A Blue Merle Corgi is a Cardigan Welsh Corgi that has a blue merle coat pattern. This coat has light patches of black throughout, which look blue in color. It is sometimes referred to as dappled or marbled.
Merle is a coat color pattern consisting of bluish or reddish-gray with splotches of black or reddish-brown. A blue merle coat doesn’t actually contain any blue. Instead, it’s made up of large patches of light black (that appear blue) as well as smaller, darker patches of black.
The Definition of Blue Merle
Merle is produced by a semi-dominant gene known as the M-allele. This affects the dog’s coat color distribution, creating a marbled or speckled effect. This striking appearance occurs when a Corgi inherits the merle gene variant from one of its parents.
The M-allele doesn’t just affect a Corgi’s coat. It also modifies the dark pigment in the eyes, resulting in lighter-colored eyes, odd-colored eyes, or bright blue eyes. Some Blue Merle Corgis also have mottled pink paw pads and noses caused by pigmentation.
While there’s no doubt that Blue Merle Corgis are beautiful, this genetic trait must be taken very seriously. That’s because the merle gene can lead to issues like blindness, deafness, and higher rates of skin cancer. Particularly when two merle Corgis breed together.