Inside Out Dog Names

If anyone has seen the movie Anastasia then they may have a recollection of the imagined story of the Romanov family. As it is told through the movie the great Russian family, the Romanovs, were placed under a curse by an evil magician who was upset at their supposed ungratefulness towards him. Because of this, the entire family was killed, except for the young daughter, Anastasia and her grandmother. They were separated in the chaos and the princess ends up in an orphanage with her memory blank from hitting her head in the escape. Years later, Anastasia goes on a quest to find her family and with the help of a handsome fellow and his friend, she is reunited with her grandmother once again. Unfortunately, the events of that movie are not how the actual story played out and the Tsar of Russia, along with his entire family, were murdered in a horrible act that ended an era and the Tsar's rule over Russia. One detail that was completely left out of the movie (and unknown by many people who are familiar with the real life event) is that the heir to the throne, Alexei, had a dog that went with him everywhere; and this dog is the sole survivor of that horrible day on July 16, 1918.

The dog of this story goes by the name of Joy and he was a beautiful Spaniel who accompanied the young heir everywhere. Prince Alexei suffered from hemophilia and therefore wasn't allowed to play with others often or leave the palace in fear that he would suffer an injury that could end his life prematurely. Because of this, Joy was truly Alexei's best friend and brought him much happiness in life. When the shooting took place on July 16, it is believed through the testimonies of the attackers that the dog was the only one to escape. How horrible it must have been for Joy to witness the terror his family went through, and then to run for his life with no knowledge of where to go or what was safe. Joy left Siberia and ended up hiding behind a palace in Britain where one of the guards found him and took pity on him. Joy would not eat and by the time Colonel Pavel (Paul) Rodzianko received him, the dog was completely blind from malnutrition and trauma. 

At one point in Joy's stay with the Colonel he received a visit from a previous lady in waiting to the late lady Alexandria. A statement from this woman told that she had never seen a more ecstatic dog in her life, as Joy clearly recognized the smell of this woman and hoped that his family would be following shortly after her. Of course, sadly, his family was not to come and upon the departure of the lady in waiting, Joy took up a position by the door that she had left from and lay there, refusing to eat. Over time, he slowly began to recover and eat once again. While he had a comfortable life with the Colonel and was much loved, Joy never fully recovered from the horrible event that he witnessed when he lost his beloved master. The spaniel passed away years later and was laid to rest underneath a tombstone that read "Here lies Joy". 

Although this is a sad story of a sweet dog who lost those he loved, it truly brings to light the immense love that these animals have for the people in their life. Dogs are one of the greatest gifts to mankind and we should never take them for granted, as being owned by a dog provides us with unconditional love that changes our lives forever.