Hundreds of corgis converge on Seaside

Published 4:54 pm Sunday, June 30, 2024

SEASIDE — Have you ever seen a corgi in a blonde Barbie wig? Well, there were at least a dozen of them among the hundreds of corgis in Seaside on Saturday for the 11th annual Corgi Beach Takeover.

The event drew thousands of humans and an estimated 800 corgis for costume contests, corgi races and to support the work of the Oregon Humane Society.

This year’s Barbie-inspired theme was Hello, Corgi, Let’s Go Party! and the corgis brought the Kenergy to Seaside Beach. They wore wigs, dresses and sunglasses, many dressed as Barbie and Ken. Corgis came from across the Pacific Northwest and as far as Michigan to participate.

There were a few surprising things for first-time Corgi Beach Takeover attendees. First, even with hundreds of dogs running around the beach, fights were few. Corgis generally get along very well with each other.

“I was kind of shocked by that,” said Jeremy Lewis, who came from Albany with his 13-month-old corgi, Woofi Goldberg. “I was expecting to see maybe some issues here and there, but it seems like they all just wanna hang out.”

The other surprising thing about corgis: They’re faster than their little legs would suggest. After several heats and semifinals, the speediest pup of the day was a 1-year-old corgi from Portland named Susan.

“We know she’s fast, but we didn’t think it would be like this,” said one of her owners, Efrain Mejia. “We take her on a lot of hikes, so it paid off for sure.”

The costume contest gave corgis and their owners the chance to compete in one of four themed categories. Bryn, a corgi from Bend, won the Corgi Beach Party contest in a pink-and-white checkered sundress. Corgis Ophelia and Selene, who came from Seattle, won the Mattel Toy category in their matching, handmade “corgi” poodle skirts. A young girl dressed as Queen Elizabeth and her corgi dressed as security won the Dynamic Duo category. In the Anything Goes contest, two corgis dressed as Bowser and Princess Peach from Super Mario Bros. claimed the top prize.

In between the costume contests and the races, a couple from Klamath Falls got engaged in front of the crowd, while their corgi looked on.

The Corgi Beach Takeover started as an informal gathering by members of the Portland corgi owners Meetup group. The event grew so popular, its organizers turned it into a fundraiser for the Oregon Humane Society, with proceeds from a silent auction and the $10 — (recommended but not required) registration fee going to the nonprofit.

“It started with 30 of us just wanting to have fun on the beach, and now thousands of other people come and join us every year,” said organizer Jennifer Robinson.

Fundraising totals weren’t immediately available for this year’s event, but last year raised more than $17,000 for the animal nonprofit. And this year’s crowd seemed even larger.

“The funds raised here (fund) our adoption programs, our veterinary programs, our training and behavior programs, and our humane law enforcement division,” said Laura Klink, with Oregon Humane Society. “We’re so grateful for this partnership. It’s such a fun event and a joyous celebration of our relationship with pets.”