WOULD you choose puppy love over your partner?
More than half of us have felt true love for a new pet within half an hour, according to a survey by Agria Pet Insurance. Two in five called it “love at first sight”.
Yet most of those quizzed said it had taken up to SIX MONTHS to decide if their human partner was “the one”.
Claire Dunwell and Lynsey Clarke meet the dogs whose female owners put them before their men.
WRITER Chelsea Heatley, 33, shares her super-kingsize bed with her beloved pet Napoleon – and occasionally lets boyfriend Harvey Hall, 38, sneak in too. Chelsea, who lives in Birmingham with food stylist Harvey and, more importantly, Napoleon, says:
We got Napoleon, a griffon bruxellois, as a puppy four years ago. I put him in a crate on the floor next to our bed but when we turned out the lights, he started to whimper.
It was an awful sound, so I let him sleep in the bed. Since then, he’s always shared our bed. When we go upstairs, Napoleon is waiting for us.
Other times, he’ll be asleep in his bed in the kitchen but will follow us upstairs because he wants to come in with us. He scratches at our bedroom door, begging to come in.
We bought a super-kingsize bed to make room for him. Harvey and I argue because Napoleon’s snoring keeps him awake. Many times he’s got up in the middle of the night to sleep in the spare room.
If we kiss or hug, Napoleon gets jealous and nuzzles his head between us. When we want to be intimate, we put him downstairs.
On Valentine’s Day or birthday dinners at home, Napoleon is involved. He sits at the dining table with his own plate of food. We have no kids but he is like our first born.
Harvey says: “I hate Napoleon sleeping with us.
“He snores really loudly and constantly shifts position in the night. He somehow manages to steal the duvet off me too, which is remarkable for such a small dog.
“I’ll only ever endure it for half the night. Then I get mad and sleep in the spare room so I’m not tired and miserable the next day.”
CANINE fashion designer Rachel Shippen, 32, goes on dates with her pampered pooch Dolly, leaving boyfriend Dale Norris, 31, as the third wheel in the relationship.
Rachel, who lives with chihuahua Dolly and accountant assistant Dale in South Shields, Tyneside, says:
“I have been with Dale for nine years and can count on one hand how many times it’s been just us on date nights.
I make sure wherever we go, the place is dog-friendly. If it isn’t, I hide Dolly in my handbag. It only goes wrong when she pops her head out and we’re told to leave as dogs aren’t allowed.
We go to all sorts of places – Toby Carvery, the local pub , shopping trips to Lidl. If we go to where Dolly isn’t allowed, I feed her food off my plate into the bag where she’s hiding.
Dale finds it annoying that she comes along, but I can’t help how I feel. I’d rather spend my time with Dolly than anyone else. If anything, Dale is the third wheel in the relationship.
We have had rows over Dolly. Dale gets annoyed when I ask if she can sleep in with us and he thinks it is ridiculous she has a bed in every room in the house.
Dolly is so pampered. If she’s not being groomed, I am dressing her up or painting her nails. I design and make dog outfits and she loves wearing pink dresses and tutus.
Dale says: “I don’t like having Dolly with us everywhere we go, it limits restaurants we can visit. Rachel will ditch dates with me to spend time with Dolly.
“She fell out with me when I refused to let Dolly in my clean car. I am used to Rachel treating Dolly as though she’s our baby. It’s rare the pair are seen without one another.”
CANINE-crazy Kerry Jordan, 40, leaves husband Alex, 43, at home when she goes on holiday and takes along her whippets instead.
Kerry, a pet photographer, lives in Fernhurst, West Sussex with Alex, an IT expert, and dogs Scout, Jasper, Boo, Shadow and Bertie. She says:
I wouldn’t dream of leaving the dogs in kennels and Alex doesn’t mind staying at home when I take them on holiday.
I love going away, just me and them. We have holidayed in Cornwall twice and the Lake District. I’m taking them back to the Lakes this year.
Scout came to live with us 12 years ago. We adored him and decided to foster rescue dogs to get them ready for forever homes.
But we kept falling in love with them and that is how we ended up with five.
On holiday we go for long walks and we can do as we like. Alex isn’t bothered because I’m always stopping to take photos of them.
He would be bored of waiting around. The dogs come first in our house. They eat their meals before we do because I couldn’t have them waiting around as we eat. I spend £100 a month on raw food like chicken, beef or lamb with veg.
Each dog has designer beds which cost £200, one for upstairs and another for downstairs. They own five coats each. We don’t have kids. They are my family and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Alex says: “I know the dogs come first in the pecking order with Kerry. They are like children. I really don’t mind that I stay home while Kerry goes on holiday with them.
“It gives me time to do the things I enjoy too, like fishing. I love Kerry and I don’t mind her being a crazy dog lady.”
JADE McKENNA, 24, has spent £8,000 on her pug and Jack Russell cross Gizmo – far more than she would ever splash out on her partner.
Communications manager Jade, who lives in Coventry with building surveyor Chris Allen, 23, and Gizmo, says:
All my money goes on spoiling Gizmo and I spend around £250 a month on him – £100 of that goes on clothes and the rest on toys, treats, food and accessories.
I only spend £50 on myself a month. I work full-time and don’t go on expensive nights out or pamper myself. I spend more on Gizmo than on Chris.
Last Christmas I spent £350 on my dog and only £100 on Chris. Gizmo had three giant sacks of presents and Chris had one.
Chris says I’m crazy. He also got angry that I signed Gizmo’s name on our Christmas cards to my family, before his name.
For Chris’ birthday I will buy him a £15 top but for Gizmo’s I’d spend £250 on treats, toys, books and cake.
I also don’t get Chris presents out of the blue like I do for Gizmo. We’ve been together for three years, but he knows Gizmo will always come first.
We bought him for £650 two years ago. He has been spoiled rotten ever since.
I take Gizmo for days out to the zoo, for dinner in restaurants and on his birthday last year I threw him a birthday party, which cost almost £300 including gifts. He has a personalised bed, blankets, toys and dog treats.
Gizmo loves all the attention, especially when I enter him into doggy pageants and dress him up in cute outfits. He even has his own tuxedo.
I love to spoil Gizmo, he’s my entire life. He’s my best friend and he’s worth every penny.
Chris says: “When Jade got Gizmo, all of her attention turned towards him. It was a really big change and I was jealous at the start, as I wasn’t used to it.
“But now I don’t mind that she spends little on me so she can spoil him. At the end of the day, Gizmo makes her happy.”
