The late Queen was so famously known for her devotion to dogs and made a huge impact on animal charities, pet owners and dog lovers over her 70-year reign. Following her passing on Thursday, the corgi community are utterly heartbroken and have spoken out about her lasting impression on their lives.
Kay Hogg, secretary of the Welsh Corgi League Scottish sector, said the community was saddened at the news of her death and has 'lost part of our world'. The Queen owned more than 30 of the breed in her lifetime and her fondness for dogs was celebrated by supporters during Platinum Jubilee events.
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Kay said: "We are very, very sad. Everywhere the Queen went there were always corgis. She grew up with corgis and everybody associated corgis with the Queen.
"We feel as though, although there is a corgi league and a society, we've actually lost part of our world. She did so much for the breed, always had corgis by her side all her life."
She described corgis as "small dogs with big personalities", and said: "They are little characters, they like to play, and they are energetic, feisty little dogs."
The Corgi Society of Scotland and the UK Corgi Club brought together dozens of Cardigan Welsh and Pembroke Welsh corgis for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee earlier this year.
More than 70 corgis gathered on the lawn at Balmoral Castle and a corgi derby also took place at Musselburgh racecourse in East Lothian in June.
The trophy was won by Georgie, whose owner Alison Rumbles said it now feels even more special to have taken part in the event.
She said: "I'm just glad we decided to do it, it was so much fun and I just hope that the Queen watched it and laughed and laughed at the silliness of it all."
Mrs Rumbles, a wool fibre artist from Haddington, East Lothian, added: "It's just so sad that she has died. She was hugely admired and respected, just a wonderful, wonderful woman.
"We probably would never have got a corgi had it not been for her and her love of the dogs."
The Queen first grew fond of corgis since she was a small child, and bred more than 30 from her first corgi named Susan, who was a gift for her 18th birthday.
Her Majesty owned at least one corgi at any given time between the years 1933 and 2018, when the last surviving member of the royal corgi family, Willow, died.
The beloved pooch was put to sleep at Windsor Castle in April 2018 after falling ill of a 'cancer-related illness'.
The Queen was heartbroken over Willow's death but did not want her canine companion, who was almost 15, to suffer.
Willow, who famously starred in the James Bond sketch during the London Olympics opening ceremony in 2012, was believed to be the 14th generation descended from Susan.
Willow is thought to be buried in the castle grounds, along with all of the Queen's pets in a secluded area of the 20,000-acre Sandringham estate.
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