Queen Elizabeth's Obsession with Corgis Can Be Traced Back to Her Earliest Days as a Royal

"My corgis are family," Queen Elizabeth once famously said about her beloved breed of dogs. More than 30 corgis have loyally stuck by her side throughout her reign of the British monarchy since 1952, and even before that, the Queen was a proud owner of the pooch as a young girl. At just seven years old, she was reportedly gifted her very first pup, a Pembroke Welsh corgi called Dookie.

From there, her affinity for the short-legged herding dogs grew strong. The Queen was so taken by her furry children that she allowed one of them — who went by Susan — accompany her and Prince Philip on their honeymoon. Sadly, Susan's final descendant, Willow was put to sleep last April after a long battle with cancer.

VIDEO: Queen Elizabeth's Best Corgi Moments

In 2012, Queen Elizabeth made the tough decision to stop breeding her corgis because "she didn't want to leave any young dog behind." However, she still cares for two corgi-dachshund mixes named Vulcan and Candy, who are probably celebrating their mum's 93rd birthday today with the rest of the royal family. Here, a look back at Queen Elizabeth's court-side companions over the years.