Lupo (dog)

Lupo
Species Canis lupus familiaris
Breed English Cocker Spaniel
Sex Male
Born December 2011
Owner Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge

Lupo is an English Cocker Spaniel owned by Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. He has been credited with raising the profile of the breed in the UK by The Kennel Club, and has appeared in photographs alongside his owners' son, Prince George of Cambridge.

History

Lupo was bred from Ella, a dog owned by Michael and Carole Middleton,[1] the parents of Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge.[2] He is a working-type English Cocker Spaniel. Lupo was born in a litter just prior to Christmas 2011, and was given to Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, who at first denied owning the dog to the media.[3]

His name was finally divulged after the Duchess of Cambridge visited Oxford and told Abubakr Hussain, a child at Rose Hill Primary School.[3]

Origin of name

The name "Lupo" is from the Italian word for Wolf and derived from Latin. It was reported that the Duchess has named the dog after the family of her paternal great grandmother, Olive Christiana Lupton (d.1936); the Lupton family crest has wolves on it.[3][4][5] The dog continued to accompany the Duchess of Cambridge while her husband was deployed with the Royal Air Force to the Falkland Islands,[3] and the pair appeared on the front cover of Hello magazine.[6]

While the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were awaiting the birth of their first child, they relocated to the Duchess' family home in Berkshire, along with Lupo. While there, the media reported that he managed to get his head trapped in a set of gates, requiring the local fire brigade to be called out. A spokesperson from the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service explained that "The special unit from Reading was dispatched along with an appliance from the nearest station, Newbury. Our crew got to the manor but were told as they arrived at the gates that the dog, which had got its head stuck, had been freed just a few moments earlier."[1] Lupo was used to select the name of the Duke and Duchess' first child; they scattered pieces of paper with various names on the floor with the dog stopping at George.[7]

Following the birth of Prince George of Cambridge, Lupo was featured in one of the first official photographs.[8] He was subsequently featured in a family portrait with the Duke and Duchess and Prince George in March 2014.[9] He has travelled with his owners to their holiday residence in Norfolk,[10] but did not travel with them on their tour of Australia and New Zealand in 2014.[9]

Cultural influences

The Kennel Club have attributed the raised profile and interest in English Cocker Spaniels to Lupo. There was an increase of 50% in the searches on their "Find A Puppy" website in the months following the Royal couple's announcement of their ownership of Lupo.[11] This increased interest has also had the effect of an increase in thefts of English Cocker Spaniels.[12]

Aby King is signed to a four book deal to write about the fictional adventures of Lupo for children. She was inspired following walks in Kensington Palace gardens with her own Cocker Spaniel, and the death of her fiance. The first book is called The Adventures of Lupo the Royal Dog: The Secret of Windsor Castle and is due to be released in September 2014.[13]

References

  1. 1 2 "Kate in 999 Drama after 'Lupo' Traps Head in Gate". The Mirror. HighBeam Research. 20 July 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2014. (subscription required (help)).
  2. ↑ Rudd, Andy (22 July 2013). "Kate Middleton labour: How the Duchess of Cambridge's family will back the royal parents". The Mirror. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Isn't He Lovely! Kate's Delight at Lupo the Pup". Daily Mail. HighBeam Research. 25 February 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  4. ↑ "William and Kate's cocker spaniel is named Lupo". AP Worldstream. HighBeam Research. 21 February 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2014. (subscription required (help)).
  5. ↑ Rayner, Gordon (21 June 2013). "How the family of 'commoner' Kate Middleton has been rubbing shoulders with royalty for a century". The Daily Telegraph.
  6. ↑ "Why puppy love is just what Kate needs before the baby comes along". Belfast Telegraph. HighBeam Research. 2 March 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2014. (subscription required (help)).
  7. ↑ Fletcher, Damien (18 September 2013). "It's Ruff Justice". The Mirror. HighBeam Research. Retrieved 1 September 2014. (subscription required (help)).
  8. ↑ Cockerell, Jennifer (20 August 2013). "Our Little Rascal; William and Kate Release Portrait of Baby George". Daily Post. HighBeam Research. Retrieved 1 September 2014. (subscription required (help)).
  9. 1 2 Young, Fiona (30 March 2014). "The Bark Royal". Sunday Mail. HighBeam Research. Retrieved 1 September 2014. (subscription required (help)).
  10. ↑ Marsden, Richard (31 August 2014). "Just like ordinary train passengers: Wills and Kate – and their cocker spaniel Lupo - look relaxed as they return to London from break in Norfolk (but where's George?)". Daily Mail. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  11. ↑ "Now everyone's going loopy for Kate's Lupo". Birmingham Mail. HighBeam Research. 9 March 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2014. (subscription required (help)).
  12. ↑ Stretch, Euan (8 February 2013). "Dognap: 2 Arrested". The Mirror. HighBeam Research. Retrieved 1 September 2014. (subscription required (help)).
  13. ↑ Johnson, Angela (31 August 2014). "A royal bestseller: Duke and Duchess's dog Lupo immortalised in new book series by former actress who was inspired to write following death of her fiance". Daily Mail. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
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