The corgi community has “lost part of our world” following the death of the Queen, an expert has said.

The late monarch was known for her love of the breed, owning more than 30 corgis and dorgis – a corgi-dachshund cross – during her reign.

Earlier in the year her fondness for the dogs was celebrated during Platinum Jubilee events, with a gathering of 70 corgis at Balmoral and a “corgi derby” at Musselburgh racecourse.

Kay Hogg, secretary of the Welsh Corgi League Scottish sector, said the corgi community was saddened at the Queen’s death.

She told the PA news agency: “We are very, very sad. Everywhere the Queen went there were always corgis. She grew up with corgis and everybody associated corgis with the Queen.

“We feel as though, although there is a corgi league and a society, we’ve actually lost part of our world. She did so much for the breed, always had corgis by her side all her life.”

She described corgis as “small dogs with big personalities”, and said: “They are little characters, they like to play, and they are energetic, feisty little dogs.”

More than 70 corgis gathered on the lawn at Balmoral Castle in June as part of celebrations for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Organised by the Corgi Society of Scotland and the UK Corgi Club, the event brought together dozens of Cardigan Welsh and Pembroke Welsh corgis.

A corgi derby also took place at Musselburgh racecourse in East Lothian.

The trophy was won by Georgie, whose owner Alison Rumbles said it now feels even more special to have taken part in the event.

She said: “I’m just glad we decided to do it, it was so much fun and I just hope that the Queen watched it and laughed and laughed at the silliness of it all.”

Mrs Rumbles, a wool fibre artist from Haddington, East Lothian, added: “It’s just so sad that she has died. She was hugely admired and respected, just a wonderful, wonderful woman.

“We probably would never have got a corgi had it not been for her and her love of the dogs.”

Most of the Queen’s corgis were descended from her first corgi, Susan, who was gifted to her on her 18th birthday in 1944.

The Queen looked after her own dogs as much as possible and during weekends spent at Windsor, the corgis went too and lived in her private apartments.

She fed them herself, whenever her busy schedule permitted, and also enjoyed walking the dogs.