Meghan Markle has renewed her sponsorship of some kennel dogs at the London pet rescue center, Mayhew. The Duchess of Sussex said in a statement that she's putting the sponsorship in behalf of her son, Archie Harrison.
In a statement released to People, Meghan said that she's proud of the Mayhew's mission of taking care of not just the animals but also a community. Mayhew takes in not just pets like cats and dogs but the animals of homeless people who might have no other way to feed or care for their furry companions.
The organization also has a fostering program and an animal-assisted intervention program for the vulnerables. The Duchess of Sussex, who is an animal lover and an owner of a rescue dog herself, has been the patron of the charity since January 2019.
Meghan didn't drop her patronage of Mayhew when she left London and rescinded her royal roles with Prince Harry last March 31. She continues to be in touch with the organization despite living in Los Angeles.
Meghan and Prince Harry have also been raising their son Archie to love animals. The 13-month-old baby's best friends are actually the family dogs -- Guy, the rescue beagle, and a black Labrador that Prince Harry and Meghan adopted before Archie was born.
The Duchess of Sussex's sponsorship comes as Mayhew is apparently experiencing funding problems amid the coronavirus pandemic. According to Newsweek, the charity has appealed to the public for extra funding to buy food and medicine for the animals in their care and the pet parents relying on their services.
Much of Mayhew's fundraising activities have been canceled since mass gatherings have been temporarily prohibited. The animal charity needs at least $7,500 a day to remain open.
The last time Meghan visited the charity was in January, when she briefly came back to London, after staying in North America. She was taken to a Jack Russell, which has been having issues and was shivering when the duchess picked her up.
Mayhew has been founded in 1886. It has been providing vet services to owners who may be hard up on resources. At a given time, Mayhew has about 30 to 150 animals being tended to by less than 200 hundred volunteers and a small number of staff.
Meanwhile, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have set up a new foundation under Archie's name as well. Archewell has not officially launched because of the coronavirus crisis and it's still unclear if the couple will take in animal advocacy with this new endeavor. The initiative will be likely more detailed in the fall season.
