Forget walkies - now it's PUSHIES!

Forget walkies - now it's PUSHIES! Meet the dogowner who's invested in a buggy for Matilda her West Highland Terrier (but who admits she gets funny looks in the park)

Carefully manoeuvring the pushchair through the doors of my local bank, I return the friendly smiles from customers.

As usual, Matilda and I are treated like royalty, with bank staff fussing over her in the stroller and remarking how pretty and placid she is.

Every mother knows just how precious the ‘buggy years’ are. When my son William outgrew his eight years ago (he’s 11 now), I missed it enormously.

Strolling along together is such fun, a chance for mum and her young charge to enjoy quality time outdoors in the fresh air.

There are other plus points, too. I would load the pram with shopping bags, strategically park it in cafes to make sure I had plenty of room, relishing that ‘Out of the way! Mum coming through!’ power that only a baby-carriage allows.

It’s fair to say that as a single mum just months away from my 41st birthday, I didn’t think I’d once again be pounding the pavements surrounding my West London home with a trendy, jogger-style three-wheel buggy. But I am, and I’m loving it because it makes me feel like a young mum again.

However, the attention I attract with Matilda is very different to what I experienced when William was a golden-haired little boy. And why? Because Matilda is a four-year-old West Highland White Terrier, and we are using a pet pushchair.

The reaction from passers-by as we walk around town varies greatly. I’ve been laughed at, asked if she is ill, told I’m cruel, and even accused of being an attention-seeker.

In fact, I was inspired by a sweet old lady I met in Battersea Park a few months ago.

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Aged 90 if she was a day, she was pushing three elderly Pekingese dogs (all in various states of decline) down a wooded path. She told me the stroller had transformed all their lives and that she wouldn’t be without it.

• And it makes me feel just like I’m wheeling a baby around,’ she confided in hushed tones.

I was immediately sold on the idea. When Matilda was a puppy, I’d experimented with dog carry bags and had taken her out in a holdall-like contraption over my shoulder.

But she didn’t like it - and neither did I. It was heavy and, to my mind, hot and stifling for her. A pushchair would be more comfortable; it would let her see the world yet still give me control over where she goes.

Pets Pyjamas, the company I got my cream-coloured model from, tell me the 90 strollers they have sold in the past year have gone mainly to owners who have elderly dogs, or pets with mobility problems.

They are also popular for people with puppies, as young dogs get tired walking longer distances.

There are dozens of different types on the market in an array of colours, starting from about £40 and rising to £260 for a top-of-the-range model. Some of the more expensive ones have cupholders so the owner can enjoy a coffee, and there’s a built-in tray for treats.

Other features include mesh panels to aid ventilation and stop insects flying in, clip-on straps so your dog can’t fall or jump out, hoods with clear plastic windows so your dog can watch the world go by but stay dry when it rains, sun canopies for hot, cloudless days and large, air-filled wheels ideal for bumpy terrains.

Most are suitable for medium-sized dogs such as a beagle or Airedale, but you can get one big enough for a labrador.

Matilda is not immobile in any way, as her energetic dashes around the local park show. But in many ways she is my baby, so it makes sense to place her in a pushchair.

After all, she is absolutely one of the family, and I dote on her as much as I do my son. In fact, ‘Baby Girl’ is one of my pet names for her.

The pushchair, which cost £139, also allows us to spend time together we wouldn’t otherwise have. Just last week, I took Matilda to North Wales for a four-day break.

Usually she’d go to our fabulous dog-minder, but she was away so I had no choice but to take Matilda along, too.

In the past, taking Matilda has been stressful for all concerned. When visiting attractions, it always means one person has to wait outside on dog duty.

Despite being a nation of dog lovers, we are pretty intolerant when it comes to allowing our four-legged friends into shops and restaurants.

Now, thanks to Matilda’s pram, establishments with dog bans aren’t as much of a problem. Tucked up in her buggy with the hood down and a plentiful supply of biscuits to keep her sweet, no one was any the wiser when I popped in with Matilda in tow.

And those who did spot she is a dog and not a toddler were generally so taken aback and intrigued that they were happy to let us stay.

Critics say Matilda should be running freely in the park on her own four legs, and not cooped up in a pram. Of course she still enjoys those pleasures — but she also clearly enjoys being wheeled along and watching the world go by.

I also feel that with my buggy I am being extremely responsible when I take her out - which is not the case with many other owners.

I have lost count of the number of times out-of-control animals have jumped up at my son, and we routinely see dogs tied up outside shops or tethered to tables in pubs, all barking, yapping and generally getting very distressed - and being an absolute nuisance to everyone around them.

Even more worryingly, I have witnessed disturbing numbers of pets being left in boiling hot cars by irresponsible owners. This is extremely dangerous.

So I feel I am beyond criticism for keeping my dog with me. Safe in her stroller, Matilda is secure and cannot cause a nuisance to anyone else - while I bask in the mostly positive attention it attracts.

Matilda, too, delights in being taken out in her stroller. In fact she leaps with excitement the moment she sees it being unfolded. Call me barking mad, but I’m revelling in this second chance at motherhood.

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