Think some people’s pets are treated better than some people? That would be totally true if you were lucky enough to be one of Queen Elizabeth’s Corgis. Queen Elizabeth has owned Pembroke Welsh Corgis since childhood, and when photographed walking about, the queen is rarely seen out of the company of these cute little dogs. Bred for cattle herding, Corgis are known for being bright and persistent.
Town & Country sat down with Dr. Roger Mugford, a leading animal behaviorist , who was enlisted by Queen Elizabeth to train her pack of eight Corgis, to hear what it is truly like to be a royal Corgi. Let’s just say that the Corgis belonging to Queen Elizabeth are living the life.
https://t.co/k4QMZyCF81 Pls read comments of the Kennel club(6th-7th paragraph) when young Queen Elizabeth crossbred a Corgi & a Daschund
— Wry (@nickleke) February 22, 2016
Dr. Mugford knows all about the daily live of the royal Corgis. He explains that the Queen moves between her homes in Scotland, Norfolk, Buckingham Palace, Central London, and Windsor Castle when she is not on official state travel. Her Corgis are world travelers, and are bundled up, in cars and planes, to travel between homes with the Queen.
“They are good travelers, and at the time of my consulting Her Majesty, she personally used to drive the dogs along the highway linking Central London to Windsor Castle in the west, in a beat up old General Motors Estate car.”
Any resident seeing a woman of the Queen’s age driving along the highway in a car stuffed with eight Corgis would have to be greatly amused. The Corgis are not put into a kennel for the night, but “sleep with the Royal Family.” And it sounds like the Royal Corgis also eat like the Royal Family, according to Dr. Mugford.
Each Corgi has its own porcelain bowl, each carried by its own butler, as each dog is fed a different meal according to their age and medical condition. At this time, each Corgi gets herbal and/or homeopathic medication, per the Queen’s instructions. Dr. Mugford says that Queen Elizabeth is an excellent dog trainer and handler, and that her Corgis each fully understand their station.
Dr. Mugford explained to Town & Country what he perceives is so special about Welsh Corgis.
“Corgis have the heart of a giant, but in a shrunken little body.”
The Guardian explained that Queen Elizabeth’s Corgis eat off of China and silver daily. The Corgis dine on a variety of fresh protein sources, according the the chef for the Royal Family.
“Her Majesty likes to treat them like royalty, dispensing succulent dishes of steak, rabbit or chicken from individual menus and served from silver and porcelain borne by a liveried servant.”
It is said that when talking about her pets, and particularly her Corgis, who have their own Wikipedia page, her demeanor changes, and animal concerns and charities are at the top of Queen Elizabeth’s list.
Corgi Queen Elizabeth England Puppies Dogs UK Waddle Genuine Postage Stamp Pendant Key Ring by PSPendants (15.00 US… pic.twitter.com/ysOgjymeQ3
— Jan Lewis (@PSPendants) February 2, 2016
According to the Inquisitr , the emphasis on Queen Elizabeth as a Corgi and animal lover helps to humanize her in times when there are PR battles afoot. Recently, stories of the British response to the #CleanFortheQueen project have been less than favorable, but also quite funny.
On Twitter, people have asked if they could dump their refuse on the palace steps, while others have suggested that Queen Elizabeth’s lazy relatives should get off their bums and start the cleaning project first. There is no mention of cleaning up after the herd of Corgies.
So, it would seem that the little Welsh Corgis live a much more glamorous and pampered life than most of the citizens of the United Kingdom, but it is hard to deny that the herding dogs are so darn cute.
Are you a fan of Pembroke Welsh Corgis?
[Photo by Peter McDiarmid/Getty Images]