This time, instead of just one little doggy pal we've got two! Abi found from a shelter and Sushi, who's a cross breed between a Labrador and a Ridgeback. From admiring themselves in the mirror to the actual puppy dog pout when they are caught in the act, will make you obsessed with them! 

Pets' Details 

Names: Abi and Sushi 

Breeds: Abi - indeterminate lineage from a shelter was found on the street. Sushi is a cross breed between a Labrador and a Ridgeback 

Ages: Abi is 3 years old and Sushi is 2 years old 

Owner: Ilika Karunaratne 

What’s the story behind the names you’ve given your pets? 

Abi was so called as we used to tease a little boy close to us about a girl with that name so we did it for further teasing. Sushi  got her name because she was chosen from the litter by my grandchildren and sushi is my granddaughter’s favourite food. 

What are meal times and bath times like? 

The food and baths are taken care of by my maids. I used to bathe my Dobermann Sasha but it’s too much for me now. Fortunately the maids are dog lovers and adore the two dogs. Abi is a poor eater but Sushi is rather greedy and seems to need more food. They get milk in the morning, rice and fish at noon and then nuggets a little later on. We are now trying to cut it down now to just the milk and nuggets and rice as Sushi is too fat. 

Do they do anything out of the ordinary which fascinates you? 

Abi runs out on the street at  the slightest opportunity to do so. If the gate is opened without prior warning out she goes like a rocket into space. I guess one can take a dog out of the street but can’t take the street out of the dog! I got Sushi as I thought another dog at home would keep Abi at home. But she has a boyfriend down the next lane who comes looking for her and she runs there to play with him. Sushi is most attached to me, spends most of her time by my side and is happiest at home. She also acts as a guard dog to my maid’s 5 month old baby. 

What’s their most favourite fun time activity? 

They play with each other, get very excited when I get out the dog treats and Abi when she returns after her street adventures looks guilty and tries hard to make friends with me as she knows I’m annoyed with her. Sushi loves to go in the car with me and the moment she sees me getting dressed gives short barks of joy to say she’d like to go too. But she won’t get into the car without me as she is terrified of my driver and of most men, she appears to be a manhater, probably stemming from some experience when she was little. 

What’s the naughtiest thing she has done? 

Abi is very jealous of Sushi who is much better natured and gets very angry when Sushi comes near me or the maids.The naughtiest things they do are pulling out plants, digging holes in the garden and bringing rubbish into the house. 

How did you find them? 

When I lost my beloved Dobermann Sasha who was 12 and a half, my children told me I was too old to get another purebred, so the idea of getting one from a shelter came from them. I have always had dogs and cannot be without one. I got Sushi for two reasons. One as I thought it would keep Abi from straying, two, because Abi wasn’t a one woman dog like Sasha. I wanted a dog who would be a companion and always with me, more necessary now in my twilight years. 

How do they react when you return home? 

Abi gives delighted short barks of welcome, Sushi dances for joy, twisting her body round and insists on jumping on my shoulders time after time to kiss me. 

What’s the best thing about them? 

I suppose that they are there for me in good times or bad, in both sad and happy times, with their adoring unconditional love and ask for nothing more than my love and care. 

What was the most unforgettable moment you have shared with them? 

Each moment with me when they show me their love and joy at seeing me at  any time of day or night is unforgettable. As I’m a widow , I am not lonely because of their presence and companionship. 

Can you share a cute story about your pets? 

Sushi looks at herself in the mirror, thinks it’s another dog and barks incessantly, she is possessive and even when my daughters or grandchildren come into my room or on my bed she gets up there too as she thinks she’s the joint owner of the room or the bed. Although she’s scared of Abi, if Abi gets on the bed she comes in on the other side and keeps licking my face as if to say ‘I’m your baby, not her”. 

Has owning this beloved pet made your life richer? 

Incredibly so. I couldn’t live without them. Sushi wakes me up in the morning as she sleeps in my room, I let her out and then Abi comes in for a morning kiss and greeting and stays till I finish saying my prayers. My life would be much emptier without them. 

What makes them so lovable? 

The look in their eyes when they know they have been naughty. The way they hide when I take out a small stick threatening to spank them and the love they give unceasingly. 

What kind of funny and mischievous things do they do? 

Playing and knocking things down, breaking them in my room, when I have to chase them out, uprooting plants, eating raw potatoes and such things. Abi once fell off the rooftop into the neighbour's garden, thankfully she wasn’t injured but I had to replace some roofing.