When Elsie Gonzalez starts to wrap her Christmas presents, her husband’s pile is done in no time. But she needs a lot longer to carefully tie ribbons around the gifts for her babies – not her children, but her two dogs, Massimo and Valentina, who she dotes on.
Elsie, 45, says, ‘My kids were older and didn’t need me as much. I was also struggling with the perimenopause and felt at a loss. Then my husband, Alex, suggested I get a dog.’
Before long, Elsie’s Maltipoo puppy became her new baby, and Christmas was just another reason to spoil him rotten. Now she has a another furry baby, Valentina, and this year the two pups will have more to tear open on Christmas Day than Elsie’s kids. She says, ‘My…
