When Aditya Raheja and Sanjana Madappa learned they were going to have their first baby they were extremely happy.
They immediately shared their wonderful news with their family and friends, and although everyone was happy for the couple, they were given unsolicited advice that took them aback. Wouldn’t it be better if they got rid of their dogs prior to their baby’s arrival?
Sanjana works at an animal welfare organization called CUPA in Bengaluru, India, and through her work, she and Aditya foster a lot of dogs and have five of their own.
“I was told by my family, friends, and even my doctor to get rid of my dogs, that my baby came first,” Sanjana wrote.
Sanjana says it’s something she’s familiar with hearing at her work, when people give up their dogs. “I was told the same things that all those people who have given up pets tell me,” she wrote.
“Being in animal welfare, one of the most common reasons I hear for giving up a pet is ‘I’m pregnant’. When I have tried to counsel these families, I get it thrown back in my face that since I don’t have children and haven’t experienced a pregnancy, I don’t get to have an opinion,” she wrote.
Bhargavi Naveen
With no plans to ever get rid of their dogs, Sanjana and Aditya decided to take the opportunity to spread their great news as well as a positive message by doing a special maternity photo shoot.
Bhargavi Naveen
They reached out to Bhargavai Naveen of GoLucky Diaries Photography who embraced the challenge of her first photo shoot with pets.
Bhargavi Naveen
Sanjana’s pregnancy proved to be a challenging one. She was at high risk of pre-delivery and she was restricted “to the confines of my home”.
Bhargavi Naveen
“I had an unreasonably difficult pregnancy. For the first six months, I was glued to my toilet, even hospitalized because I was throwing up blood,” she wrote.
Bhargavi Naveen
“I cannot even begin to describe all the thoughts that went through my head but what I can tell you is this: not once did I think, ‘Hmmm, my dogs have got to go.’”
Bhargavi Naveen
Through the challenging time, her dogs got her through her pregnancy with her “sanity intact”. “I couldn’t afford to stay in bed feeling sorry for myself when I had these kids depending on me,” she wrote. “Taking care of my dogs ensured I never felt the need to blame my pregnancy, the baby, or my husband for the state I was in,” she wrote.
Bhargavi Naveen
As for Sanjana’s message to families considering giving up their pets when they get pregnant, she wrote: “To all those people I can just say this. I couldn’t ever in good conscience give away an animal that loves me and trusts me with the same innocence and purity that my baby does. I couldn’t abandon a family member to bring in another.”
“I will not betray a life that depends on me as much as my son does. To all those people I will always say, NOT WITHOUT MY DOGS.”
Bhargavi Naveen
Krishnan’s positive story along with Naveen’s photos are being well received by dog lovers all over the world. “We are extremely happy that this has been reached to a wider audience,” said Naveen.
Naveen said she very much enjoyed taking photos of the couple and their dogs. “I love to find the uniqueness in things and my passion and obsession towards my work has given me the patience to cover the photo story of this amazing couple.”
Bhargavi Naveen
All photographs are published on Reshareworthy.com with permission from Bhargavai Naveen of GoLucky Diaries Photography
A week after their photo shoot, Sanjana and Aditya welcomed a healthy baby boy, Ayan, into the world!
Said Sanjana, “I can’t think of anything that could have prepared me as well for motherhood as my furry kids.”
To see more photographs from GoLucky Diaries Photography, visit Bhargavi Naveen on Facebook.
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