'A total fairytale': how Meghan Markle's dog went from kill shelter to royal life

In just a few days he went from the kill list at an animal shelter to featuring in Instagram posts that racked up thousands of views. This weekend Guy the beagle will launch into another chapter of his rather charmed life, as he officially becomes part of the royal family. “It’s a total fairytale,” said Alison Preiss of Pet Valu, the Ontario pet store where the rescue dog was adopted by Markle in 2015. “Here is this dog that was in a shelter, nobody wanted him, and through this wonderful adoption he’s now living in a palace.”

Guy’s unlikely journey began after a shelter in the US sent an email to Dolores Doherty, who runs an Ontario-based organisation, A Dog’s Dream Rescue, which saves beagles slated to be put down in the US and brings them to Canada to be adopted. This time, a shelter in Kentucky was asking if she would be interested in a 17lb beagle that had been found in the woods. After he had spent days at the shelter, nobody had come forward to adopt him, and the dog was on the euthanasia list. A network of volunteers helped transport the dog more than 500 miles to the Canadian border, each of them driving him for one hour before handing him over to the next waiting car.

He hadn’t even been in Canada for a full day when Doherty brought him to an adoption event on the outskirts of Toronto. Dozens of people had turned up to meet the 20 or so dogs up for adoption, including Markle.

After news broke of Markle’s engagement to Prince Harry, Doherty revelled in the idea that one of her dogs would now be joining the royal family. “It’s just beyond my wildest imagination,” she said. “How is that for a rags to riches story from a good old Kentucky beagle?”

(Courtesy The Guardian, UK)