GATSBY

I just can’t cope, Mum.’

When I heard Becky say this, alarm bells began to ring. My daughter and her partner Tom looked so distressed and bewildered, it worried me.

Becky began to sob. ‘We just didn’t know how hard it would be to cope with a baby. I know this is a big ask, Mum, but If you could possibly take the dog off our hands, it could make such a difference. Mabel wakes up at night, and her crying sets Gatsby off howling. It’s terrible and, added to that, we simply haven’t got the time or energy to look after Gatsby.’

I remembered how it was, staying with them recently after little Mabel was born, and how pleased I had felt that it all gone so well.

Gatsby was out of the way in boarding kennels at the time, and looking after my daughter and her tiny baby was lovely.

I had hoped Becky and Tom would slip into a comfortable routine once I’d left, but who was I