Pregnant Woman Is Told To Give Up Her Dogs — So She Does This Instead

"The dogs were always there for me, especially when things got tough during the pregnancy."

When a woman with five dogs got pregnant, many people told her she should give them up before the baby arrived - and so instead she did a photoshoot to prove them wrong.

Sanjana Madappa works for Compassion Unlimited Plus Action (CUPA), a shelter in Bangalore, India, and has five rescue dogs all adopted from there. Madappa considers her dogs members of her family, and could never imagine giving them up for any reason, especially a pregnancy.

pregnant woman refuses to give up dogs
Bhargavi Naveen

"I see so many people give up their dogs to the shelter because they get pregnant," Madappa told The Dodo. "Some just don't care enough, but there are people who genuinely are misinformed and/or don't have enough support."

Whenever Madappa would try to counsel families who were giving up their dogs because they were expecting, they would tell her that because she'd never been pregnant or had a child, she couldn't possibly understand.

Bhargavi Naveen

And then, Madappa found out she was pregnant.

Friends, family and even her own doctor told Madappa that she should give up all five of her dogs before her son arrived. They kept telling her that her baby came first, but she couldn't imagine giving up five family members just to make room for one.

"I didn't say much to people who told me to give them away," Madappa said. "I just nodded and smiled because sometimes you just can't change opinions. This photoshoot was my answer."

Bhargavi Naveen

Since so many people couldn't seem to understand why Madappa would want to keep her dogs despite being pregnant, she decided to show them. With the help of photographer Bhargavi Naveen, Madappa, her husband and all five dogs did a photoshoot to show the world exactly how much this baby would be loved, both by his parents and his doggie siblings.

Bhargavi Naveen

Cujo, Diego, Leo, Credit and Munni were all more than happy to participate in the photoshoot and help announce their baby brother to the world.

Bhargavi Naveen

All five dogs were so gentle with their pregnant mom - and she knows they'll be just as gentle with their new baby brother.

Bhargavi Naveen

Madappa had a particularly difficult pregnancy, and was sick and bedridden almost the entire time. It was an incredibly challenging experience for her, and her dogs are the reason she was able to get through it.

Bhargavi Naveen

"The dogs were always there for me, especially when things got tough during the pregnancy," Madappa said. "From sitting in the bathroom with me while I was sick to staying awake with me at night when I couldn't sleep, they were a constant source of comfort to me."

Bhargavi Naveen

Finally, Madappa's son Ayan was born - and his new dog siblings continued to prove everyone wrong by being so gentle and loving with their new baby brother.

"My youngest pup sleeps next to his cradle while another always comes running to check in on him if he starts crying," Madappa said. "They are so gentle with him. They never jump on me if I'm carrying him or up on the bed if he is on it. I didn't have to teach them this, they just knew."

Bhargavi Naveen

Because Madappa refused to listen to people who doubted her dogs' abilities to be good with babies, Ayan now has five protectors and best friends to grow up with. The six siblings will always be there to love and care for one another, no matter what anyone says.

"To all those people I will always say, NOT WITHOUT MY DOGS," Madappa said.

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