Dookie (1933 – ?) or Rozavel Golden Eagle was a

Pembroke Welsh Corgi The Pembroke Welsh Corgi (; Welsh for "dwarf dog") is a cattle herding dog breed that originated in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The name ''Corgi'' is of Welsh origin, and is a compound of the words and (mutated to ), meaning "dwarf" and "dog", r ...

bought in 1933 by

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of In ...

then Prince Albert, Duke of York. Dookie was the first

to join the Royal Family. The dog was especially popular with

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

, who named Dookie in honor of her father the Duke of York.

Background

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952 ...

then Prince Albert, Duke of York decided to purchase a Pembroke Welsh Corgi for his daughters Princesses Elizabeth and

Margaret Margaret is a feminine given name, which means "pearl". It is of Latin origin, via Ancient Greek and ultimately from Iranian languages, Old Iranian. It has been an English language, English name since the 11th century, and remained popular thro ...

after the girls had fallen in love with the breed when visiting the Pembroke Welsh Corgis owned by the children of the

Marquess of Bath Marquess#United Kingdom, Marquess of Bath is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1789 for Thomas Thynne, 1st Marquess of Bath, Thomas Thynne, 3rd Viscount Weymouth. The Marquess holds the subsidiary titles Baron#Britain an ...

. In July 1933 Thelma Gray of Rozavel Kennels brought three Pembroke Welsh Corgi puppies for the family to choose from to their home at 145 Piccadilly. Out of the three, Dookie was chosen because of his slightly longer tail, the children's mother, the then Duchess of York, having remarked that a dog should have something to wag "so that we can see whether he is pleased or not." Dookie was born "Rozavel Golden Eagle" in 1933 and bred by Thelma Gray at the Rozavel Kennels in

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

. The bright red pup was sired by Ch. Crymmych President and Ch. Golden Girl.

Royal life

Dookie became a loved member of the family and was described as "unquestionably the character of the Princesses’ delightful canine family" and "a born sentimentalist." The princesses even fed the dog by hand. Three years later another Pembroke Welsh Corgi named Rozavel Lady Jane was purchased to be the companion of Dookie. Her father was also Crymmych President of Rozavel Kennels. However, Dookie was her brother so Lady Jane was paired with Rozavel Tafferteffy. Jane and Tafferteffy produced two pups named Carol and Crackers. Crackers became a constant companion of

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was al ...

and even retired with her to the Castle of Mey in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

References

{{Elizabeth II Individual dogs in politics 1933 animal births Pets of British royalty Individual dogs in the United Kingdom

Background

Royal life

See also

References