Meet Kiara, Jessie, Lily and the late Peggy!

Pet's details -

Name: Kiara (5 years)
Breed: Labrador

Name: Jessie (1 year and 7 months)
Breed: Labrador Cross

Name: Lily (1 year and 7 months)
Breed: Labrador Cross

Name: Peggy (Passed away a month ago)
Breed: 57 varieties!!!

Owner: Krishanti De Silva  

What was the thinking behind naming your pet?

My earlier Lab‘s name was Simba. When I got the new puppy I decided to name her Kiara in keeping with the theme. It’s a very elegant name!!! Lily and Jessie are Kiara’s pups. Friends named both of them.

What is their daily routine like?

Every morning I don’t need an alarm clock...!! I am woken by the three of them pouncing on my bed and playing. I play rough and tumble with them for a while, which they love, and then my normal day starts.

What is their favourite snack?

Simka Treats – My homemade brand of dog treats made from fresh ingredients.

Do they have a particularly favourite place to sleep and hang out?

My room, my bed!!! Much to the disgust of my mother!!!

Do they like to dress up and be photographed?

Not really. They all don’t mind the camera but aren’t too fussed about photo taking. They actually look the other way.

Have you always been a pet lover if so how did it all start?

I’ve always loved animals, any animal. I actually wanted to be a vet.

Who was your first pet?

When I was six my family moved to Australia where we lived in a house with a huge garden. We grew up with fresh eggs supplied by the chickens in the yard and I had a succession of weird and wonderful pets thanks to Uncle Gordon, my father’s great friend. My earliest pets were a lamb, Lamby, a magpie Maggie, two rabbits, Snowy and Fluffy and a Bantam chicken, Banty. Uncle Gordon always wanted to catch me a blue-tongued lizard but that freaked me out a little. As you can see, as a child, I had very original names for my pets??? NOT. The first real house pet we had was our Persian cat, King. With a pedigree as long as my arm, he was descended from Grand Champions and his show name was Rochelle Re Leone. We were so proud of him and he was an adorable member of our family.  When he passed away at 16years old the entire family pined to the extent that my mother refused to let us have any more pets!

What is having a pet like?

Having a pet means never feeling lonely. They are part of my family and they know it. If I am home they are around me, ever ready with playful nudges for hugs and pats. But having a pet brings great responsibility too, before adopting any pet you must be committed to being there with them for the entirety of their life. In between, holidays away are fine but never think that giving them away to another kind family etc will fill the void of being away from you.

What is bath time like - Love it or hate it or a mix of both?

During bath time they are all very well-behaved. They are bathed once in two weeks.

How do they react when you head out of the house and when you return, and what is it like for you?  

Heads down, like the world is ending along with a little bit of anticipation, hoping against hope that the chain will come out which means they are coming too. I actually sold my car and bought a van fitted with a grill at the back so they can come with me wherever I go. Sometimes I just take them along when I go to buy bread or fruit. Most of the vendors in my neighbourhood even ask me where the little ones are if I go alone! When I come home the greeting is amazing, like they haven’t seen me in years, you really feel the love!

Could you imagine life without your pets?

At the moment, no but I think these three will be my last pets as I don’t think I have the stamina or the time to take care of them the way I would like as I grow older too.  All their work, apart from feeding, is done by me, bathing, brushing, walking but sometimes it’s tough with my work schedule and I get tired too... Also the trauma when they pass away... I just can’t handle it!

What is the most precious moment you share with your pets?

When they are hurt or in pain, the trust they have in me that I will take care of them. And, sometimes you can’t always show how vulnerable you are to others but my pets see me at my lowest and they have always been such a comfort to me.  They don’t need to talk I just know how much they care.

By Natasha Fernandopulle