Source of happiness: 40 Things That Make Corgis Happy
Blame it on the Queen, blame it on my recent and reluctant less-than-republican tendencies, blame it on science; gender, hormones or just plain pure silliness – but I absolutely freaking LOVE corgis. Unbelievably cute, indescribably fluffy, silky, and quite simply the happiest, most hilarious dogs ALIVE. At some point in the distant future, when /if I ever manage to work freelance/from home and therefore don’t need to sit at a desk a good hour’s-plus commute away from my house – meaning that I am at home for a good portion of the day and therefore able to own a dog without subjecting it to neglect or abandonment issues – I aim to own one of these beautiful, proud, gorgeous – and let’s face it – just a teeny bit silly, animals.
In the meantime, sadly, posts such as this one (link also below) will just have to do – and, in all fairness, they do very well ‒ managing to boost the cuteness factor times a billion without me actually having the responsibility of keeping another living thing alive (I’ve killed goldfish through over-feeding, and even basil plants tremble on my approach; so really, at this point, I’m thinking blogposts are probably the safer option. Sigh.)
Ok, this isn’t the most edifying thing in the world. And neither would I usually, when faced with that crucial choice between unbelievably cute cats and incredibly cute dogs (a weighty decision upon which, should two people reach a consensus, I solemnly imagine long and happy marriages are made), ever pick the feline option….but, please, I defy you to watch this and not think, on some level that, were you to receive a hug of such epically squeezable and fluffy proportions, even for the most fleeting of seconds, you would depart this world a happier, healthier, and all-round more wonderful being.
I warn you though, should this whet your appetite for ever more 3-minute recordings of sleeping baby kittens, and you are foolish enough to enter said search query into YouTube, cancel all appointments and deadlines you may have looming over the next 48 hours. As the people you were supposed to meet, or the colleagues counting on you, slowly make contact in various states of distress from ticked off to tearful, due to your total lack of engagement with the meeting or task hitherto in hand, don’t say I didn’t warn you.
ps. To redress the balance, ever so slightly, but rightly, in favour of dogs, and to show why they are simply just awesome, I’ve added the video below for good measure (a Corgi dog – my current favourite kind. They look like fluffy little barrels of joyfulness). One day, when I have discovered the secrets of renting my own flat, and unlocked the codes that will allow me to earn enough squids to pay for said flat without having to leave the house to work and generally interact with society for 12-hours stretches at a time, thereby meaning that I will be able to look after a dog properly without answering to prosecution charges from the RSPCA for ten counts of neglect, I will be able to have one of these impossibly gorgeous things for myself, and my world will be, however improbably, immensely improved.
It is, as unfashionable as it may be to admit it, my sincere belief that talking to dogs and cats is sometimes more emotionally useful than engaging with human beings. Serene, available, relaxed, loyal, good-natured, while still retaining a reassuring air of independence – yep, it strikes me that pet-like qualities may not necessarily a bad thing to aim for when deciding whether or not to befriend a person. Despite the pitching of one against the other bringing to mind overtones of tragic old cat ladies and the haunting image of loveless-singleton-Bridget-Jones-played-by-Renee-Zellweger-being-eaten-by-Alsatians-after-death, interaction with humans and pets need not, of course, be mutually exclusive. It’s heartwarming to feel that in the absence of either pet or person, time spent with one could more than make up for the lack of the other. For the time being, though (see my various flat and time constraint issues, above), dreams of said pet regularly interspersed with manageable YouTube snippets of their furry little antics will have to suffice when life is looking decidedly less-than-rosy. Or, you know, when work’s getting really, really dull.
Hannah Jane Thompson 