Joy: The Only Surviving Member of the Romanov Murders

Joy, a spaniel and beloved pet to the son of Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov (the last Emperor of Russia), was the sole survivor of the Imperial family.

One of many photos taken of Alexei and Joy.

On July 17, 1918 Tsar Nikolai II, his empress Alexandra, their four daughters Olga, Tatiana, Maria & Anastasia, and their only son Alexei were executed by Bolshevik revolutionaries in the basement of their home in Yekaterinburg. Their personal physician, their three servants and two of the family's dogs, Ortino & Jemmy, were also killed. It is believed that, having been spooked by the gunshots, their other dog Joy escaped from the house into the woods.

Alexei, who was only 13 at the time of his death, was born with hemophilia - a medical condition in which the blood doesn't clot properly, causing the person to bleed severely from even a slight injury. Because of this, he was often prevented from playing with other children so he spent much of his time with his faithful dog Joy.

Eight days after the execution, the Bolsheviks had to withdraw as White forces entered the city. Joy (saddened, half-starved and almost completely blind) was found wandering the grounds of the house. Colonel Pavel Rodzianko, who was serving with the British Expeditionary Force and knew the Romanov family well, took Joy to England where the dog spent the last years of his life in comfort in his new home at Sefton Lawn, nearby Windsor Castle - where Nikolai had hoped his cousin King George V would have provided a safe haven for him and his family.

Joy was buried in the garden at Sefton Lawn, and according to Rodzianko, "Every time I pass my garden at Windsor I think of the small dog's tomb in the bushes with the ironical inscription 'Here lies Joy'. To me that little stone marks the end of an empire and a way of life"

Caesar: King Edward VII's Close Companion

Despite his questionable manners, Caesar was King Edward VII's loyal and inseparable companion during the last years of the King's life.

King Edward VII, Caesar and Queen Alexandra

Caesar, a high-strung wire fox terrier, was born in the kennels of the Duchess of Newcastle in 1898 and was given to King Edward VII in 1902 by Lord Dudley after the King lost his dog Jack. The two bonded quickly. Caesar, who had his own footman to tend to his needs, slept on a chair next to the King's bed, was almost always at his master's side, and wore a collar with a gold tag bearing the inscription "I am Caesar. I belong to the King."

Despite his loyalty, the feisty terrier enjoyed chasing small critters. On one occasion, an entire police force was sent into the woods to find the lost dog. When misbehaved, the King would shake his walking stick at Caesar and call him a "naughty dog." But this wasn't always the case. According to Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst, "Whenever I went into the King's cabin [on board the royal yacht], this dog always went for my trousers and worried them, much to the King's delight. I used not to take the slightest notice and went on talking all the time to the King, which I think amused His Majesty still more."

Funeral procession

When King Edward VII died in 1910, Caesar, accompanied by a kilted highlander, walked behind the carriage that carried his master's coffin - in front of international dignitaries. This did not please some, including Kaiser Wilhelm II of the German Empire.

"Silent Sorrow"
A painting by Maud Earl in 1910 capturing Caesar's grief, resting his head on the King's favorite chair.

Caesar, who mourned his master's death, remained in the Royal household with Queen Alexandra. Shortly after the King's death, an unofficial book titled Where's Master was written from the viewpoint of Caesar.

Caesar passed away in 1914.

Shop Amazon

Queen Elizabeth's Love for Corgis

Queen Elizabeth II fell in love with corgis at a young age, and owned roughly 30 of them over her lifetime.

Princess Elizabeth and corgi Dookie

The current Queen of England was given her first Pembroke Welsh corgi by her father in 1933 when she was 10 years old. The dog's name was Rozavel Golden Eagle, but was lovingly called Dookie - short for "the Duke". On her 18th birthday, she was given a corgi named Susan, which all future corgis could be traced back to.

The pampered dogs enjoyed a privileged life. In Buckingham Palace, they slept in their own wicker baskets, raised above the floor to avoid drafts, in their very own "Corgi room." They dined on fresh rabbit, chicken and filets of steak prepared by a gourmet chef, and at Christmas, they would be given stockings full of toys and treats.

In 2105, it was reported that the Queen decided to stop breeding corgis because she did not want to leave any behind when she dies. Her last corgi passed away in 2018, leaving her with two dorgis (a cross between a corgi and dachshund) named Vulcan and Candy. Recently, Vulcan passed away.

Kublai Khan's 5000 Dogs

Some 5000 dogs became famous in history in Marco Polo's writing, the most dogs ever owned by one person - Kublai Khan.

When Marco Polo, an Italian explorer and writer, traveled through Asia, he wrote about the many dogs Kublai Khan, the fifth Khagan (Great Khan) of the Mongol Empire, owned. He described the small dogs (the Tibetan Spaniel) as "little golden-coated dogs nimble dogs." The other breed, the majority of his dogs, he described as "tall as a donkey with a voice as powerful as a lion. Strong enough to hunt all sorts of wild beasts particularly the wild oxen which are extremely large and fierce." These dogs were the Tibetan Mastiff.

The mastiffs were used for war and hunting, and were cared for by two men who were brothers. "The Emperor hath two Barons who are own brothers, one called Baian and the other Mingan; and these two are styled Chimtchi (or Cunichi) which is as much as to say, 'The Keepers of the Mastiff Dogs'." Marco Polo goes on to describe the hunt. "And when the Prince goes a-hunting, one of those Barons, with his 10,000 men and something like 5000 dogs, goes towards the right, whilst the other goes towards the left with his party in like manner. They move along, all abreast of one another, so that the whole line extends over a full day's journey, and no animal can escape them. Truly it is a glorious sight to see the working of the dogs and the huntsmen on such an occasion! And as the Lord rides a-fowling across the plains, you will see these big hounds coming tearing up, one pack after a bear, another pack after a stag, or some other beast, as it may hap, and running the game down now on this side and now on that, so that it is really a most delightful sport and spectacle."

Shop Amazon

Dog Comforts Mary, Queen of Scots at Execution

Mary, Queen of Scots had always been fond of little dogs, and even managed to have one by her side at the time of her brutal ending.

When Mary, Queen of Scots was sent to Fotheringhay to await her death, she was allowed to bring some servants and her dogs with her. On the day of her execution (February 8, 1587), she hid one of her small dogs under her long skirts and petticoats. No one noticed the dog until after the beheading. According to Robert Wynkfield, a witness to the execution:

"Then one of the executioners, pulling off her garters, espied her little dog which was crept under her cloths, which could not be gotten forth by force, yet afterwards would not depart from the dead corpse, but came and lay between her head and her shoulders, which being imbrued with her blood was carried away and washed, as all things else were that had any blood was either burned or washed clean, and the executioners sent away with money for their fees."

The little dog - one source says a Skye terrier and another says a small white dog (I believe a Maltese) - never moved when the axe struck her three times, and afterwards refused to leave her side. After being washed, one source says the dog refused to eat and died of a broken heart shortly afterwards, and another says it was given to a French princess and lived the rest of its life in France.

Saur: A Dog Who Became King

In his Heimskringla, Snorri Sturluson (1179-1241), the Icelandic chief traced the royal line of Norway in his writings with some myth and folklore to spice up the tales. One story is of a dog who became king. The dog's name was Saur.

As the story goes, a minor king named Eystein invaded and conquered the region of Trondheim around the early 9th century. He needed someone to govern the land so he let the people of Trondheim choose between his trusted slave or his dog Saur. The people chose the dog, thinking that this would allow them the most freedom to govern themselves. However, when the dog king came into their lives, the locals discovered Saur was no ordinary dog. It is written that Saur was gifted with the wisdom and intelligence of three men, and he could allegedly speak in human tongues after having barked twice.

The people of Trondheim treated Saur like royalty. They would carry him on their shoulders to keep his paws from getting dirty, and they would lavish him with gifts. He was given a jeweled collar of gold and silver, and a dog bed that was fit for a king. Saur lived a pampered life. But despite the royal treatment, Saur still had the dog in him, wanting to protect his domain from danger. One day, he went after a pack of wolves who were threatening a flock of sheep. The magical dog was no match for the pack of wolves, and was sadly torn to pieces.

A Royal Palace with Many Pampered Dogs

The maharaja (prince) of Junagadh, India owned 800 dogs and pampered every one of them.

Each dog had their own room in the lavish palace of the maharaja, and each had their own personal servant. They were often dressed up in formal evening suits so they could go on rickshaw rides around town. The eccentric maharaja would even spend large amounts of money on grand birthday parties. Probably the most extravagant event was the wedding of his favorite dog Roshanara to a royal golden retriever that belonged to the Nawab of Mangrol. Kathleen Walker-Meikle, author of The Dog Book: Dogs of Historical Distinction, described the event:

"Perfumed and in brocade and pearls, Roshanara was brought to the Dubar Hall in a palanquin while Bobby was greeted at the train station by a military band and the maharajah on an elephant with 250 brocade-dressed dogs (also on elephants). The breakfast was attended by 700 guests from Indian princely families, who were entertained by dancing girls singing for the dogs and Mendelsohn's "Wedding March." Alas, the wedding night was interrupted by the majarajah himself, who sent Bobby to the kennels so he could have his beloved Roshanara on his bed as usual."

The dogs also had their own hospital with a British doctor to tend to their ailments. When a dog passed away, a state mourning was declared. Oil portraits of his favorite dogs, including one of the wedding, are still exhibited in Junagadh Palace.