‘I Can Save Them!’: Meet the ‘Corgi Whisperer’ Who Saved the Lives of 67 Dogs
A lifelong corgi lover turned his Iowa farm into a haven where troubled pups finally find peace
Key Takeaways
- Iowa native Brett Butler founded Corgwyn Rehabilitation Sanctuary to save Corgis.
- The dedicated “Corgi whisperer” used his own retirement savings to fund the rescue.
- The 7-acre Iowa farm provides a safe haven for 67 unique, misunderstood dogs.
After falling in love with the corgi breed, Brett Butler realized he had a special touch to train these unique dogs. Now, he saves them on his rescue farm! Here, he shares his story with Woman’s World.
She’s perfect, Iowa native Brett Butler remembers thinking when he picked up his first corgi herding dog 18 years ago — a female named Maggie May.
Then, Brett took home her sister, Lucy. A year later, he got Abby Doo. This doting corgi dad was in love with his dogs, and he felt a kinship with the breed’s feisty and bossy nature.
Soon, Brett was taking his four-legged girls to cattle and horse shows, where people commented on his well-behaved corgis since the breed is known for being difficult.
“What’s your secret?” farmers would ask Brett. “My corgi is giving me problems. Can you please help me?”
Brett agreed to take in some dogs at his Oelwein, Iowa farm, to give them remedial training and return them to their owners as better-behaved pooches. But some poor dogs, Brett saw, were too far gone to be trained.
These dogs often were out of options and faced euthanasia — unless they could find a home.
And that’s where Brett realized: I can be that home and save these precious lives!
He started taking in many corgi refugees from around the country, as word spread about his work as the corgi whisperer. Dog parents would pay to ship their dogs to Brett, who would either fix and return them, or keep the dogs and let them live out their lives in comfort.
In 2018, his 7-acre farm rescue officially became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit called Corgwyn Rehabilitation Sanctuary (CorgwynRehab.org), and Brett used retirement savings to fund the charity and be a devoted caretaker to 67 dogs.
The corgis enjoy running around and playing on Brett’s three secure, fenced-in acres. Some of the better-behaved corgis come inside and pile up on Brett’s bed.
When they first arrive at the sanctuary, the dogs are isolated with Brett and a few highly trained corgis and given time to acclimate before joining the herd — and usually, the dogs adjust well.
Brett does most of the caretaking himself, aside from the sanctuary’s lone volunteer, Amy Workman, who drives more than 4 hours from Nebraska each month to help with tasks like grooming.
“The corgis are like Brett’s children,” she says. “He really is so attached to all of them.”
As for Brett, he feels such compassion for the corgis because he knows many people get these pups without understanding the breed.
“I’m just really protective of these dogs,” Brett says. “I love them, and I’m glad to have the chance to care for them.”
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