By Emma Dunn

An indecisive couple let their dog choose their baby's name - and say he is the best "big brother" to his human sibling.

Courtney Brooks, 29, and her husband, Oliver, 30, had whittled their son's name choices down to three – Casey, Brody and Jaxon - but couldn’t decide on their favourite.

The dog lovers decided to let their spaniel terrier cross, Gus, two, pick the name and wrote the different options on tennis balls before throwing them across the park.

Gus came back with the ball with the name Brody on it which the couple say was their favourite anyway - and they decided to opt for it for their firstborn.

Little Brody was born on July 5, 2023, weighing 6lbs 10oz, at the William Harvey Hospital, Ashford, and Courtney and Oliver, an online fitness coach, said Gus is a great "big brother".

The couple even say they would trust Gus again to help them pick out a name as he “picked well”.

Courtney, a virtual assistant, from Folkestone, said: “He’s a very clever dog.

“I think he knew very early on that I was pregnant but was pretending not to.

“One random night I was lying there, and Gus cuddled up to me and laid right on my belly and the baby started going crazy.

“We struggled with names so much.

“We liked Jaxon from the beginning and Casey was a family suggestion.

“We went to a wedding and asked people their sons' names and one said Brody – we just loved it.

“Oliver wanted to know the name we were going with, so we got Gus to help.

“He picked Brody and then he kept picking him.

“It was our favourite anyway.”

Oliver sent Courtney a message after seeing her on Channel 4 dating show Flirty Dancing in December 2019.

The pair hit it off and started dating in February 2020 before getting Gus in January 2021.

The got married in September 2022 and found out they were expecting their first child together in November 2022.

Courtney had been unsure about wanting to find out the sex but decided to surprise Oliver for his 30th birthday in January 2023 – as he was keen to know.

She said: “For his 30th I surprised him and went and got a secret scan and gave it to a baker.

“We knew it was going to be a boy.”

The pair found choosing a name difficult and even downloaded an app to help them nail it down.

Courtney said: “It’s like Tinder but for baby names.”

After finally deciding on Casey, Brody and Jaxon, the pair decided to enlist Gus’ help to choose their favourite.

They threw three tennis balls for Gus - each with a name written on - and decided to go with the name on the ball he brought back.

Gus picked Brody to the delight of Courtney and Oliver who had both had an inkling it was their favourite.

Courtney said: “As soon as he came out, I looked at Oliver and said ‘he’s a Brody’.

“I couldn’t wait for Gus and Brody to meet.

“On their first meet Gus was very eager to see.

“He went a bit shy but excited.

“He’s the best big brother.

“He just loves him.

“When another one comes along, he’ll have to pick the name.”