All About Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Two Rescue Dogs, Mamma Mia and Pula

Prince Harry says the pair are "emotional support dogs 100 percent, when they're behaving."

Meghan Markle sitting in grass petting her beagle, Mamma Mia, in a garden, and a photo of Prince Archie running after a black lab on a dirt road surrounded by trees
(Image credit: Meghan/Instagram, Netflix)

The Royal Family can't get enough of their dogs, so it's no surprise that Prince Harry follows in his grandmother Queen Elizabeth's footsteps. Although he wasn't the biggest fan of the late Queen's pack of corgis, the Duke of Sussex owns two rescue dogs with wife Meghan Markle.

Meghan was already a dog mom when she met Prince Harry, and brought her beloved beagle, Guy, to live with them in London (her second dog, Bogart, was re-homed with friends, as Harry detailed in his memoir, Spare). Guy—who made numerous appearances in the Duchess of Sussex's Netflix show, With Love, Meghan—sadly passed away in January, and Meghan paid tribute to the beagle in an emotional Instagram Reel.

In addition to Guy, two other dogs are part of the Sussex family: A beagle named Mamma Mia, and a black lab named Pula. The couple—who adopted Pula in 2018 while they were still senior working royals— kept the black lab a secret for some time, and rumors originally swirled that the dog was named Oz.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's dogs, Guy and Pula, on a bed

Pula is seen as a puppy with big brother, Guy, in a memorial Reel after Guy died in January 2025.

(Image credit: Meghan/Instagram)

Prince Archie running behind a black lab on a dirt road

Prince Archie ran behind Pula in the Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan.

(Image credit: Netflix)

In 2020's Finding Freedom, authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand noted that Pula's name is tied to the place where Harry and Meghan had their third date, Botswana. The country's official currency is called the pula and is also the national motto; the word means "rain," a valuable commodity in the desert nation.

Guy and Pula left the U.K. with their family in 2020, making their new home in Montecito, California. Pula made her debut in the 2022 Netflix series, Harry & Meghan, and has been spotted in Meghan's Instagram Reels alongside her beagle siblings.

As for Mamma Mia or "Mia," the beagle was rescued from unimaginable circumstances in 2022. Mia was adopted by the Sussexes after a raid on the Envigo breeding and research plant in Virginia, where 4,000 beagles were being abused.

Shannon Keith of the Beagle Freedom Project told the Los Angeles Times that Meghan called her personally about adopting one of the dogs. The Sussexes came to choose one after some of the beagles had been transported to California, and fell in love with Mamma Mia. Although 7-year-old Mia had eight puppies, Meghan wanted to rescue an older dog, since it's more difficult for rescues to find homes for them.

Meghan Markle sitting at a patio table with her beagle standing up on its back legs

Meghan shared a behind-the-scenes photo from the shoot for her As ever brand, writing, "Hi Mia!"

(Image credit: Meghan/Netflix)

Meghan Markle's feet and a basket of vegetables with her dog Mia's head in it

Mia investigated some veggies in a photo shared by As ever on Instagram.

(Image credit: As Ever/Instagram)

"The duchess is holding Mia and was like, 'We’re adopting her,'" Keith said. "She was like 'No, we don’t want a Christmas puppy…We want ones we can help who are older.'"

During the 2022 WellChild Awards, Prince Harry opened up about life with three dogs at the time.

"I tell you what, we all need a dog that keeps us calm. I've got three in this house now. So, we basically have five children," he joked. "I've got a black Labrador called Pula, a rescue beagle called Guy. And we got another rescue beagle called Mia. And between the three of them, they charge around chasing squirrels and causing all sorts of problems to us every single day. But they are also emotional, emotional support dogs 100 percent when they're behaving."

Kristin Contino
Senior Royal and Celebrity Editor

Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.