Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Adopted a Beagle Rescued From Horrific Abuse
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have two dogs, one of which is a Beagle they recently rescued from a kill shelter with horrific conditions. Here’s what we know about the royal couple’s newest furry family member.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle adopted a Beagle rescued from a nightmarish breeding facility
When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle decided to adopt a new dog, they reached out to Shannon Keith, an animal rights attorney who runs the Beagle Freedom Project in Valley Village, California.
Keith told Meghan that her organization was about to receive a 7-year-old mother and her litter of puppies rescued from a breeding facility called Envigo. Markle immediately said she was interested in the mother. She and Harry, accompanied by two security dogs, went to the Beagle Freedom Project after hours to visit the dogs. They ended up adopting Mamma Mia, one of 4,000 beagles rescued from Envigo’s horrific conditions.
“The duchess is holding Mia and was like, ‘We’re adopting her,’” Keith told the Los Angeles Times. “She was like ‘No, we don’t want a Christmas puppy. … We want ones we can help who are older.’”
“After a life spent being forced to give birth to litter after litter of puppies destined for laboratories, I can think of no more fitting ‘happily ever after’ than being adopted by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex,” Kitty Block, president and chief executive of the Humane Society of the United States, told The New York Times.
The rescue Beagle fell in love with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at first sight
Although many of the animals rescued from Envigo were skittish around humans, Shannon Keith said that Mamma Mia took to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle right away.
“The second they walked in, it’s like Mamma Mia knew,” the animal rights attorney told The New York Times. “She ran over to them. Her tail was wagging a million miles a minute.”
She added, “It’s like she knew that was her new home,” Ms. Keith said. “They were just so loving towards her.”
The royal couple made sure their new dog was comfortable before they took her home
Although Mamma Mia was excited to start her new life with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke of Sussex could tell that something was missing.
He paused before they left the Beagle Freedom Project to head to the royal couple’s mansion in Montecito. “He’s just like, ‘Well, we can’t leave yet because there’s something in that back house she needs,’” Shannon Keith described to the LA Times. “‘Does she have a favorite toy or something?’”
The royal couple went to the back of the house and found a box of toys. They turned it over, and Mamma Mia grabbed a fox toy the organization had given her during her cross-country trip after leaving Envigo.
Once the Beagle had her favorite toy, Prince Harry was ready to take their newest family member. “OK, now we can go home,” he said.
