Meghan Markle Talks About The Joy Of Adopting Animals In Sweet Letter

Meghan Markle may be on maternity leave, but she still has time to support a patronage that’s near and dear to her heart. 

The Duchess of Sussex wrote a sweet foreword in support of Mayhew , an international animal welfare charity, for the organization’s 2018 annual review. The former “Suits” actress spoke about the “joy” of rescuing an animal. 

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

“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.” 

She encouraged people to get involved with animals and Mayhew in any form, whether its adopting an animal or volunteering one’s time. 

“The choice to adopt a pet is a big decision that comes with much responsibility but infinite return on investment,” she added. “It will undoubtedly change your life.”

Meghan previously adopted two rescue dogs , a beagle named Guy and a labrador-shepherd Bogart, in Toronto. Only Guy made it across the pond when the duchess moved to London, while Bogart stayed behind with some of her friends. 

Meghan adopted Guy at a joint event between a Pet Valu store in Milton, Ontario, and the rescue group A Dog’s Dream Rescue  in 2015. 

Alison Preiss, marketing manager at Pet Valu, told HuffPost Canada about the adoption in a 2018 interview. 

“She was really well prepared,” Preiss said and explained that the actress even made an impression on A Dog’s Dream Rescue founder Dolores Doherty. 

“Meghan got in touch with [Doherty] through Petfinder and Dolores said, ‘Here’s an application,’ and Meghan had hers back within 10 minutes,” Preiss said, adding that the actress had an impact on her as well. 

“She was just so normal, very intelligent, outgoing, confident-type woman,” Doherty told HuffPost. “She wasn’t pushy or flouting anything at all ... she was just really a nice person, and I thought, ‘Well, I was really happy that Guy would have such a good home with her,’” she added.

Meghan and Prince Harry now share Guy, as well as another rescue dog they got together (whose name hasn’t been made public). 

Subscribe to HuffPost’s Watching the Royals newsletter  for all things Windsor (and beyond).