PAW-SOME PALS
Jo Harvey-manning, 55, from Stevenage, was struggling with depression when some new furry friends totally transformed her life…
Opening the door to crisp, fresh air, I clutched three dog leads in my hand as I stepped out into the sun. ‘Come on you lot!’ I sighed, as the dogs rushed out, eager to get outside.
I didn’t really feel like doing anything – I was having one of my bad days.
On days like this all I wanted to do was close the curtains, turn away from the world and lay in bed.
It was like a black cloud was hovering over me, zapping my energy away.
But I knew I had to get out and about, if not for myself, for my three pooches – Elsie, Ethel and Bert.
It was about 25 years ago that the black cloud first hit me, when I was going through my marriage breakup.
It wasn’t a good relationship – but despite everything, when the marriage ended, I felt completely rejected.
My sons Elliot and Lewis, 13 and 15 at the time, struggled, too.
It was hard juggling being a mum with how I was feeling.
After a while, I realised I wasn’t just dealing with a breakup – it was something more than that.
Struggling to deal with life in general, it was like I was stuck in a deep black hole.
I went to the doctor and was officially diagnosed with depression, leaving with a prescription for medication.
Things got better when I met my current partner a few years later, down at the local pub on a Sunday night as I was drinking a pint with a friend.
Gary, now 62, left his group of friends as soon as he saw me.
‘Please go to dinner with me,’ he pleaded. ‘Fine, I’ll go!’ I said. Now, 18 years later, I haven’t looked back and we plod along like an old married couple.
But the depression didn’t go away, even after trying counselling. Gary struggled, too, as he bore the brunt of my bad moods.
When I would slip into that void again and struggle to even get up in the morning, he didn’t really understand it.
‘Why can’t you just get out of bed?’ he said.
He didn’t realise that it felt impossible to me – he’d never come across mental health struggles at all.
Diagnosed with fibromyalgia seven years ago I also battled chronic fatigue, which was like the worst jet lag you’ve ever had.
I never exercised and didn’t have the motivation to leave the house.
It was only when my nephew’s partner had a litter of blue French Bulldogs in December 2018 that my world transformed. There was one left, with a broken ear.
We had an instant connection and I decided to call her
Elsie, using the last of my 50th birthday money to get her.
I’d had dogs before, but I’d not had one since my children were young.
Now I had someone who relied on me to take her out when she needed to, so I couldn’t just stay inside all day.
Even just a 10-minute walk got me out in the fresh air and blew the cobwebs out of my mind.
It was the best thing I’d ever done – I felt so much better, especially when I started to meet people, too.
From there the family has grown even bigger, since I got a Hungarian rescue French Bulldog, Ethel, and in October last year I got another rescue Bulldog called Bert. Having them by my side has made such a difference to my life. They give me endless unconditional love.
When I feel down they’ll keep licking and cuddling with me all day long, and I walk with them every day.
My dogs totally lift me up and have shown me how important it is to get out and be active.
I wouldn’t them give up for the world!
I felt so much better