Meghan Markle opens up about the life-changing 'joy' of adopting a pet in heartfelt message

The Duchess of Sussex may be on maternity leave at the moment, but it looks like she's still keeping in touch with her royal patronages before returning to full time royal duties in the autumn.

Meghan Markle has penned the foreword for the annual review of animal welfare charity, Mayhew. She became patron of the organisation at the start of this year, while pregnant with baby Archie.

And in the passionate foreword, the Duchess spoke emotionally about one of the subjects closest to her heart - her animals.

Meghan owns two dogs, one which she and Prince Harry picked up last year, and her beloved rescue beagle Guy, who moved over to the UK with her from her former Toronto home.

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She also had a had another rescue pup, Bogart, but left him behind with friends in Canada, as it's thought that he was too old to make the trip over to London.

In her heartfelt essay, Meghan spoke about her life changing 'joy' of owning a rescue dog.

She wrote, "As a proud rescue dog owner, I know from personal experience the joy that adopting an animal into your home can bring."

The Duchess went on to praise Mayhew for the important work it does, before urging her fans and anyone reading to help in any way they can.

Meghan continued, "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. What initially struck me about Mayhew specifically is their community based approach, not simply on rehoming animals, but in the preventative care that inhibits these cats and dogs from ending up in shelters in the first place,

"The choice to adopt a pet is a big decision that comes with much responsibility but infinite return on the investment. It will undoubtedly change your life.

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"As Patron of Mayhew, I encourage you to get involved in whatever way you can—either through pet adoption, volunteering, donation, or spreading the word. We are all interconnected and through these animals we find an even greater link to community and the part we can play."

Prince Harry and Meghan are thought to have adopted their first pet pooch together last year, but very little information is known about the dog.

During an official trip to Sussex last year, the couple confirmed that the pet was a girl, but only because Meghan explained that the press "keep getting her name wrong".

Other than that, the dog's idenity has remained a tight-guarded secret! Let's hope the dogs are getting along well with their new brother, baby Archie...