Pete asks Dogs’ Home alumnus, Kevin, ‘where are you now?’

Pete: How long have you been with your humans?

Kevin: My humans were incredibly fortunate that I agreed to come home with them 15 months ago.

Pete: Hey, you sound like my kind of dog! We have to make sure they realise how lucky they are to have us. What has life together been like?

Kevin: Life is pretty amazing, because we are together 24/7. My favourite humans have retired, and we share everything. We have six and a half acres with four dams, a huge sandy area and four ponds. It’s paradise!

Pete: Do you have an animal companions? Do you like them?

Kevin: Do I like them? No way … I absolutely LOVE them. They are two beautiful Staffies who totally accidentally match me in colour. They are called Hera, who’s the mum, and Misty, her daughter. We play, play, play all day. Well, not quite all day – sometimes we have a snooze on the couch or the comfy armchair and occasionally slum it on the dog bed!

Pete: Are there special things you do with your humans?

Kevin: Oh yes … I let them sleep on my big bed for the night, but only until about 5am, and then we join them and make a puzzle of humans and dogs. Most times we prefer overlapping! Hera and Misty sometimes try to sit on their heads, but I much prefer just going for a whole body compression.

Pete: I get to sleep under the covers all night with my human, and I’ve got to say, it’s not bad. What are your favourite things?

Kevin: Running, running and more running on the sand, and then scaring the ducks on the dam. I’m an expert toy exterminator and help decorate the garden with my enthusiasm for sharing toys with my girls. I also love sleeping on my human’s warm, comfortable lap and snoring like a tractor. Treats are a no brainer: any time, any place, any reason, any amount – just bring ‘em on! We do mind our manners, though, and always sit first.

Pete: I don’t know what a tractor is but I feel like if I ever saw one, I should try to bite it. So, what are your dislikes?

Kevin: I’m definitely not a fan of change, especially when the weather decides to get grumpy and mess with my peace and quiet. My human came in with a bird net I’d never seen before and that freaked me out for a while. She let me check it out thoroughly and convinced me it was OK. I get car sick, so I avoid that if I can.

Pete: What are your happiest memories with your humans?

Kevin: OMG! Sometimes they actually go out alone in the dreaded car and the best thing is when they make it home all in one piece! I could jump inside their skin – I’m that happy that they’re back safely. I also love going for walks, runs and swims on our property. Oh boy, that’s the best time! My happiest snooze is on a warm lap … that’s the place to be!

Pete: My human says you have something called a magical water grotto. That sounds like what she calls me when I lick my big sister’s wee. What the heck is a grotto anyway?

Kevin: I thought my special spot was a secret. How did you know? I love “recharging” there – that’s what my humans say: “Kevin’s recharging again!”. We’re really fortunate to have four ponds with a waterfall in our garden, and I love sitting on a reed at the water’s edge. I’m just meditating, I guess. Three times a day is calming and I can see where everyone is from my spiritual place.

Pete: Meditating? Calming? Sometimes my human tells me to calm down, so I growl at her. Speaking of which, my human is very odd. Is there something odd that you have discovered about your humans?

Kevin: Oh yes! One of my humans has heaps of massive machines. He digs holes way bigger than mine and moves dirt around with them. Sometimes he picks up giant rounds of hay for the cows with a machine called a “fork”, which seems pretty odd because he also uses a fork for eating his food! He also likes to stand in front of a wooden thing with paper stuck on it, and put coloured stuff all over it with a stick that has hair at one end. After that he gave away a big pile of them to the Dogs’ Homes of Tasmania, and apparently people liked them a lot. It was strange, because all the pictures had dogs in them! He raised $680 for DHOT, which was pretty impressive just for dabbing coloured stuff on paper.

Pete: Humans are very strange creatures with lots of weird things. My human says I’m very odd – she’s such an idiot. What do your humans think is odd about you?

Kevin: They think it’s pretty odd that I sit on my “charger” and watch people!

Pete: I’ve got to admit, I think that’s pretty odd myself. One thing my human does that I like is reassure me that she loves me and everything is okay. How has being in love and loved made a difference in your life? Why do they keep making me ask this soppy question?

Kevin: My life is totally different now. I’ve got the best doggie friends anyone could ever want, and more space than I know what to do with. My human looks into my eyes, holds my head and tells me that she loves me. It fills me up inside with a warm feeling I can’t really explain. I get heaps of hugs and kisses every day! I feel like I’ve hit the jackpot and am living my best life ever. I’m a totally different dog these days, and have much more confidence – I even like men now! A special bonus is when some little humans come here. They love me, and I love them too.