British very much love animals - four-footed pets are available in many families. The English royal house - not an exception. All members of a royal surname are not indifferent to horses and dogs, and everyone has preferences in breeds. Amusing, nice and capricious corgis became favourite dogs of Queen Elizabeth II.
Corgi: features of breedWelsh Corgi a pembrok - the ancient breed hunting dogs removed in Wales. Animals differ in the small sizes (30 cm in length and 10 kg of weight), the amusing extended muzzle with large standing ears and short pads. The shade of hair of corgi varies from sand to dark brown, any black and white spots are admissible. The character of dogs is peculiar - they are capricious, quick, cheerful and inclined to pugnacity. But at this corgi well give in to training and without problems get on with other pets.
Corgi at an English court: history
Seven-year-old Elizabeth saw the first doggie of this breed on a visit - and little red small animals at once won her heart. In 1944 the princess received an own dog - red a corgi by nickname Susan. She became not only the constant companion of Elizabeth, but also the ancestor of royal rack of a corgi. Today in the palace there lives already the ninth generation of descendants of a favourite dog of the queen. Today the queen has 11 dogs. By tradition they are given gentle, poetical names - Sugar, Smart guy, the Bee, Madoc, the Smoke. Not all royal dogs differ in lovely temper. In the palace still remember a corgi with the gentle name Heather which because of frequent fights went lame and lost a half of an ear, but did not lose the fighting character.
Except a corgi, in the royal residence Sandrindham breed other hunting dogs - spaniels and Labradors.
Everyday life of royal dogs
The royal rack lives according to the strict schedule. In Buckingham Palace exactly at 5 o'clock an animal serve a ceremonial meal. Footmen small cut meat, on silver trays serve special sauce and the sifted flour for cookies. Elizabeth with own hand mixes ingredients and displays them in silver pans then gives to dogs food on plastic napkins. In the country residence Sandringham the queen spends nearly all free time with dogs. Dressed in a raincoat and rubber boots she walks rack, and later combs out dogs. When the queen leaves on affairs, dogs are looked after by the royal dog handler - this official position exists several decades. By the way, the corgi is held not only by the queen. These doggies also her mother, the Queen mother Elizabeth and also the daughter Anna loved. The heir to the throne Charles prefers Labradors, but too treats favourites of mother with sympathy. However not all have warm feelings to doggies of the queen. Footmen and other employees of the palace often complain that impudent and capricious doggies bite them for ankles or force down from legs, rushing along palace corridors.
Royal dogs never accompanied Elizabeth on foreign trips - the tough rules of a quarantine existing in Great Britain extend also to them.
After death the royal dogs receive one more privilege - bury them in the palace park. Small hillocks with memorable stones are scattered along avenues. And the ancestor of royal rack Susan who died at respectable fifteen-year age received the touching inscription which is beaten out on a gravestone: "Susan, faithful companion of the queen".