“After three
miscarriages,
secondary
infertility, and
a decade on and off
trying for babies,
Molly is expert at
helping me through
the tough times. Walking her in the
woods lifts my spirits and gives me hope,
cuddles with her soothe me and help me
fi ght on, looking in her eyes I know she
knows. We would be lost without her.”
Clare and Molly, London.“Dougie the Double Doodle came into
our lives during a particularly turbulent
time on our fertility journey, but it
was the best decision we could have
made. He gave us
something else to
focus on, makes
us smile every day
with his happy-go-
lucky personality,
and muddy dog
walks always make
us feel better!”
Claire and Dougie,
West Yorkshire.http://www.yourdog.co.uk 59“Having
a puppy meant
the attention
and questions
were all
about him.”
▼I
t’ll be good practice for having a baby.’
We must have heard this every day when
we fi rst brought our Cockerpoo puppy,
Leo, home.
And while I’m sure it is true that the
sleepless nights, toilet training, and
teething isn’t dissimilar to life with
a newborn, for me and my husband, Ian, it
was always a reminder that we didn’t have
the baby we so desperately wanted.
After years of trying to start a family, we
were told that IVF (in vitro fertilisation) was
the best chance of me getting pregnant.
Speaking to friends who had gone
through fertility treatment, we knew that
it was a gruelling process, with months of
injections, scans, and invasive procedures,
as well as an emotional rollercoaster. It
was then we decided to get a puppy. We’d
always talked about getting a dog, but had
said we’d wait until we had children and
would be spending more time at home.
But by this point we were fed up of waiting,
and hoped that a puppy would bring some
much needed joy into our lives — and he
did in spades.
Once we’d made the decision to get
a dog, we quickly chose a Cockerpoo
puppy from a local
breeder, calling him Leo
because he looked like
a baby lion. Cockerpoos
are known for being
great family dogs, and
we dearly hoped that
one day he would have
some playmates. No
doubt I am biased, but
from day one Leo was
the best puppy, melting
the hearts of everyone
he met and constantly
making us smile. But there were many other
benefi ts to having a dog during our fertility
treatment that we hadn’t even thought of.
One thing that people struggling to
start a family dread is the questions, from
the small-talk regular: ‘Do you have any
children?’, to the direct ‘When are you
starting a family?’ (please, never ask these
questions). On a bad day it can be enough‘
to reduce you to tears, but having a puppy
meant the attention and questions were all
about him. I’d happily tell people his name,
age, breed, and temperament all day if it
meant the focus wasn’t on me.
Something I’d always been jealous of
was the way people who
had children got to go
out and explore, with
weekends and holidays
full of trips to beaches
and parks. I hadn’t
realised that having
a dog was the perfect
excuse to do the same.
We quickly became
National Trust members,
and fi nding the best new
walks and dog-friendly
pubs became a big part
of our free time, a great distraction from
what else was happening in our lives.
Friends and family who we told we were
having IVF desperately wanted to help, but
in reality there was very little they could
do. But every time we had to go for an
appointment or scan, we had a network
of friends ready to step in and take Leo
for a walk or dog sit. It was a win-win forHELPING US
THROUGH...We asked some of our
Facebook fans, going
through a similar experience
to Hannah, how important
their dogs have been...Leo and littermates.Clare and Molly.Dougie.Leo has been by
Hannah’s side
throughout her
IVF journey.