Corgi Beach Day Fall 2017

Huntington Dog Park, Huntington Beach, CA

Happy Friday, folks! We've been hitting a bunch of haunted attractions, wrapping up the places we visited but didn't have time to review and publish before Halloween, but today is going to be something different. You see, today's update is going to be pretty pawsome, though some parts might be a little bit ruff, but hopefully, you'll enjoy it and even give two bones about it.

Huntington Beach, 2017. Amid the barks and the patter of a bustling, hip beachside town at the height of an autumn day, the Huntington Beach Dog Park was a lawn in its own right; a plaza for the dog loving elite. Now, something is about to happen that will... not change anything at all.

The time is... still 2017... on a morning very much like the one we have just witnessed. You see, today's update on Westcoaster is somewhat unique and calls for a different kind of introduction. This, as you may recognize, is an adorable puppy, still begging in face, waiting for you. We invite you, if you dare, to keep reading on, because in today's update, you are the viewer. And this post travels directly to... The Corgi Zone.

Corgi Beach Day is a seasonal event put on by the SoCal Corgi Nation, a group of dog lovers most partial to the Queen's favorite type of pooch. It happens a few times a year across several sites in Southern California, and a couple of Saturdays ago, it took place in Huntington Beach, right off the intersection of Goldenwest Street and Pacific Coast Highway, running from 10:00am to 3:00 in the afternoon.

This event was a gathering of Corgis and honorary Corgis, with tents and displays featuring dog product vendors, photo ops, puppy services, sponsors, a Corgi merch booth, and even an adoption drive. Food trucks lined the upper street level for visitors who want a bite to eat. And a lineup of events offered a variety of Corgi activities throughout the day.

These moments included activities such as a Corgi costume contest, talent contest, cutest Cardigan contest, pie eating contest, Corgi limbo competition, and even a "Best Momo" (Corgi butt) contest. These provided some wildly entertaining and absolutely adorable Corgi moments, and my favorite parts of the day included the Corgi costume contest, limbo challenge, and momo competition.

These two Corgis were part of a Mario Kart group.  The Dachshund in the background was an honorary Corgi. — These two Corgis were part of a Mario Kart group. The Dachshund in the background was an honorary Corgi.

Enzo the Corgi was a chick magnet.  Pretty clever! — Enzo the Corgi was a chick magnet. Pretty clever!

The costume contest was especially appropriate, given the Halloween weekend setting. Now, normally, I'm pretty fiercely against putting animals in costumes, because it feels a little degrading, and some animals just aren't really fans of doing that. It's literally uncomfortable. But I couldn't help but be swayed by how alluringly cute the Corgis were in what were often some pretty elaborate and creative costumes! Among the more notable Corgi outfits included a Mario Kart group, Chinese dragon Corgi, a pair of Corgis dressed as ice cream sundaes, two lobster Corgi, a Georgie Corgi ("Gorgi?") from IT, and a literal "chick magnet." Many of the Corgis were in costume in conjunction with the owners, and there was clearly a great amount of creativity on display. Think Disneybounding on Dapper Day, except not only Disney, and with dogs.

Owners paraded their dogs through the Corgi Halloween Costume Contest.

The winners were a pair of Corgis dressed as lobsters, complete with boiling pot.  There's something somewhat perverse about dressing one's dog up as something to be eaten, but this apparently seems to be a successful Corgi Costume Contest stra… — The winners were a pair of Corgis dressed as lobsters, complete with boiling pot. There's something somewhat perverse about dressing one's dog up as something to be eaten, but this apparently seems to be a successful Corgi Costume Contest strategy!

The Corgi limbo portion of the day was surprisingly thrilling, especially since I was disappointed to learn that it would just be dogs trying to slip under a bar walking normally, on all four legs. I had been really looking forward to pups hopping on their hind legs but trying to stay under the bar, but alas, that might have been two unrealistic. As it was, the dogs in competition went through seven rounds of limbo, each one eliminating several dogs at a time as the bar went lower. Ultimately, the championship went to an exceptionally well trained dog named Crouton, who was able to very patiently wait for his master's commands and slink under the bar when the remaining dogs could not.

Corgi Limbo was absurd but still very entertaining!

The most absurd contest was by far the "best momo" contest. In Japanese, "momo" means peach, and those fluent in emoji-speak would quickly recognize the use of a peach emoji as a synonym for butts. Now, we'll conveniently avoid all the inappropriate uses for peach emojis one can use in instant messages and instead focus on something cuter--Corgi butts. A group of 15 Corgis or so paraded around, strutting their stuff, until they were narrowed down to two. From there, the owners engaged in an impromptu Corgi twerk-off to determine the winner.

The Best Momo contest had the dogs shake their stuff.

There were other fun moments too. Aside from watching all the fantastic Corgis loping around, there was also a segment that featured Corgi surfing with Super Corgi Jojo. Several times, this aquatically excellent pup was pushed out to the ocean waters and then rode the waves back to shore. Pretty darn impressive!

Super Corgi Jojo surfed the waves in Huntington Beach.

The Corgi Pie Eating Contest was over in a flash.

Ultimately, I had a giddily fun morning and afternoon at this event. How could you not when so many adorable dogs are running around? And it wasn't all Corgis. Many non-Corgi owners brought along their puppies, who were simply "honorary Corgis" for the event. And seeing all the excitable dogs running around and just taking in the scene was heart-warming. One couldn't help but just have a great day in such a setting.

The SoCal Corgi Nation will have one more event this year--a Corgi Christmas Parade and Party in Belmont Shore, before 2018 rolls around. Another Corgi Beach Day has also been scheduled for the spring, this one also at Huntington Beach Dog Beach and on Saturday, April 7th. These events are free to the public, other than costs for parking at or near the venue and whatever food guests might get. As far as "things to do," this is a wonderful event for all the dog lovers out there, and for those who've always wanted to go but keep on missing these events, well... here's your chance. Don't ever claim we at Westcoaster weren't looking out for you!