Meghan Markle speaks about the 'joy' of adopting an animal

The Duchess of Sussex meets Maggi a Jack Russell during a visit to Mayhew, an animal welfare charity she is now supporting as patron, at its offices in north-west London.
Meghan during a visit to animal welfare charity Mayhew, in January. [Photo: PA]

Meghan Markle has been an activist for many causes well before she joined the royal family.

Now the Duchess of Sussex has spoken about animal rights and her experience adopting rescue dogs before she met Prince Harry.

Meghan became the royal patron of London-based animal welfare charity, Mayhew, and in the charity’s 2018 annual review foreword, she spoke about the ‘joy’ of making a different to a rescue pup’s life.

“As a proud rescue dog owner, I know from personal experience the joy that adopting an animal into your home can bring,” she said.

“The role that we, as people, play in rehoming and rescuing these animals is vital, but the role of organisations such as Mayhew is unparalleled.”

Meghan adopted a beagle named Guy in 2015 from A Dog’s Dream Rescue after spotting the pup on Petfinder.

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According to A Dog’s Dream Rescue founder Dolores Doherty, Meghan was taken by the pooch’s photo and completed an adoption form just 10 minutes after meeting with Dolores.

“Guy was living in a shelter after being found lost in a Kentucky forest, and now he’s living in a palace,” Dolores previously said.

“It’s a fairytale, a real rags to riches story.”

Guy now lives with Meghan and Harry, and was sitting alongside the Queen just before the couple’s royal wedding in May 2018.