This article originally appeared on Dr. Mahaney’s Pet-Lebrity News column on Pet360.com as Queen Elizabeth Bans William and Kate’s Dog From Holiday Festivities.
There has been a lot of juicy celebrity pet news around Christmas 2013. On our side of the pond,one of the Obama’s dog was involved in an potentially injurious incident. Across the Atlantic, a different story was brewing involving the Royal Family and their canine companions.
According to the Huffington Post, Prince William and Kate Middleton’s dog Lupo was banned from attending the family’s Christmas festivities at Sandringham Estate. What’s Sandringham Estate(I know you’re asking)? It’s “the much-loved country retreat of Her Majesty The Queen, and has been the private home of four generations of British monarchs since 1862. The house, set in 24 hectares of stunning gardens, is perhaps the most famous stately home in Norfolk and is at the heart of the 8,000-hectare Sandringham Estate, 240 hectares of which make up the woodland and heath of the Country Park…”. Sounds like a lovely place to bring a canine companion along for a holiday gathering.
For those of you not familiar with Lupo, he’s a black Cocker Spaniel. Lupo is an offspring of the Middleton’s family dog Ella and in 2012 reportedly provided Kate with companionship while her husband’s military responsibilities stationed him overseas.
Just before the birth of Prince George, Lupo was involved in an incident garnering much media attention. I wrote about about the canine near-crisis in the Pet-Lebrity News article Emergency Involving William and Kate’s Dog Nearly Steals the Spotlight from the Royal Baby. Fortunately, Lupo was unharmed after he was speculated to have gotten his head stuck in the gate at Bucklebury Manor, the home he shares with William and Kate.
Why would Lupo be banned from the family gathering? The answer is not fully clear, but in banning Lupo, it appears that Queen Elizabeth was looking out for his best interests in the face of potential interactions he may have with her Corgis. According to The Telegraph, in 2012 six of The Queen’s Corgis were involved in a fight with three Norfolk Terriers, one of whom was 11-year-old Max. The damage was bad, as Max “nearly lost an ear and suffered several bloody bite injuries that had to be treated by a vet.”
The Queen was not present during the canine altercation, but “her dog walker was leading the group through one of the castle’s corridors when they became ‘overexcited’ and began ‘fighting among themselves. They were being taken along the long corridor leading to the Tower Door before being let into the grounds for a walk, and they all became overexcited. They began fighting among themselves and unfortunately the dog boy lost control. The next thing we knew there were horrific yelps and screams and it seems the corgis picked on Max.”
Some may feel that excluding Lupo from the family gathering was not a very holiday-spirited gesture. I, on the other hand, commend the Queen for thinking responsibly in striving to prevent any resident or visiting canines from unnecessarily suffering trauma from the jaws of another dog.
Humans are also at risk from dog bites, especially in households having more than one dog. According to Dog Bite from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “among children and adults, having a dog in the household is associated with a higher incidence of dog bites. As the number of dogs in the home increases, so does the incidence of dog bites. Adults with two or more dogs in the household are five times more likely to be bitten than those living without dogs at home.” So, more pooches spending time on the grounds or in the residence at Sandringham Estate for the holidays could put both dogs and people in harm’s way.
I imagine that Lupo received excellent care back home at, and was eager to see William and Kate upon the return from their family obligations for the holidays. Hopefully all dogs and humans at the royal residences had a fun and safe celebratory season.
Where did you take your pet this holiday season?
Copyright of this article (2014) is owned by Dr Patrick Mahaney, Veterinarian and Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist. Republishing any portion of this article must first be authorized by Dr Patrick Mahaney. Requests for republishing must be approved by Dr Patrick Mahaney and received in written format.
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