Column: There are plenty of pets in Orange County just waiting to be adopted

If you were hiding under a rock in an attempt to avoid the circus surrounding the recent royal wedding, you might also be one of the few to miss the other “fairy tale” enthusiastically peddled by the media: the fable of Guy, the rescue beagle.

The dog belonging to the former Meghan Markle, now the Duchess of Sussex, has achieved near-mythic status after his heartrending, rags-to-riches story went viral. A stray from Kentucky, he was saved from a dire fate in a kill shelter and transferred to a Toronto rescue organization thanks to some kindly volunteers.

That’s where Markle, who was filming her TV show “Suits” in Toronto at the time, found the adorable little guy and, as all good fairy tales would have it, she fell in love at first sight.

She named her adopted dog “Guy,” and apparently when Prince Harry popped the question Markle wasn’t too dazzled by the prospect of marrying into royalty to make it clear that Guy would come along as part of the deal.

And so the Bluegrass State foundling became a princely pup, living large in a palace, and is rumored to receive rides from Her Majesty, the Queen, a well-known animal lover who I’m convinced carries a ready supply of doggy treats in the handbags that are always dangling from the crook of her regal elbow.

One British newspaper reported that Guy stole the show, and captured more hearts, at the reception following the royal wedding, where the beagle was spotted happily gorging on guests’ leftover food. Some dreams do come true.

But for all those other shelter animals still waiting for their prince or princess to come along, the news is more mixed.

On a positive note, the number of dogs and cats entering shelters has declined significantly, from about 13 million in 1973, to an estimated 6 million to 8 million today. The number of animals euthanized annually has also decreased, from about 2.6 million in 2011 to about 1.5 million.

The steady drop in the number of shelter animals that are put down has been attributed to the growing popularity of pet adoption — more than 3 million dogs and cats are adopted each year — coupled with successful efforts to reunite strays with their owners.

Despite this progress, too many shelter animals remain unclaimed and unwanted, and that’s a shame.

I have a new rescue dog of my own, so this topic hits close to home.

Readers might recall my previous columns about my former dog, Petey, whom we had also obtained from a Lab rescue organization. A sweet, sensitive old soul, Petey was plagued during the last years of his life with a range of health issues, including blindness, neurological and digestive issues, and finally cancer.

When we lost him last summer, I wasn’t sure when I’d feel ready commit to another dog, but as time went on I realized how badly my husband missed having a four-legged sidekick. After the holidays, we began applying to rescue organizations.

It took a couple of months, but when we finally met Bodie, a frisky 2-year-old yellow lab in need of a home, it took less than a second to decide to adopt him.

I confess it hasn’t all been tickety-boo, as the British might say.

Before finding a home with us, Bodie had been living in a shelter — for how long, we don’t know — and adopted and discarded by another family. Judging by his behavior — sometimes skittish and wary, and also largely lacking in training — it’s possible he had survived through some rough circumstances for a time.

We’ve been working through his issues and he’s learning, but it’s slow going and patience is required. In the past few months, he has chewed his way through our home, attempting to devour every pillow, cushion and shoe in his path.

He nibbles on plants when we’re not looking, rips newspapers and magazines to bits and has pretty much demolished a screen door. One morning I awoke to find him trying to make a meal of my hubby’s golf tees.

Would we give him up? Not a chance.

Bodie may be a rascal, but he’s also gentle, irresistibly cute, friendly with people as well as other dogs and has a delightful prance to his step. I might grow exasperated with his antics at times, but he’s part of our family now. If a few throw pillows must be sacrificed, so be it.

Perhaps the story of Guy, the stray who won the heart of a duchess, will inspire more pet rescues — and that would be a jolly good side benefit of the nonstop publicity surrounding the royal nuptials.

Indeed, there are undoubtedly plenty of animals right here in Orange County ready and waiting to be adopted. They don’t need a duchess or a palace or rides with the queen. Their happily ever after would only require warm, safe, loving homes and families willing to put up with a bit of pillow shredding.

PATRICE APODACA is a former Newport-Mesa public school parent and former Los Angeles Times staff writer. She lives in Newport Beach.