About three weeks ago
I was looking at the Infertility Network UK newsletter and I saw a review of a
book called “The Puppy that Came for Christmas and Stayed Forever” by Megan
Rix.
There was a puppy on
the cover. So of course I had to buy it. And I am so glad I did.
“The Puppy that Came
for Christmas” is about Megan and her husband Ian’s journey to try and have a
child. It is a story about the emotional rollercoaster that infertility is –
and the challenges that so many of us are familiar with. Hearing the news that
having a baby is not going to be easy, or may not even be possible, is so heart
wrenching. Spending time with people who have children, and particularly with those
who have just had a baby, can be so difficult to bear. I could relate to so
much of what Megan and Ian went through.
What was different
about this book from many personal stories of infertility is that through all
of this the focus was very much on how Megan and Ian found a new way of living –
a new way of having a family and a life that they value and love.
I won’t give too much
away, but that new kind of life started when Megan and Ian volunteered to foster
a puppy that would eventually become a helper dog. They took Emma in from when
she was eight weeks old to when she was around six months old, when she went on
to do her advanced helper dog training.
Emma introduced a
whole new way of life that gave so much to Megan and Ian. And even though there
was heartbreak when they had to let Emma go at six months of age (something I
don’t think I could do – and was unbelievable selfless of Megan and Ian), she
started something special.
It’s how I feel about my
life now. Although there are times when I still grieve for our babies, and I
feel the emotions of jealousy and anger, and the question rises once more of “why
us?”, Kirby and I have a life we love. We have our dogs and cats and fish, and
our nieces and nephews, we have us, we have travelling to do, and we have a
freedom which we wouldn’t have if we had children. Our life is not better than
if we had children – it’s our situation, it’s different, and we’ve decided to
embrace it as much as possible.
When the end of the book
was drawing near I found it hard to finish – I must admit. This wasn’t because
it was poorly written, but because I didn’t want to say “goodbye” to my new “friends”.
I had been on a journey with people (as well as their dogs) that I related to –
and I felt as though Megan and Ian had become my friends. This is something
unique, and a testament to Megan and Ian’s story, and the way Megan has written
about it.
If – or, I hope, when –
you read “The Puppy that Came for Christmas”, you will read about an incident
in the book that left me furious when I read it. I think you will know it when
you find it, and perhaps, like me, you will wish you could be there to put the
particular woman involved in her place and wrap your arms around Megan to
comfort and protect her. It happened during a puppy training session and it’s
to do with just who makes the best puppy parents…that’s all I’m going to say…
If you have
experienced infertility and love dogs I am certain you will love this book.
Actually, even if you’ve
never experienced infertility, but you love dogs – you will love this book.
Get ready to fall in
love…
And finally here are our
boys…who we love so very much…
4 comments:
I'm not especially a dog person - the only dogs I've ever had were on the farm when I was growing up - but I don't dislike them. Your review has made me very interested in reading the book.
It's a great book Mali - I think you'd really enjoy it! I'm already looking forward to reading it again...and I've only just finished it... :-)
I was told that having a child would be difficult, so due to this and other health reasons we have decided not to try to have children. Around that time I wanted a baby in the house, so we decided on a little Rough Collie puppy named Brienne. We planned for her, the trip to Tennessee to get her (we live in the US), and getting her all set up with a vet here in town. What we weren't planning on was finding a kitten at a local hay barn. He was only 2 weeks old, and I bottle fed him for the next 4 weeks. My husband named him Shadow, and since we knew we were getting Brie we planned on rehoming him, as we already had two other kitties. But when the day came, we just couldn't do it, and not a day goes by that he doesn't make me smile. I have no clue how to give up a baby you've raised, so a huge amount of respect goes out to those who raise puppies for that purpose, and to people that foster abuse, neglect, and abandoned kids. And yes, in my head, these are my kids, and I am very happy and at peace with that. At this moment at least!
Hey Chelsea - that would have been a difficult decision to make! But I'm glad you have your fur babies...they do ease the pain...and how amazing to bring up a kitten from just two weeks of age!! x
Post a Comment