TOP DOG

My brave pooch

Blinking awake on the sofa, with my baby Ellis asleep on my chest, I was startled.

I don’t remember falling asleep, I thought, confused. What if I’d dropped Ellis, or rolled over onto him?

I worked as a dog handler for West Midlands Police, and I loved my job, but it was busy.

I’d only been back at work for six months since having my little boy.

‘It’s bound to take a toll on you,’ my husband Phil said. ‘Try to take it easy.’

But one day, back in 2012, I was at work when all of a sudden I felt like I’d been struck down with an awful flu.

My energy was completely zapped, and I got a horrendous migraine that made me vomit.

‘Do you mind if I leave early?’ I asked