THE QUEEN’S Corgis were at Crufts this year – not Elizabeth II’s but those from the 2005 film starring Helen Mirren.They belong to breeder and exhibitor Liz Smith (Pembreeze) who was manning the Pembroke Corgi booth at Discover Dogs and is showing two of them on Sunday.
The canine actors are nine-year-old P Miss Ziggy and her five-year-old offspring P Daisy Boo, P Passion, and P Anne Marie.
Mrs Smith explained that the film’s director had wanted Corgis who had taken part in obedience.
“They approached me at a show and I agreed to be in the film,” she said. “To prepare, I taught the dogs to walk with anyone I asked them to. I would touch Helen on the shoulder and say, ‘Go with’, and they would walk with her.
“We spent three weeks filming in Scotland, near Balmoral. We didn’t make a lot of money but it was good fun. A lot of hard work, though. I was in a top-floor hotel room with six dogs. After climbing all the stairs each time I could only take two dogs out at a time to answer calls of nature.
“ Being in the film did a lot of good for the breed. Helen was very complimentary about the dogs – she loved them – and we sat on set talking for ages. She’s very down to earth.”
After filming completed, Mrs Smith appeared on The One Show, and won the inaugural Fido Film Awards, which are presented to the owner of the most appealing screen dogs.
