Why does Englands Royal Family have Corgis? Why not English Springer Spaniels or English Setters?
— S.H., Johannesburg, South Africa A: Susan Ewing might as well be a member of the Royal Family, although she resides in Jamestown, N.Y. She’s the author of “A New Owners Guide to Pembroke Welsh Corgis” (TFH Publishing, Neptune City, NJ, 2004; $12.95) and has followed the Royal Family’s dogs for many years. Ewing explains that when Princess Elizabeth II (now the Queen) and her sister, Princess Margaret, were very young, their parents, King George VI and Elizabeth, gave a Pembroke Welsh Corgi puppy to Elizabeth II and a Dachshund to Margaret. Elizabeth II named her first Corgi Susan, and all of today’s Royal Corgis are descendents. Princess Anne prefers Bull Terriers. Big news happened across the pond when, tragically, one of Anne’s Bull Terriers killed one of the Queen’s Corgis in 2003. Actually, there have been several English Springer Spaniels in Buckingham Palace, and many other breeds represented over the years, aside from the Queen’s beloved Corgis. According to the official webs
