Saturday, December 21, 2013

Downton Abbey's Hugh Bonneville has a Tibetan Terrier


Hugh Bonneville on the line.

We were happy to learn that Downton Abbey's Lord Grantham, actor Hugh Bonneville. has a Tibetan Terrier.

"I have a Tibetan terrier. I'm still not sure if Teddy's a genius or very thick. It's a fine line," the actor recently revealed in an interview with the BBC.

Bonneville says he has also learned that dogs and their owners do, indeed, tend to be very alike in character.  "Mine is a Tibetan terrier who gets under everyone's feet, then stops to lick himself for no reason, so we all fall over him."

Then, we came across this piece written by Teddy for Tattler.

WHAT'S IT LIKE TO BE...TEDDY, HUGH BONNEVILLE'S DOG


Let's get one thing straight. I don't live at Downton Abbey. I am Hugh's real-life dog - his actual best friend and not some part-time, performing gimp. Jealous? Me? Not at all. Isis the lab may get to hang out on set with Hugh, Shirley MacLaine and Dame Maggie Smith, but he's never allowed into any of the Crawley bedrooms and, when the cameras stop rolling, he's just like any other hound.

I get to sleep on Hugh's bed. It's a pretty cosy spot. Normally, it's just me, Hugh and Mrs Bonneville, unless the cat sneaks in - then it gets a bit crowded. I always maintain my dignity by keeping quiet and staring into space until I have him to myself again. When I'm not eating anything I can find, you'll catch me barking at nothing, sniffing any available crotch or being dragged like a sack of potatoes across the hall for a walk.

I think exercise is overrated but, once I get into the woods, I give in and let Hugh have his wretched romp, while I stalk twigs and have the occasional argument with my tail. If I'm feeling really frisky, I'll roll in some fox poo. This never has a happy ending. I have to have a bath afterwards and I loathe any type of grooming. I'd like to sue whoever invented the electric dog-clipper for cruelty. And I categorically refuse to win Crufts. Ever.