Queen Elizabeth II and corgis – level 3
As the Queen celebrates her 90th birthday, it seems the love and loyalty between Queen and corgi remains. From young princess to longest reigning monarch, her corgis have been constant companions.
"The Queen, I would say, is unsurpassed amongst any client that I've had in my 35 years of animal behavior practice and, she's the best, exerting friendly authoritative control over each and every one of the dogs that I saw and that was a few years ago."
During her reign, she has owned more than 30, starting with Susan, who was a present for her 18th birthday in 1944. Currently, her Majesty has four. Last year, on a visit to Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, she said she had no plans for any more.
"You are not tempted to take a corgi home?"
"Not really!”
All do have a free reign of the palace, but the Queen is said to be quick at pulling them into line.
"Every dog is individually assigned a role and would obey her separately from the rest of the group, so she could call them forward one at a time. So she shows exceptional good training regimes like psychological control over her dogs."
A lot has changed during the Queen's 90 years but not her love of corgis.
Difficult words: corgi (a short-legged dog with a foxlike head), unsurpassed (better than any other), exert (to use), be tempted to do something (to want to do something), obey (to do as somebody says), regime (authority).