I buy my baby designer clothes, gourmet food and therapy sessions – but she’s not my daughter, she’s my DOG
WITH her pretty red jacket, pearl necklace and vast collection of cuddly toys, Harley has everything a spoilt child could ask for.
Except that Harley is a dog.
Her owner, Cici Reagan, is one of a growing number of women who have chosen to pour their love and attention into a pet rather than kids.
Pope Francis last week criticised the practice, saying it was “a denial of fatherhood and motherhood and diminishes us, takes away our humanity”.
There are more than 20million cats and dogs in Britain, far more than the 12.7million children aged under 16. And last year saw the lowest birth rate on record.
But here three childless women who treat their animals like kids defend their lifestyle choice.
‘We installed a cat cam so we could keep an eye on our babies’
ANNA PUMER, 37, is a wedding photographer from Brighton, East Sussex, and proud cat mum to Loki. She says:
‘The only human-friendly places are our bedroom and the kitchen’
Dog trainer ZOE WILLINGHAM, 43, from Suffolk, has almost 50 cats, 17 pooches, various rabbits, guinea pigs and parrots. She says:
"PUT a baby in my arms and I’d have no idea what to do with it, or how to look after it. But I was always completely at home with a puppy or a kitten.
It’s been that way since I was 13. Friends joke that they wouldn’t think twice about asking me to look after animals but would never dream of leaving me with their kids.
When I met my husband Carl, 52, he was actually relieved to hear I had no interest in babies because he felt exactly the same way.
We only planned to have six animals – two dogs, two cats and two birds – but we found ourselves taking in animals that no one else wanted.
Before we knew it we had 17 dogs and nearly 50 cats, not to mention rabbits, guinea pigs and birds.
We had to move into a five-acre property to accommodate them all. Now the dogs have their own adventure playground while the cats have a whole patio – or as we call it, a catio – for them to play and lounge in.
There are scratch posts and pet beds in nearly all the rooms.
In fact the only human-friendly places are our bedroom and the kitchen.
Our family is our life. We never even take holidays because we don’t want to leave them for any length of time.
Our idea of the ideal evening is watching TV surrounded by our family.
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I’m astounded that the Pope, someone who has chosen not to have children himself, feels he can tell women what they should be doing with their bodies and criticising us for choosing to love and care for animals over having children."