Vote for Ellie: Fluffy corgi from Lynnwood vying for top dog

LYNNWOOD — Her Instagram name is “Her Fluffiness.”

Her Facebook page refers to her as a “public figure.”

But you can call her Ellie.

The Pembroke Welsh corgi with big hair is only 5 months old and already a social media darling.

She’s in the running to be top dog.

Ellie is in second place in her pet group in America’s Favorite Pet, a national online voting contest that last year raised over $300,000 for PAWS in Lynnwood. She needs to be first in her group to advance to the next round. Deadline to vote is 8 p.m. Pacific time on Thursday.

“She’s a crazy-smart little pup,” said proud pop James Myles.

“She is a little rascal, but she is the sweetest dog,” added pet mom Mandy Myles.

The couple spent a year looking for a fluffy corgi. The fluff gene is the result of a recessive genetic coat mutation of the otherwise coarse-haired dog.

They brought her home in November from a Snohomish County breeder who called her Joy. She was the only fluffy in a litter of five girls. The couple named her Ellie Joy.

“Because she has the fluffy trait she can’t be a show dog,” James Myles said.

Who needs runways? That big hair ups her cute factor with her 1,700 Facebook followers and fan club in real life.

“We barely make it anywhere on walks because she has to stop at every house and wait for all the people she knows to come out,” James Myles said.

As any politician can attest, it’s a good way to solicit votes to be America’s Favorite Pet.

Voting is free, or people can buy votes, two for $1, in a donation to the non-profit PAWS in Lynnwood on the contest site. PAWS is a recipient, not a sponsor, of the contest.

“This is the second year they’ve chosen us and we’re very grateful,” said Laura Follis, spokesperson for PAWS. “Being the cause marketing beneficiary of this national contest has been incredibly impactful for PAWS and has helped us serve so many animals in need.”

Last year, Penelope, an English bulldog, and a cat named Booger Roux were crowned America’s Favorite Dog and Cat.

Top prize is $5,000 and a spread in Dogster or Catster magazines, which is the next best thing to making the front page of The Daily Herald.

James Myles said he won’t let fame go to Ellie’s head.

“I don’t want it to interfere with her being a pet and having a good pet life,” he said. “I want her to have fun and enjoy life as much as possible.”

So far, it hasn’t interfered with the pup’s academics.

Ellie does online schooling.

“She passed the 101 course,” he said. “She can sit, lay down, stay, leave it, all that stuff. We also taught her to play dead, roll over, shake and high-five. Our favorite is wave, where we just say hello and she lifts her hand up, and kind of moves it up and down twice.”

Her beauty routine includes a bath every two weeks. She recently had her first haircut at a pet salon.

It is unknown how much of her 15 pounds is hair.

That double set of hair calls for double brushing.

“Oh my goodness, she sheds,” James Myles said.

Ellie tilts her head when he plays the saxophone.

After graduating from Kamiak High School, James went to the Manhattan School of Music. He is a musician, saxophone teacher and woodwind coordinator for the Kamiak Show Band. Mandy is a toddler teacher at The Goddard School in Redmond.

Those skills have come in handy with Ellie, her four-legged tot.

“She is high maintenance. She is full of energy,” Mandy said. “She has all the tantrums and she doesn’t listen like a toddler.”

The couple met in 2016 when she was an au pair in Kirkland. They married in 2019.

Ellie is their only child. For now.

“We want to have a little human first,” she said, “then get a second dog.”

Andrea Brown: abrown@heraldnet.com; 425-339-3443. Twitter @reporterbrown.

Top dog

Vote for Ellie: americasfavpet.com/2021/ellie-9f3c