British queen’s beloved corgis ‘becoming endangered’

LONDON, United Kingdom – Queen Elizabeth II’s favorite dog breed, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi, is at risk of disappearing, Britain’s Kennel Club breeders’ association has warned.

Known for their short legs and yappy voices, the herding dogs have been favored by the British monarchy since the 1930s and the queen, 87, has raised dozens herself.

But the Kennel Club said that with just 241 Pembroke Welsh Corgis registered in Britain this year, the breed is on its “at watch” list and is set to be classed as a “vulnerable native breed” by January.

“It looks unlikely to reach the 300 registrations needed to stay off the vulnerable native breeds list,” the organization said in a statement.

Right-leaning newspaper The Daily Telegraph blamed the decline of the corgi on the previous Labour government, which lost power in 2010 to a coalition led by Prime Minister David Cameron’s Conservatives.

Labour introduced a law in 2007 banning “tail-docking” – the practice of cutting off part of a dog’s tail – leading many breeders to abandon the corgi after it changed the breed’s appearance, the Telegraph argued.

The queen currently has two corgis, Holly and Willow, as well as two dorgis – a cross-breed of dachshund and corgi – named Candy and Vulcan, according to the monarchy’s official website.

The Kennel Club said the decline of native breeds such as the Pembroke Welsh Corgi has been accompanied in Britain by the “astronomical” rise of small foreign breeds that can fit inside a handbag, such as the French bulldog. – Rappler.com

Corgi image from Shutterstock