Meghan Markle Fell in Love with a Puppy – But Said Her 'Hands Are Too Full' with Baby on the Way

Meghan Markle almost added another member to her royal household today!

The Duchess of Sussex, 37, stepped out on Wednesday for a visit to her new patronage, the animal charity Mayhew, where she met a number of dogs being helped by the organization.

Meghan – who was “very natural with the dogs, as one needs to be,” according to CEO Caroline Yates – was very taken with one of the dogs: a Jack Russell Terrier named Minnie that she held in her arms.

“She asked about Minnie’s story and what she is like and whether she is up for adoption – and she is!” Yates adds.

“Oh, she’s shivering,” Meghan said as she bent down to pick up the pup and give her a cuddle. “Hopefully she’ll be adopted today, when everyone sees her.”

But the mom-to-be, with the reminder of her growing baby bump, didn’t let herself get carried away.

“We can’t take another dog before the baby as our hands are too full!” she said.

Yates added, “She has got dogs and they are an important part of her life and the family. They have the two dogs already and with the baby on the way, it might be a bit much that’s happening!”

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Before moving to London, Meghan had two rescue pups at her home in Toronto. Guy relocated with her across the pond while the other, Bogart, was gifted to friends.

During her visit, she talked about her beagle Guy, who had been previously mistreated and left to roam wild. “He was petrified to come in the front door. He didn’t know how to go up and down stairs” Meghan said. “All the things you’re patient with and then you end up with the best dog in the world.”

Harry and Meghan have also gotten their own dog together. Although they are still keeping the pooch’s name hush-hush, Meghan did let it slip that the couple’s new dog is a “she.”

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During Wednesday’s visit to Mayhew, Meghan toured the facilities and met with members of the community and animals who have benefitted from the charity. She couldn’t help but give another dog named Roobarb a good pat on the head.

The mom-to-be, who visited the organization before they were announced as one of her patronages, also knelt down to pet Azzy and Gallis, two dogs belonging to Wully, a formerly homeless Pet Refuge service user who was helped by Mayhew’s Animal Welfare Officers.

Meghan, who is expecting her first child in late April, saw first-hand a number of projects run by the charity, designed to improve the lives of animals and people and to better communities both in London and internationally. Some of the projects include animal therapy visits, work with homeless people and their pets and international projects, such as dog rabies vaccinations in Kabul.