Queen Billie Jean King Gelderman, Her Majesty XXX
Queen Billie Jean King Gelderman will serve as Her Majesty XXX aside her look-alike non-bio brother by a failed foster-turned-adoption for the first-ever brother-sister King and Queen reign. Not only do they have a common family tree, but they are also both stunning five-year old Silver Labs, so they look like carbon copies of each other.
But, while King Pete was busy terrorizing poultry on a chicken farm in his early days, Queen Billie Jean was birthing litter after litter in a nasty puppy mill. She was rescued by Take Paws and that is when Carroll Gelderman, who is also the King’s mother, agreed to take her for a trial run. This became permanent quickly despite her penchant for perusing kitchen counters for goodies on the regular because she has such a loving way about her.
Carroll, the human daughter of Tony and Katherine Gelderman, thought she would make a great addition to her mother and father’s household even though they (thought) they wanted a small dog. Fate has a way of giving everyone what they did not know they needed, and this was the case with Queen Billie Jean King Gelderman when she became part of the Gelderman family.
In this family, it is safe to say that it takes a bit of reviewing configurations of the relationships between King, Queen, mom, dad, sister, and stand-in mom. Charts with diagrams and arrows might help highlighted with crowns and scepters.
Queen Billie Jean King Gelderman is the son of Tony and Katherine Gelderman, and the sister of the 2023 King Pete Sampras Gelderman. Carroll is also considered another mother to the Queen, as she is often with her parents, and the King and the Queen spend lots of time together as besties (and family). In addition, the Queen is the brother of late Barkus Queen Honey Gelderman and late King Banjo Gelderman.
On a human scale, the Queen is part of long line of Rex royalty. Her mother, born Katherine Harcourt Waters, was the Queen of Carnival in 1982 and her sister-other mother, Carroll, was Queen of Carnival in 2014. This could be the ultimate meeting of the Canine and (people) Carnival Courts in the history of Mardi Gras.
The Queen’s situation today is quite different than she previously knew. Prior to her rescue, she spent many years confined with a single purpose to reproduce and received little attention otherwise. Now, she has a life full of love, travel, companionship, family, and lots of tennis balls. Like her brother, King Pete Sampras Gelderman, she enjoys playing with tennis balls which explains her name. She also spends summers at her family’s home on Water Island, Fire Island, New York, where she swims, chases waterfowl, and sunbathes like a regular spa patron waiting for her cucumber eye treatment. When in New Orleans, she is often with King Pete while he works at the Garden District Bookshop, although she is not an employee like King Pete.
Looking forward, the Queen is considering producing a podcast focusing on how her high emotional IQ helped her cope with adversity and her belief that there are no bad dogs, just dogs that do bad things (sometimes). It is possible her brother, the King, will co-host.
Whatever she chooses to do, the Queen realizes that her life from trash to class embodies the Barkus mission of giving hope to pets waiting to be adopted. She would like her reign to be rooted in the magic that human love gives and the power of practicing gratefulness daily to those that saved her.
May her spirit soar as the ultimate Top Dog as we hail this 30th year parading as the greatest canine carnival on the planet with Queen Billie Jean King Gelderman, Her Majesty XXX.