All eyes are on England eek, with the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, who was coronated in 1953 and has ruled longer than many of us have been alive. As you may know, the monarch was known for her love of corgis: specifically, the Pembroke Welsh Corgis. A local vet discusses the royal pups below.
History
Queen Elizabeth was first enchanted by corgis at a young age, by the pups owned by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. On her 18th birthday, her father gave her a corgi of her own. That particular corgi, who was named Susan, accompanied Her Majesty on her honeymoon. All of the Queen’s other corgis were descended from Susan’s puppies.
Pampered Pups
As you can probably guess, being the Queen’s pet is a pretty sweet deal. The 30-some corgis she owned over the course of her life slept in cushioned baskets, and ate things like steak, rabbit, and chicken from silver platters. The adorable pups had names like Plover, Disco, and Mint. They were always fed in order of seniority. They even each got their own Christmas stockings.
Beloved Pooches
It’s easy to see why so many Brits fell in love with these cute pups. However, not everyone was quite so smitten with them. Princess Diana once referred to them as a ‘moving carpet’!
Plucky Pups
Corgis are extremely intelligent, and are actually known for herding cattle. Given that said cattle are quite a bit larger than they are, that’s pretty impressive!
A Furry Legacy
The Queen stopped breeding corgis in 2015, simply because she knew her time was coming and didn’t want to leave any behind. However, she made an exception in 2021. Prince Andrew, along with his daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, gave her a puppy to mark what would have been Prince Philip’s 100th birthday. (Andrew is adopting some of the corgis.)
Movie
Did you know that the royal corgis were the inspiration for a movie? In The Queen’s Corgis, the monarch’s favorite pooch gets lost and ends up in a dog fighting club. The movie details his adventures as he tries to find his way back home.
Scandals
Not even the royal dogs can escape scandal. Apparently a footman was demoted for pouring booze into the pups’ bowls, and watching them stagger about “with great relish.” We can definitely agree with the Queen’s anger on this one. Alcohol is actually very dangerous to pets!
Do you have questions about your pet’s health or care? Contact us, your local animal clinic in North Miami Beach, FL!
