PBS - The Royals and Their Pets

Ok, so right now, I am looking at this program on PBS, I never expected to see the IF, however, they were showing clips of Victoria in her carriage around 1896, when NII and Alix were with her.  It is very interesting to see them walking around, I have never seen this footage before, also, they did a liitle clip on the dog who died with them, I think Jimmy.  

On PBS WNED (Western New York and Canada) Thursday December 23rd at 8:00 PM is a documentary on The Royals and  Their Pets. One of the commentators is the author of the book I had found Reigning Cats and Dogs!

"THE ROYALS AND THEIR PETS features fascinating stories of monarchs and their passion for animals. Royal history is full of pets from the 16th century to the present. The documentary takes a humorous look at the daily life of royalty, surrounded by their precious animals, and investigates the role palace pets have played in shaping history and pet ownership today. Narrated by Penelope Keith, the program includes insider commentary from Editor-in-Chief of Majesty Magazine Ingrid Seward and author of Reigning Cats and Dogs, Katharine MacDonogh."

Joanna

Thank you for posting this news, Joanna. Sounds like something I would be interested in watching! I have Ms. MacDonogh's book, but haven't gotten around to reading it yet.

 

Hooray for PBS!

I just hope that I can get that in my area in the not so so far off future!  

I am such a sucker for animals - the IF intrigues me so much, and part of that is their love for their pets.  It is a true test of a person's character for me as to how they treat their pets.  And theirs seem to have been loved and well cared for, even in the worst circumstances.

I am a little emotional about the issue because my best friend for 20 years, my cat Muffin, passed away 1 week ago.  I know I was lucky to have such a loving companion for all those years, but to lose an old friend is very hard.  

Anywho...the show sounds great, I'll have to research to see if I can get the book.  
Thanks for the info!
Regards,
Janet R.

I was able to see this show last night, even though I missed the first half hour. It was pretty interesting and amusing. The parts I saw talked about King Edward VII's loyal little dog Caesar, Queen Victoria's various dogs, Queen Alexandra's "reprieve" of a ram, and also included modern day royal pets such as Prince Charles' dog, which Diana didn't like very much because it made messes everywhere, and Princess Michael of Kent's great love of cats. The program also mentioned how royalty was generally cruel to animals before Queen Victoria's reign, tolerating animal cruelty and sponsoring many hunts, as well as the small role of cats in royal households until fairly recently. It mentioned various species of dogs and their relation to royalty, such as Russian Borzois (which were a gift from Tsar Nicholas to Queen Alexandra), pugs, greyhounds, etc.  I was amused by King George V's parrot Charlotte, who was given to screaming obscenities and soiling people.

Koloagirl, sorry about the loss of your kitty cat
With regards to the book Reigning Cats and Dogs, it is commonly sold on Amazon.com's used book section for under $5.