Tim Van Schmidt

I can’t disagree: corgis are cute dogs.

That statement doesn’t come after meeting just one or two of them. It comes after experiencing the recent Tour de Corgi in which hundreds of the short-legged, happy looking dogs were paraded through Old Town Fort Collins by their proud humans on October 1.

But this wasn’t just a parade of participants with admiring onlookers on the sideline. This was more of a huge meet-and-greet for dog lovers, all focusing happily on this one popular breed.

The sidewalks surrounding Civic Center Park, where the Tour de Corgi was centered, were heavily lined on each side with dog enthusiasts. And as the canines and their humans passed by, you could constantly hear the audible coos and awwws from the crowd.

The corgis — some dressed in creative costumes with various themes and many more just taking the walk — responded warmly to what they heard, often stopping and greeting those nearby. They received plenty of pets and a lot more cooing as a reward.

I was amazed — this was no small event. Corgi owners and onlookers alike filled the park and wowed downtown as the long line of paraders slowly made its way down to Old Town Square and back. It was a slow parade because, well, neither the humans nor the corgis were in a particular hurry.

There wasn’t any trouble either — apparently corgis don’t mind crowds at all.

How can you describe this as anything less than love — corgi love. Now I understand why it was such a big deal about what was going to happen to Queen Elizabeth II’s corgis after she passed away — corgi people CARE.

If what I saw at the Tour de Corgi isn’t love, at least it is happiness.

At the end of the parade, a good friend came up to my wife and I, clutching a cuddly stuffed corgi toy with the biggest smile I’ve ever seen on her face. She had corgis in the past and this event just made her sooooooo happy. That was as good to see as the dogs and humans on parade.