Two of the Queen Elizabeth II’s cherished dogs have died, Buckingham Palace confirms.
Monty, a 13-year-old Pembroke Welsh Corgi, and Cider, a Dachshund-Corgi mix (otherwise known as a Dorgi), passed during the Queen’s stay at Balmoral, the royal family’s Scottish castle estate. The causes of their deaths is not yet known, though reports do say the two pups passed in separate and unrelated incidents.
Both Monty and Cider have been laid to rest in the royal family’s pet cemetery.
Monty and Cider are survived by the rest of the Queen’s dog pack: two Corgis, Willow and Holly, and two Dorgis, Candy and Vulcan.
You might remember Monty most recently from a James Bond sketch that ran during the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony. He was also one of the cranky dogs that got into a skirmish with Princess Beatrice’s Norfolk Terrier Max earlier this summer.
Though it’s unclear if or when the Queen will add another dog to her pack, history says it will be another Corgi. The Corgi breed has long been associated with the royal family and has been a longtime favorite breed of the Queen’s. When her father brought home the family’s first Corgi, Dookie, in 1933, then-Princess Elizabeth II was enamored with the pup. When she turned 18, she was given her first Corgi, Susan, as a birthday gift, and the Queen has owned and bred many Corgis since.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) sent a letter to the Queen Mum, urging her to consider adopting her next dog from a shelter, a move that would both provide a happy home to a homeless dog in need and serve as a shining example to the people of the United Kingdom and around the world.
“We hope that if you choose to open your heart and home to a new dog, you will consider saving a life by adopting from a local shelter,” writes Associate Director of PETA, Mimi Bekhechi. “Many [shelter dogs] will be euthanised because shelters simply do not have the resources to keep them all,” Bekhechi adds.
Sources: The Huffington Post, USAToday.com
