Video by Zach Bermejo

This Saturday, one of the most magical events to grace Fort Collins commenced for its third year. Hundreds of little fuzzy dog loafs dressed in assorted tiny costumes strutted their stuff through Old Town while hundreds of fans shouted and cried over their puffy little butts during Tour de Corgi.

The much-anticipated corgi parade has come and gone this year, with many heartbroken, riddled with post-corgi-parade-depression, and many regretful that they were either out of town or unable to attend due to something far less important than herds of dogs with stubby sausage legs taking over Fort Collins. Thankfully, the festivity did not go on without being well documented. Here are some of the cutest corgis that attended the fundraiser this year for those who are having an emotional time after the event. 

Matilda, the “IT” Dog

Matilda’s owner, Carly Rinehardt, says Matilda’s outfit was inspired by “IT,” the recent Stephen King remake that hit theaters early this fall and made everyone need a doggy bag. Matilda dressed as the character Georgie, complete with a yellow raincoat and rain boots. 

“She kinda starts to panic when I start to put the boots on her,” Rinehardt said. “She kinda freezes, sort of like a deer-in-the-headlights sort of situation. And once they are on, she kinda gets excited about it because it gives her traction. She gallops around my apartment, and it is the funniest sound. It sounds like I have a tiny horse in my apartment. I love it.” 

Matilda enjoys eating earthworms and walking around the Colorado State University campus. 

Clementine, the cool dog

Clementine showed up to Tour de Corgi with a simple look that included tiny doggy sunglasses that wrapped around her tiny head in a goggle-like fashion. Although one may think that Clementine’s fashionable look is specific to the corgi parade, the dog’s mom, Anna Otto, assured everyone that Clementine is quite the suave puppy who likes to wear her chic, tan sunglasses on a regular basis.  

“We all wear sunglasses,” Otto said. “So she has to be just a cool as we are. She likes them, and they protect her eyes from the sun.” 

Clementine will be four in December and shedding is her biggest hobby. 

Alex, the loaf

The similarity between corgis and loafs of bread is absolutely uncanny. Corgi mom Taylor Preston acknowledged that her own dog was no exception to this comparison, and thus decided to use the similarities to dress her pup in an unforgettable gettup. The dog, adorned in plastic, took on the corgi costume contest dressed as a loaf of white Wonder Bread, an outfit that catered to dog lovers and bread lovers alike. 

“He is a loaf,” Preston said. “He loafs about. His hobby? It is being a loaf.”

 Alex is a momma’s boy, he is often described as a “cuddle bug” and he loves agility. He used to be a show dog, and now is a retired champion. 

Winnie, the skunk

With Winnie’s black and white colors already matching the animal perfectly, dog owner Debbie Stalnaker decided to dress her short dog as a skunk this year at the corgi parade.Winnie has a passion of squeaky toys and often lies on her back and swims.

“She has incredible biceps,” Stalmaker said.  

Franky, the Yoda dog

Maria Singleton proudly wore Start Wars garb to appropriately match her beloved granddog, Franky, who attended the event dressed in a Yoda costume. Even without the costume, Singleton believes that Franky looks like Yoda daily due to the fuzzy corgi’s giant ears. 

“She is also a very zen and a peaceful dog, seriously,” Singleton said. “We figured out that she is really essentially just a tube that eats.”

Franky’s hobbies include barking at the sky and eating literally anything, even plastic. In her free time, the corgi likes to wear an argyle sweater and bingo. The argyle sweater is worn to intimidate the other bingo players. 

MeauxJo, the cow

Corgi owner Nadia Naqvi utilized the cow onesie she already owned as inspiration to dress her furry friend, MeauxJo the corgi, as a fuzzier, tinier cow, so that the two could match on the day of the corgi parade. Although MeauxJo’s outfit lacked utters, the look still made those who passed by gasp in reaction to the cuteness that radiated from his wiggly body. The outfit did include pink ears and a long, spotted tail.

“He’s two years old, and he loves to run,” Naqvi said. “He’s really, really fast.”

MeauxJo is quite brave, and likes to chase big dogs. His favorite thing is chew toys and he is often caught sleeping on human beds. 

Mercedes, the baby

Mercedes, an itty-bitty corgi, is five months old and attended the event with her family, including her corgi big brother, Jack. Jack rode around in a baby stroller during the festivities while Mercedes chilled in the arms of her parents. The baby dog did not come to the event in costume but did wear a festive bandana. Tour de Corgi was her first public event, and her parents were not sure what to expect of Mercedes, but she was a good girl all day long. 

“She is a digger and a napper,” said Mercedes’ dad, Ryan Folkers. “When she is not napping, she is running around the house doing laps.”

Mercedes gets along with her brother, but she does enjoy picking on him. 

Those who attended Tour de Corgi and participated in the parade and the costume contest were encouraged to register and make a $5 donation. All proceeds of the event went to the Wyoming Dachshund and Corgi Rescue and 4 Paws Pet Pantry. T-shirts that benefit the event and its causes are still available on the Tour De Corgi Website.

Collegian reporter Miranda Moses can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com or on Twitter @mirandasrad.