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When the country’s speediest dogs gather for the sixth annual AKC Fastest Dogs USA, you expect to see willowy Whippets, graceful Greyhounds, and other slinky Sighthounds. One breed that might not spring to mind is the low-slung, sturdy Pembroke Welsh Corgi.
However, 2-year-old “Magill” and her owner-handler, Erin Day, from St. Peters, Missouri, are ready to show just how fleet-footed these lively little herders can be.
‘OG Corgi’ Sets Stage For an Enduring Love of the Breed
Day grew up surrounded by horses and dogs, but the Corgi wasn’t a breed on her radar until she met a sweet puppy at a horse show she was attending. “Walter,” affectionately referred to as the “OG Corgi”, was born in 2007 and was Day’s first dog as an adult. “We went everywhere together because I was showing horses, and he was my barn dog,” she says.
Walter set the bar so high that Day’s mom also ended up getting two Corgis. When her mom got hooked on agility with her dogs, it inspired Day to give it a try.
Dog Sports Are a Family Affair
The combination of Corgis and competitive dog sports changed the trajectory of Day’s life. Walter wasn’t an agility fan, so she initially trained with “Bode,” one of her mom’s Corgis. “I was hooked, and went down the rabbit hole pretty intensely,” she says. The dogs love it, plus it opened her up to a whole new supportive community, and it’s a great family bonding activity. Day and her mom regularly travel on the agility circuit together, and even her stepdad has developed a love for dog sports.
Day’s current four-legged family consists of two Australian Shepherds, 11-and-a-half year old “Rigby” and his daughter, “Eleanor,” a failed-foster All-American Dog called “Rocky Raccoon,” and Magill. All the dogs are successful agility competitors and the Aussies also enjoy dock diving.
“Rocky is an agility Grand Champion, MACH6 [Masters Agility Champion], PACH4 [Preferred Agility Champion], and we are going for Invitationals,” she says. “He’s my rock star in agility.” However, Rocky didn’t take to Fast Coursing Ability Tests (Fast CAT) — a 100-yard dash for dogs where they chase after a lure.
It wasn’t until Magill came along that Day was properly introduced to the sprinting potential of these stocky speedsters.
Sweet and Spicy Speedster
Away from the energetic pace of Fast CAT, Day describes Magill as the sweetest and goofiest Corgi she has ever met. “However, even as a baby, she was raised by an Aussie sister, so she learned to be fast—and spicy,” Day adds.
Day says she has to adjust her training techniques depending on whether she is working with her Aussies or Magill. “Corgis are definitely more independent souls than the intense Aussies that just want to work to please you,” she says. According to Day, Corgis will only work if they want to, and it often takes a lot of tasty treats to keep them motivated.
While this independent streak is something Day loves about the breed, she says that Magill isn’t the stereotypical Corgi. “She has a lot more toy drive,” she says. “She loves the shake and tug toys, she likes to play fetch, and she is ferocious with them.” Her desire to chase and grab toys might be one reason she is so keen to chase the white plastic garbage bag they use as a lure in Fast CAT.
Day also credits Magill’s build for her acceleration abilities. She describes her as being a “sport model” Corgi. “I wanted a Pembroke with a tail, and when I found Magill’s breeder, her Corgis did have more of the old school body type,” she says. “They were more working dogs, with longer legs and a slimmer, more athletic shape.”
Fast CAT Is a Whole New World
Being part of the fastest growing dog sport community was an eye-opener for Day at first. Fast CAT events have a very different feel than agility competitions. “It’s very chaotic when you’re there,” she says. “Waiting in line to run, the dogs are barking their heads off, because they love it so much.” Even Magill, who, unlike many Corgis, doesn’t bark a lot, gets “a little extra spicy and sassy,” and joins in.
Despite the early signs that Magill would be a fan of Fast CAT, Day didn’t expect her to receive the honor of being ranked the fastest Corgi in 2024. However, immediately after starting competing, it became obvious that she had something special.
Her top speed last year was 25.91 mph. To put that into perspective, she could almost keep up with record-breaking sprinter Usain Bolt, whose fastest 100 meter was 27.33 mph—pretty impressive for a breed known for substance and stamina but not swiftness. Looking forward to the 2025 AKC Fastest Dogs USA Invitational, Day hopes Magill will serve as an ambassador for the breed.
How Dog Sports Can Change Your Life
When Day attended her first agility event with her mom all those years ago, she couldn’t have predicted how her dogs and dog sports would fill and change her life in such a positive way.
She is grateful to work for a local dog shampoo company that is very supportive of her dog sports career. “It is nice working from home and being able to squeeze in a little training session during my lunch break if we need to,” she says. Day’s home is also set up for her dogs. She has agility equipment in her yard and her minivan, with the license plate “DOG VAN,” is full of dog crates. She also teaches agility at a local facility, which allows her to give back to a community that has been so supportive of her.
Day will continue to compete as long as her dogs continue to enjoy the sports they participate in. “Rocky is working towards Agility Invitationals this year,” she says. As well as sprinting out of the Fast CAT starting boxes, Day is also looking forward to seeing Magill progress in agility, with a goal of qualifying for Nationals next year.
While Day recognizes that the competitive part of dog sports motivates her to keep training and push for those big goals, seeing her dogs enjoy themselves and being part of such a supportive group is the biggest reward. “The best thing about this journey is the dog sports community — these people are like our family,” she says.
Tune in to Fastest Dogs USA, an AKC and ESPN production! Watch on ESPN2 on June 14 at 1:30 p.m. ET to see the country’s speediest canines gather for this invitation-only event. Dogs of all breeds participate year-long, around the country, in AKC Fast Coursing Ability Tests (Fast CAT) – the 100-yard dash for dogs.