“In the apartment, when they put it on my heart for the first time, something chemical happens.” this dog that changed my life.

“He’s absolutely adorable, he’s beautiful, he’s objectively perfect. Well, maybe not the most fragile chip in the pack, but in my eyes it’s HPI,” you’d think he was talking to us about her daughter. Make no mistake, she praises her “girl,” a 2-and-a-half-year-old French bulldog. This “10.5 kg of love ball’ revolutionized his life and even inspired a scathing investigation he has just published with Fayard; Toutoute – The new place for dogs in our lives (1).

In 2020, the world stops. The guilty. Covid-19, which plunges the planet into an unprecedented health crisis. Paralyzed in France, several prison sentences were imposed.At the same time, journalist Milen Berto experienced a turning point. “I ended up alone in my attic apartment. Very cute, but also very small. And there, like everyone else, the ordeal is more difficult, because the thirty-year-old girl has been divorced for a while, and since then she has not. was around her ex-partner’s small crew. I feel the lack of a non-human for the first time.”

“Puppy Blues” After Ecstasy

In addition to this canine separation, falling in love with another dog, Pep’s, the mascot of the influential agency Follow met, was enough to make the journalist think that he might adopt a little ball of fur and when I saw this bulldog, I had a revelation. I told myself that those influencers look happy. From then on, I would start scrolling through Instagram, where the little dog represented the perfect life, social success, happiness to me.

Mylène Bertaux finally finds love again and convinces her new partner to adopt a puppy. She sets her sights on a little French bulldog. After a train ride near Valenciennes, Tutut’s adoption is still over their first moments. “Obviously, there’s a before and after. At the farm, when they put it on my heart for the first time, something chemical happens. I’m seeing rainbows, I’m losing my temper because I’m so overwhelmed with love.” This ecstasy lasts a week. “All my attention is focused on this beast. I buy him little mattress pads, toys, kibbles… And most importantly, I’m very afraid that someone will steal him.”

Little by little, life begins to fall into place, but Mileni suddenly feels that she is burdened with a mountain of responsibilities. And then it gets bigger. The burden seems huge and crushes me. And I’m starting to get depressed.” This phenomenon has a name: “puppy blues”. Researchers at the University of Helsinki recently highlighted this in a study of 2,000 dog “parents.” About 10% of them experienced anxiety, frustration, and exhaustion after adoption communication between teams and just more well-being at work.

New sociability

After the first months of anxiety, Milen Berto has to overcome “Toutoute’s youth”, keep calm in front of chewed shoes and chewed electric cables. And there the first arguments happen with his companion. The reason: poor distribution of tasks (visits to the vet, buying kibbles, etc.) A few months later, Milen will break up with Tutut’s “dogdad”.

And it is not only in his romantic relationship that the little bulldog changes the life of his mistress. Daily walks in the dog park opened up new horizons, light conversations with other dog owners, and a new routine. “I was really shocked by the loneliness. Toutoute brought me back to a more grounded routine of life with the simple pleasure of staying home to cuddle without feeling guilty.’

A turning point in a career

Inspired by Toutoute, Mylène even took a professional turn by going on a “tour” around the world (a trip to discover the most “dog” destinations on the planet) and writing a book about it.“Personally, this trip allowed me to reconnect with a part of myself I lived in Mexico for a few years when I was little. Thanks to Toutoute, I returned to the tracks of my past.” For four months, the journalist wandered “all over the place” in several destinations: Bangalore, Seoul, Los Angeles, New York, Mexico and even Chihuahua, where he begins to attack the most bohemian neighborhoods dog friendlywhere you sip your matcha latte while the dogs nibble on their puppuccino (whipped cream drink) In the heart of South Korea’s capital, he meets Kylie and her poodle, Anjo. “When I met her, Kylie had just closed down the family import-export business and quit a bit of a boring job. She’s since become a dog groomer and that’s thanks to her little dog.”

During his trip to California, the French journalist contacted Ellen, the bulldog and “petfluencer” behind Marvel’s very popular Instagram account. she now has 383,000 followers.The star dog was a lifeline in this case for a Ukrainian mother living in Los Angeles. “When the war started in Ukraine, Ellen was already in the USA. His parents were still there and living in a very dangerous area. When they ran away, Ellen was panicking and feeling helpless. To occupy his mind, he then came up with the idea to create videos with his dog. After two years and 500 posts, the proof is that even Lady Gaga left a comment for Marvel saying how “cool” he is. As for Ellen’s parents, they took advantage of the program to be refugees in the United States, and today they live thanks to the income they received from the content of the little bulldog and his mistress.

Desire for motherhood

When Milen Berto is asked if he is preparing for Tutu’s death, he is evasive. “No, he’ll never die.” The reporter goes on to say that he’s clearly aware that his little dog “won’t be around forever.” Especially since he is accumulating health problems. That’s why the thirty-year-old decided to take advantage of it, preferring evenings wrapped under a blanket blowing Tutut to beer on the balconies. “Honestly, I don’t know if I’m dreaming about a second dog or a baby. Toutoute didn’t replace my desire to be a mother, but it still soothed the lack.” Meanwhile, the name tattooed on Mylène Bertaux’s left arm is indeed Toutoute’s.

(1) Everything. The new place of dogs in our lives Fayard, 22.90 euros.