Our Four-Legged Heroes

Three women reveal how their pet pooches have been helping them through the current pandemic

- Gillian Harvey

‘Bertie arrived just when I needed him’

Karen Rhodes, 41, is the owner at Luxury Dog Hampers and lives in Suffolk.

As the tiny puppy scampers up and begins to nip my toes for attention I find myself giggling. ‘OK Bertie,’ I say. ‘Time to play.’

Six weeks ago, it was a different story. My beautiful mongrel dog Bailey had to be put down, just two weeks into lockdown, and I was completely bereft. Bailey had been at my side for 14 years – supporting me through three failed IVFs between 2010 and 2015, and giving me a reason to get up in the morning when I felt low.

As an older dog, we knew that Bailey wouldn’t be around forever – in March, he became ill and refused to eat, and we knew it was time. We said goodbye to our wonderful boy on 1 April and came home to a house that seemed empty and sad. I missed him so much but wasn’t ready for a new dog.

Then, in early May, a local rescue centre asked me to foster a dog for a week before she was put into her forever home. I agreed and enjoyed the experience so much that I finally felt ready to welcome a new dog into my life.

A dog trainer put me in touch with a rescue centre that had just taken in a litter of collie puppies, and on VE Day, little Bertie joined our family. He’s only 12 weeks old and full of energy and excitement at life. He needs a lot of support and training, but with my husband Bill, 40, recently retired from the Army, we’re both on hand to play, walk and train him.

Bertie came into my world just when I needed him to – without him, my life would have felt so empty. I’ll always miss Bailey, but it’s wonderful to have a new little creature to love.

luxurydoghampers.co.uk

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