: Pembroke Welsh Corgi and Cardigan Welsh Corgi. Both breeds are differentiated based on physical features and hold high similarity. With the natural characteristic of being a herding dog, what causes it to be one of the most expensive breeds of dog on the lists of (American Kennel Club USA)?

Hereafter we have covered 5 Reasons Corgis are so expensive:

Demand and Supply

Basic Economics, assuming supply is constant and demand rises, the price will also rise. With Corgis being registered as a rare breed in 2020, we look at a highly diminishing supply rate. But that does not mean there are none left in the world. According to the definitions by TKC, a dog breed is extinct if it fails to reach 300 registrations a year, and in 2020 there were merely 247 registrations while focusing on underlying fact that Corgis are facing a population issue as this genus doesn’t breed fast enough.

History with Royal Culture

Corgis have long been associated with the Royal Culture, namely Queen Elizabeth II. Then Princess Elizabeth and her younger sister Countess of Snowdown expressed their desire to own a Corgi after seeing one during their visit to Marquess of Bath Thomas Thynne. Their father, Duke of York, purchased a Welsh Pembroke Corgi as a family pet which led to corgis holding history in the British Royal family. On her 18th birthday, Princess Elizabeth got a Pembroke Corgi of her own named Susan. Susan was the progenitor of the Corgis owned by the Royal family since, having bred 30 offspring of 10 generations. Even after Susan’s demise in 1959, the Queen always had Corgis accompanying her. In fact, during statements by the British Royal household spokesperson, they mentioned that the Queen had adopted two Corgis to help her get through the ‘Harry-Meghan’ Crisis.

Popularity due to Exhibition

We all have seen one or the other repeat telecast of “Little Dog Lost” featuring a story revolving around a corgi who experiences multiple adventures hosted by the Walt Disney himself. It was one of those movies which paved the way to the present-day Disney Production Studios. After the movie’s initial release, there was a drastic surge in demand for Corgis in the UK. Not much after, a theatrical adaption of Roald Dahl’s BFG toured in the UK, which had several Corgis performing on the stage at once along with the ones from the Royal household.

All of these further inspired Ben Stassen, who led on to producing a Belgian animated film, “The Queen’s Corgi,” depicting the Queen’s corgi, which was one of the biggest hits in the history of animated media. With the recent evolution of the internet and social media, Corgis popularity didn’t take a lot of time to adapt and made its way to one of the highest regarded subjects on present-day dating apps.

Portrayal as a Veblen Good

By definition, “A Veblen good is a type of good for which demand increases as the price increases because of its exclusive nature and appeal as a status symbol.” Fitting into the context, with an increase in the price of Corgis, the demand also increases because of its exclusive nature considering Corgis are few in the world, which makes it look like a status symbol taking into consideration Queen Elizabeth, Elvis Presley and a lot of other celebrities own a Corgi.

Regardless of the possibility that Celebrities and rich people own a Corgi out of their interest and not as a Veblen good mainstream audience will make every effort possible to live a life like their favorite celebrity. This observation though subjective, holds value as an argument considering Corgis are called “Kardashians” of the dog world.

Ability to act as a Show Dog

A show dog is a dog that has been specially bred, trained, and groomed to be eligible to enter a dog show. Along with really adorable looks and being a nice friend to you, they also possess the natural skill to be trained and stand a chance to compete and win in dog shows. Usually, dog shows have high cash prizes giving an incentive to people to train their dogs to act and perform as show dogs.

To conclude, although, most probable reasons as to why Corgis are so costly to own have been articulated within this article, just the general trend of the time, society, and the population of Corgis in the world are also significant factors which cause our little cute pawed friend to be really expensive to own. With this being said, Corgis are one of the most adorable dog breeds ever and worth the expense. Woof!