HOW ZIGGY’S STARDUST HELPED SAMANTHA BECOME A MUM
After suffering a couple of miscarriages as well as a failed round of IVF, SAMANTHA COPE finally realised her dream of becoming a mum, something she puts down to getting a dog. That dog was cocker spaniel Ziggy. Here the former Sentinel journalist tells how Ziggy came into her life and how she credits him for her IVF success
‘I’VE grown up with dogs and had been desperate for one as soon as I moved into my first home. “But living in London and working full time didn’t seem like the best set-up. So I thought I’d wait until we started a family. We tried to get pregnant for three years, had a couple of miscarriages along the way and then when the holy grail of IVF failed for us, I was at an all-time low. That’s when my husband David suggested we get a dog.” Having always wanted a dog, Samantha, who has just returned to North Staffordshire, was sure what breed she wanted. She said: “I knew instantly what kind of dog I wanted, a cocker spaniel. I spent hours trawling the internet for the perfect pup from a registered breeder.
“Finally, I came across a Kennel Clubregistered litter in Dagenham so off we went on the train to look at them.”
It was love at first sight for Samantha and Ziggy. “I knew which pup was mine as soon as we entered the house. He came trotting over to me and sat by my feet meowing like a kitten.
“He was tiny but perfect,” said Samantha. “We paid our deposit and went back five weeks later to collect him. We called him Ziggy.”
But Ziggy wasn’t the only bundle of joy to come into Samantha’s life.
She said: “Since then he’s been an integral part of our family and six months later when my second round of IVF worked, we put the success down to Ziggy and the distraction and joy he’d brought into our lives. Ziggy is now five and he’s best friends with our daughter Bea and a very important part of our little family.”