Paralympic gold medallist Libby Clegg has revealed when she fell pregnant, her guide dog went on strike.
Dancing on Ice finalist Libby, 31, had shared her life with guide dog Hatti for five years when she found out she and fiancé Dan Powell were expecting their first child.
She feared she may have to retire the black labrador after she refused to guide her.
The visually impaired runner now believes a change in her hormones when pregnant triggered a scent that caused Hatti concern.
Libby, who grew up in the Borders, said: “It started as we were heading out to go to the track and Hatti suddenly stopped dead.
“After about half an hour of trying to coax Hatti through the front gate, I eventually gave up and took her back inside.
“The following morning Hatti was her usual playful self, but the moment I picked up the harness Hatti stopped again.
"It was completely bizarre.”
Libby, who announced her retirement from sprinting after the Tokyo Paralympics, has since heard of other guide dogs who have refused to work when their owners fall pregnant.
Libby said: “Hatti only went completely back to normal again about a month after Edward was born, so all in all, it lasted almost a year.”
Libby has just written a book, My Life With Hatti, on the relationship she has built up with her guide dog.
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