Hot-footed Pembroke Welsh Corgi “Lily” is unlike any dog Nancy Carey’s ever owned. Ever since her first fun run at 11 months old, this speedy dog has been a rising Fast CAT star, even landing in the top 10 with her debut in the sport.
Lily’s energy-fueled personality, combined with her pure passion for the sport, has been an asset during the timed 100-yard dashes. Carey sets her down, and boom, Lily is like a bolt of lightning taking off to the finish line, mesmerizing Carey and spectators. The team may be first-timers within the realm of dog sports, but to discovering a supportive community of fellow Corgi owners and creating an unbreakable bond.
You can witness swift-footed Lily in action during AKC’s Fastest Dogs USA 2025, as part of the AKC Salutes the Troops event series, which airs on Saturday, June 14 on ESPN2. The event took place in Georgia and brought together dogs from across the country as they raced to the finish line to see which breed was truly the fastest.
Finding Her True Home
Before meeting Carey, Lily lived with a different family that with multiple young children. They soon discovered their lifestyle didn’t match her need for attention. As a natural herder, it was common for her to chase the kids, and after a lot of thought, the family made the tough decision to rehome her. But in doing so, they met Carey, who instantly fell in love with Lily’s charismatic personality.
“She’s very joyful, very smart, very fun,” explains Carey. Lily also requires plenty of entertainment and can get a little mischievous when she doesn’t receive enough mental stimulation. It doesn’t take much investigating to tell when Lily’s been up to no good. Carey can always tell by the tilt of her tail and a particular head movement she makes, but especially if her gait changes, and she runs by her.
Since she works part-time, Carey is able to give her lots of attention. But if it were up to Lily, playtime would be a 24/7 activity.
“She just needs to be busy all the time, or she will keep herself busy,” she says. One way she does this is by shredding empty toilet rolls. To help meet Lily’s needs, Carey sought out a trainer who taught her some tricks, including a “trade me” technique that Lily associates with dropping and receiving something more dog-friendly to chew on instead.
Discovering an Outlet for Her Energy
Carey didn’t seek out Fast CAT; in fact, it was her trainer who noticed Lily’s unique agility. Rather than thrusting Lily straight into the world of competitive dog sports, her trainer recommended a local fun run to see how she would react.
“The first trainer we were taking her to called me, and she said, ‘Hey, The Gated Dog is having Fast CAT fun runs. You want to take Lily,'” Carey recounted. Lily had no training, but with the trainer’s encouragement, she decided to take a chance and see how Lily took to the activity.
From the moment they parked their car in the grassy field and took Lily out of her crate, her entire demeanor changed. She had an excited bark, and it was clear that Fast CAT was the perfect match for her. “Literally, from the very first time, she loved it,” says Carey.
Since then, their participation in dog sports has expanded beyond Fast CAT. Lily has tried other dog sports as an alternative energy outlet, including Dock Diving, Barn Hunt, AKC Rally, Scent Work, and Canine Good Citizen. But nothing compares to Lily’s love for Fast CAT. Now, her need for speed has gotten an invitation to Fastest Dogs USA.
“Her enthusiasm is like, next level. If I’m releasing her, for instance, [I] try to pick her up, and hold her, and turn her away from the course, because if you don’t, she will bark [at a] very high pitch, and you can hear her clearly at the other end,” Carey explains.
Since starting Fast CAT, it’s brought the duo closer while providing Lily with the more fast-paced lifestyle she craves. These competitions are more than just sprinting to the finish line — they’re a bonding experience for both of them and an all-around joyful experience for Lily.
“She associates Fast CAT runs with a lot of positives,” Carey says. “You know, it’s a trip, it’s people, it’s attention, it’s treats, it’s seeing new places.”
Finding an Online Community
Being a newcomer in the dog sports world can certainly be intimidating. But Carey quickly overcame any beginner’s nerves with the help of a Corgi community she found on Facebook. Over the course of the competition season, she became accustomed to repeatedly seeing certain dog names and tracking their rankings. As a newer competitor, she was worried she was entering a cutthroat environment. Instead, she was met with a warm embrace. “People were really helpful, supportive, and just got along well, which was a lot of fun,” she says.
At Fastest Dogs USA, they even set up a special Corgi tent in the shade for people to wait under. “We just sat in a circle in the middle of the tent. It was like, ‘You’re a Corgi person, I’m a Corgi person, we’re good.’ It was a lot of fun. It wasn’t that cutthroat kind of atmosphere that I was afraid it would be,” she explains.
The group remains in contact following the event, and they often message one another through Facebook Messenger. They all plan to meet up again during their next Fast CAT competition. It’ll take place in Wilmington, North Carolina, where the top five dogs will face off.
Beyond this online group, Carey used Facebook to find more communities. One group is “Ohio Corgi Picnic,” which brings together volunteers to host an annual fundraiser. She’s especially passionate about advocating for the breed, and has gotten three more re-homed Corgis in recent years. From her point of view, there needs to be more education around the breed, as well as the necessary training and lifestyle considerations for potential owners.
“You have to know the breed, understand that you can train a dog, but it takes time,” she says. “A dog takes effort. You don’t get a good dog, a trained dog, a dog that listens, just by feeding it and putting it outside to go potty.”
Turning Another Natural Talent Into a Hobby
Lily’s seemingly endless stream of energy doesn’t mean she doesn’t have her mellow moments. Recently, she has proven to be a natural therapy dog, which Carey discovered after her mother fell and required surgery. When Carey’s mother stayed with her and her husband, Lily was a source of joy in the household.
“Lily’s joy, Lily’s love, Lily’s puppy antics, all of these things were very healing,” she says. “Just her presence and being herself was very healing to that environment … She added a lot of life to the house and a lot of positive energy.”
She would prove she was a natural healer yet again when Carey’s mother-in-law entered hospice. Instead of being a ball of energy, Lily showcased her mellow alter-ego that involved zero antics. “We would go visit her, and Lily would just lay across her lap and be petted for half an hour. She wouldn’t even move. She would just lay there and get petted,” she says.
Seeing this new side of Lily, Carey hopes to train her to become a licensed therapy dog and help bring joy to the community and those in need.
“There’s not a human being that she doesn’t love,” she concludes.
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.