The British people are very stoic and best summed up in the phrase “keep calm and carry on.” They also fiercely love their dogs. This is why it is scandalous to hear that one of Princess Anne’s dogs caused a scene at a family Christmas gathering.
It is tradition for the extended British royal family to gather at the family estate of Sandringham to celebrate Christmas. The Sun is reporting that during this time, the family went pheasant shooting on Boxing Day, the day after Christmas. It was during this shoot that Anne’s dog attacked the gamekeeper’s pooch.
At some point during that Boxing Day shoot, Princess Anne’s bull terrier saw opportunity. It “sank its teeth” in the ear of the gamekeeper’s dog. The result was “a lot of blood and screaming.”
One source close to the palace opened up about the situation. “The Boxing Day shoot’s a huge family affair so Anne took along her dog. It ran across the field straight at the gamekeeper’s dog and latched on to its ear,” the source told The Sun.
This was not the calm Christmas anyone in the family wanted. Thankfully, both dogs survived, but tensions remained high for some time after the incident.
“It took a while to get the dog off the ear because it had really sunk its teeth in. Everyone was OK in the end but the atmosphere was extremely tense afterwards for some time,” the source went on to say.
There were lingering concerns about the safety of the humans present at the shoot. If that dog attacked another dog, who is to say it would not turn against a person as well?
“A good few people questioned what if it had been Charlotte or George or any of the children instead of another dog?” the source added.
Princess Anne differed from her mother, the late Queen Elizabeth, in preferring bull terriers to corgis. She famously said, “This will give the palace corgis a run for their money,” when she acquired her first. Bull terriers were originally bred to bait bulls, so they possess a powerful jaw and are not afraid to use it.
This recent attack is not the first time Anne’s bull terriers have been in trouble. In 2001, one of her bull terriers named Dotty attacked two children in Windsor Great Park. Anne was convicted under the dangerous dog act for this incident and fined £500.
Dotty bit a 12-year-old boy on the collar bone and twice on one leg. She also scratched the arm and bit the leg of his 7-year-old brother. Both boys were checked out at the hospital, but stitches were not necessary. Anne was warned Dotty would be put down if she attacked again.
In 2002, one of Anne’s dogs attacked one of the queen’s beloved corgis. This incident did not have a happy ending, as the attacked corgi had to be put down.
With all this precedent, perhaps Anne’s family has a reason to be concerned about their safety around her dogs.
