Rose, beloved pet bullmastiff of the Imperial Family, has died aged 7 years old.
Condolences have been pouring in after the news was announced on Facebook earlier today. Rose, whose pedigree name was Bramarley Paloma of Carothan, was Mascot of the Order of the Bullmastiff – effectively the embodiment of the Empire’s national animal. She has been succeeded by Edd, the other pet bullmastiff owned by the Imperial Family.
Rose outlived all her siblings by over ten months, and is thought to have been the last surviving member of the Bramarley kennel. She was born on 17 June 2006 and bought by the future Imperial Family a few months later. Descended from the prestigious Oldwell and Graecia kennels, Rose began to attend dog shows in January 2007 and qualified for Crufts both in 2008 and 2010.
In April 2008, Rose qualified to become a Pets As Therapy dog, and over the following year made trips to a residential home for the elderly to provide friendly company to those there. Despite having a naturally gentle temperament, bullmastiffs rarely qualify for PAT dogs, and so this achievement was such that an article welcoming her to the institution was published in Dog World magazine.
Rose gave birth on 27 June 2010 to her only daughter, Lilly, who currently lives in Surrey.
It is planned for Rose to be cremated and her ashes to be buried in Wrythe Pet Cemetery after a ceremony next month.
