She is 25 centimetres tall and helps move 1,200 sheep. Daphne, a 7-year-old corgi in South Lakes, Cumbria, has spent the past five years working as a sheepdog on her farm.
Her owner, Heather Hodgson, 33, said Daphne helps during lambing season in spring and is now moving flocks between grazing pastures and assisting during summer shearing.
Daphne works alongside border collies Silver, Roxy, Molly and Panda. Her job is to stay behind the herd, bark on command and push the sheep in the right direction.
Heather said: “Nowadays people don’t think of corgis working on farms because of the royals, and they spend the day lounging on cushions.
“But they are high energy, very intelligent and full of character.
“So when people find out about her driving sheep, they love it.
“Daphne is incredibly confident and loves getting involved, she is super keen.
“She is such a natural with it, with her useful ability of being able to bark on command.
“Daphne I would say about 90 percent of the time is really calm, but the other 10 percent when she is driving the sheep it is the most excited you will ever see her, it is a novelty really.”
Heather got Daphne in 2018 as a Christmas present from her husband Bertie, 33, after she became obsessed with the breed. Daphne then became a regular part of the farm team.
According to the Welsh Corgi League, corgis were originally bred to herd cattle and work as farm companions.
Heather, who is a mother of one and works in environmental consultancy as well as helping on the farm, said Daphne is especially helpful during lambing, sometimes moving hundreds of sheep at a time.
She said: “She is really good at that time of year when the ewes have their lambs.
“They can often be really anxious, constantly having their heads spinning looking for where their offspring might be.
“Daphne stays back behind barking on command keeping them moving.
“It can be really noisy and disorienting with the quad bike, the whistle and Bertie shouting so Daphne really drives the sheep in the direction they need to go.”
Heather also set up a social media page for Daphne and said the dog has built up “loyal fans.”
She said: “Thousands of people have watched her videos.
“She has some really big fans in America, Norway and China of all places who regularly comment and send me messages saying how wonderful she is.
“I guess it is because it is just so uncommon nowadays for a corgi to be on a farm due to stereotypes, people have just gone crazy over her.”
Heather said Daphne often needs showers in winter because the mud catches her low to the ground. Her favourite food is cheddar cheese and steak fat, and on the farm she likes riding on the quad bike and racing the other dogs. Indoors, Heather said, she likes a “good sleep or cuddle.”
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