Would you leave your dog for a PRINCE?
That’s what Meghan Markle did, much to the horror of canine lovers worldwide. As she embraces her new fairytale life, let’s spare a thought for the poor little pooch left behind...
THE world is in the throes of a love affair with Meghan Markle. And how could we not be? She is an intoxicating mix: a glossy actress (that hair, those teeth), a humanitarian campaigner with a particular interest in gender equality, and of course, an ambassador for making little girls’ dreams come true, now she’s betrothed to a handsome prince.
Amid the horror of war, political tedium and unsavoury scandals that we have been bombarded with of late, it’s great news indeed that these two people, who are clearly in love, are making it official — and in the run-up to Christmas too. It would warm the cockles of your soul.
Yes, the world is rejoicing — apart from devout Suits fans, who are wondering what the hell is going to happen to Season Eight now Meghan’s dumped Mike Ross for Harry Windsor.
Speaking of being dumped, there’s someone else no longer by Meghan’s side while she meticulously plans her royal nuptials. It’s Bogart, her faithful rescue dog, her loyal companion, her friend to the end. Or so he thought anyway, until his human decided to go and move to the other side of the world, and leave him behind.
And what could be worse for a dog than losing its human? Why losing his best mate, of course. Guy the beagle, Meghan’s other rescue pup, fared distinctly better in this particular fairytale; he’s got comfy new digs in Nottingham Cottage in the palace grounds. A happy ever after indeed. Bogart, on the other paw, is now living with ‘close friends’ in Canada. So while Guy lives the high life, cosying up to the queen’s corgis and sniffing out various royals and A-list celebrities, poor old Bogs gets to live with Canadians.
Talk about a bum deal.
AS A DEVOUT dog lover, I’m having a bit of a problem with this. And it seems I’m not alone. American actress Christine Evangelista (that’s Linda the former supermodel’s cousin, you know), has spoken out about how ‘disappointed’ she was when Meghan ditched Bogart, and simply can’t condone it.
Of course, social media had a field day with the news. ‘Guys I can’t stop thinking about the dog that Meghan Markle didn’t take to the UK with her. Whyyyy? That dog got screwed,’ barked one Instagrammer, while another whined, ‘How sad for that dog to not only lose his mumma but best friend too.’
One had a little more bite, warning Meghan: ‘Do not leave them behind. Remember, men come and go, animals don’t!’
Although palace officials have insisted Meghan is ‘heartbroken’ over the decision to depart without Bogart, she seems to be okay with the other sacrifices she has made for her prince. She has also waved goodbye to her Suits character Rachel Zane, charity work with the United Nations and her role as patron of organisations including World Vision Canada and One Young World. In her first televised interview as a royal fiancee, Meghan affirmed: ‘I don’t see it as giving anything up. I just see it as a change.’ Yikes — tell that to Bogart. For me, a dog is for life, and I regard my pair as part of the family. I can’t imagine parting with them for any reason, unless they maimed one of my daughters. However, in our household, they are far more likely to be in peril of an accidental clout from two rambunctious children under three.
And I certainly can’t imagine splitting them up. Although Elle, with her slightly aloof manner, may take it in her stride, Bowie is the complete opposite. He’s possibly the neediest little dog on the planet, whose manic licking and barking for attention is a source of constant annoyance, but take Elle away from the house and he’s like Robin without Batman, or Laurel without Hardy. He turns into a shivering little heartbroken heap until his partner in crime returns. That, it has to be said, is annoying too.
My dogs have been with me at milestone moments in my life. Elle was a puppy when myself and my then-boyfriend moved in together. Before we got married, I presented her with an impossibly tiny bestie, Bowie. They were both there, looking on inquisitively, when we brought our first baby home. They were less interested in our second.
I hope that, when the time comes and we have to say goodbye as their short life cycle sadly dictates, that I will be by their sides when they depart this world, giving them comfort and love as they always have to me.
Sadly, lots of Meghan’s life milestones have now been denied to Bogs. And while it’s unclear exactly why Meghan had to leave her pooch behind, it’s been suggested that the cross-breed was simply too old to make the seven-and-a-half hour flight to Britain.
Indeed, his pictures on Instagram reveal a greying nose and pooch paunch, but our calculations would suggest otherwise. He was adopted by Meghan as a five-week old pup in 2013, following encouragement from Ellen DeGeneres to take the plunge when they went to a dog rescue centre in LA — making him no more than five years old.
‘She [Ellen] is like, ‘Rescue the dog,’’ Meghan told Canada’s Best Health magazine last year. ‘And so I brought him home. Because Ellen told me to.’
We wonder what Ellen thinks now. The princess-to-be went on to reveal that a couple of years later she adopted Guy, the beagle, and noted how the pair were inseparable: ‘They are as thick as thieves those two.’ Alas, no more. So if his age wasn’t the problem, what caused the pup to be forsaken? Well, the regulations surrounding what animals can enter Britain may have been a factor. According to US Weekly, an insider close to Markle said the actress ‘has been really concerned with getting her dogs over to London. Britain is extremely strict with animals and laws are very harsh. It’s been something she’s been worrying about since a London move was decided.’
IT’S a point raised by Gillian Bird of the DSPCA, who suggests that Bogart’s German Shepherd lineage may have played a part.
‘German Shepherds are under the restricted breed list and require muzzling and to be kept on a lead in Ireland and Britain when out and about,’ she says. ‘Maybe there was a problem with him being accepted legally into the country.’
Hmm, fingers crossed his ex-human will not have the same problem when she negotiates her own British citizenship.
Hopefully, Gillian said, the decision to keep Bogart out of Britain was to do with his health, or incapacity to physically comply with travel regulations and not because he wouldn’t get on with the queen’s corgis.
‘These type of breeds can have bad hips, so there’s always that. We have to remember, the stress of travelling can be dangerous to a dog that is not in full health.’
I’m not saying Meghan is not an animal lover. In fact, before her latest enamorment, she referred to her dogs as her babies, letting them sleep on her bed, feeding them organic food and even FaceTiming them while she’s away filming. She’s always been an advocate of rescue dogs, using the #AdoptDontShop hashtag on her social media pages. But is she still a worthy rescue pup ambassador?
‘We can only hope that her decision to leave Bogart was in the best interest of the animal,’ says Gillian. ‘A rescue dog is always supposed to go to a forever home, but circumstances change in a person’s life. That said, we are hoping she doesn’t rush out and get a new dog to replace the one she left behind.’
I hope so too. And as the schedule of her royal commitments heats up, I also hope that little Guy won’t get too lonely. I’d say those corgis are hard work.