I Once Crossed the Road to Avoid Dogs. Now I Have Two

As a mother of a newborn and toddler, a double buggy was a necessity for me. It was an obvious piece of baby equipment to ferry my little ones to the local park and back and, dare I say it, gave me comfort too – for selfish reasons that I can’t quite believe I’m admitting. You see, I was so petrified of dogs that I had this wild plan that should one come up to me – the width of the pram would create a significant barrier to protect me. That’s not to say I was putting my sons’ lives at risk (it was the buggy design where the kids faced inwards) but I, cringe, figured the metal and padding of the pram would be enough to get us out of harm’s way should a dog come running up to my feet. 

Years later, and I’m not only shocked by my once erratic behaviour – that unsurprisingly left my younger two kids scared of dogs – but am in disbelief that I could ever have been once that scared of dogs. You see, I’m now the proud pet parent of not one, but two dogs – a ten-year-old Cockapoo called Coco and Luna, a three-year-old Golden Doodle – that have now brought so much fun and love into our family. In fact, when I walk my two dogs on Hampstead Heath, I am now the person that looks at others walking alone and thinks, ‘how on earth can you not have a dog?’ I realise now that for so long, I had been barking up the wrong tree.

I can’t pinpoint exactly where my fear of dogs stemmed from. While I never had one growing up, I also didn’t have a particular negative experience of them. I do, however, remember being in hospital once as a kid and seeing the patient next to me being cleaned up after a dog bite. Perhaps it was that recollection that affected me and made me view dogs purely as animals that would simply be out to bite me. Such was my fear, I now sympathise with anyone who walks past me and has a kid scared of dogs. That said, my two are so calm, sweet and loveable, they literally couldn’t say boo to a goose – well, maybe Luna would, as she has a tendency to chase after anything that has wings.

When I think of the joy my dogs have brought me I often realise how many years I wasted not only being scared of the most loveable creatures but also not having one of my own. I’d had no reason to interact with dogs until my kids started primary school and then on almost every play date the family had a dog – that was how I came to realise how special they were. The growling teeth I once feared were non-existent, and it helped that the majority of my friends just so happened to have either a Cockapoo or a Doodle breed; the majority of which were small, fluffy and super friendly to be around. I started not to flinch when they jumped on my knee and as my kids grew older and we all became used to dogs, my fears and their concerns vanished. 

According to pet behaviour specialist Jeanette Muldoon, who runs The Family Dog Club, a dog training company based in Hampshire & Southampton, the best way for people who are scared of dogs to challenge their fears is to learn about dogs and their body language.

“This helps you to be able to read them better,” says Jeanette. “Then you can slowly start petting them and allow very gradual exposure at a distance to friendly calm dogs.” And this is exactly what we did; helped by the fact every dog we came into contact with was super cute and unthreatening. 

“I have known Poodle mixes to help peoples’ fear of dogs,” says Jeanette, pointing out “they’re often what we call ‘velcro’ dogs that attach themselves to their human, and their generally sweet nature means they can help people with a fear of dogs.”

Although it took another ten years for us to finally get our first dog Coco, it felt like a no-brainer for us to get a Cockapoo and she fitted into the family perfectly. With three sons by that point, I was adamant I wanted a girl dog and I kid you not, she has been brought up like the daughter I never had. OK, maybe that’s going a bit far, but I do dress her in pink, brush her hair and she has never left my side apart from when we have gone on holiday (when I have pined for her so much). 

Of course, the initial period was difficult to adjust to, just because of the broken sleep and puppy training but it didn’t take long for Coco to become a central point of our family of five. The calming effect she had on our health was amazing, both physically and mentally. It was a pleasure to walk her daily, and with my husband working long hours as a lawyer, Coco was the best way to help him unwind after a busy day. So much so, my husband takes her into his law firm occasionally where she provides the best stress relief to him and his colleagues. Luna is yet to venture onto the tube, because at close to 20kg, I can’t imagine my husband being able to carry her on the escalators. 

As for Luna, getting her wasn’t initially on the cards. I never imagined I’d get a second dog, particularly when Coco was six years old. My husband called it a mid-life crisis but honestly, we have never looked back. Luna was the last one left from a litter of puppies that two of my friends had got from – one look at her, and I fell in love.

As the name suggests, Golden Doodles tend to be golden but Luna is black and she has the most colourful personality. From the outset the two dogs got on perfectly, and to this day remain the best of friends. Coco certainly puts Luna in her place when she gets the zoomies or tries to sit on my husband’s head, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. I still get a thrill when I call the vet and say I am the mum of Coco and Luna. My two girls to add to my three human boys!

As for the love I feel for my two ‘fur babies’, I’d say it’s a full-on obsession. My husband and three sons feel the same. My camera roll is full of pictures of them both and whereas we once used to talk about the kids achievements on a date night, we now talk about the dogs; from new tricks we have taught them to laughing about their sleeping habits. (Yes, we have two dogs that sleep at the foot of our bed – my younger self would be shocked!)

They may come at an expense – dog food, treats, grooming and a fantastic dog walker I use twice a week when I am at work – but to me, they are priceless. Having two may occasionally leave us exhausted but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Coco is now getting too old for long walks, so I’m looking into getting a dog pram... if only I’d kept that double buggy!