My Pets

Doggos

🫎 Moose

Full Name: Morris (Moose) Ronald Eileen Sarjant.
MySpace name: Marvellous Mystery Moose™.
(Commonly Used) Nicknames: Moosie, Mooseman, Moosetopher, Buddy, Dude.
Born: October 2018.
Adopted: 25th January 2019.
Breed: Mutt (suspected part Transylvanian Hound).

We adopted Moose from Zwerfhondjes Monemvasia, a now-defunct Dutch-run Greek street dog rescue. I was scrolling through adoption listings, and Moose jumped out at me for a few reasons. Not only did have similar colouring to my childhood dog, Cosby, but he was also given the same name as Cosby's brother by the rescue: Nash. That coincidence was enough for me to make the call to start the adoption process.

Moose is an incredibly sweet, friendly and well-behaved dog. He loves attention from anyone who will give it to him, and has a few favourite people in our neighbourhood. He's very smart and was easy to train. He is a generally quiet boy who only uses his voice when playing or if there's something in the sky he's unsure of. He has big chunky feet (which I am obsessed with) and really long legs.

Loves: walkies, snoozing the day away (especially in the sun), toys that squeak, our neighbour, people-watching from the yard gate, fish, the "Cookie Lady", and his dad. A lot.
Hates: fireworks, rain, wet feet, not being allowed in the kitchen, being told to get back into bed when he's sure it's breakfast time!

🦌 Caribou

Full Name: Tabitha (Caribou) Hoover Moo Sarjant.
MySpace name: kArIbOo KaOs.
(Commonly Used) Nicknames: Bou, Boubies, Boubalicious, Bubba, Bubba-lou.
Born: November 2020.
Adopted: 4th April 2021.
Breed: Mutt (suspected part Italian Greyhound).

We adopted Caribou from Puppy Rescue Team, a Dutch-run Italian street dog rescue. We were looking for a sibling for Moose who hadn't been seeing a lot of his friends during the pandemic, and Caribou was the last of her litter to find a home (possibly due to black dog syndrome). The first photo I saw of her made her look like a little bat, so the goth in me was absolutely sold.

Caribou is our loud little drama queen. She simply can't hold in her barks and whines when she's excited or distressed. She also reacts very dramatically when she's spooked or told off. She's also very smart, but she likes to pretend she isn't, so she was a little harder to train (and still doesn't listen well). She also likes to play rough. Basically, if she were a person, she'd be an independent woman who don't need no man.

Loves: FOOD!, poop, toys she can "make smaller" (read: rip apart), the sound of her own barking, being outside, abusing her cuteness, and her dad. A lot.
Hates: cats, everyone who walks past the house, this one particular dog in the neighbourhood, her harness.

🦝 Wicket

(Commonly Used) Nicknames: Wiki, Wikipedia, Toast.
Born: September 2011.
Adopted: 5th November 2011.
Breed: Shih Tzu Cavalier King Charles Spaniel cross.

Wicket is my brother dog who lives back in New Zealand. My parents and sister, who was still liorangeng at home at the time, jointly adopted him from a breeder. He was named after the Ewok Wicket W. Warwick from Star Wars for what I expect are obvious reasons.

Wicket has a touch of "small dog syndrome" and is full of contradictions. He's super affectionate to those he loves, but a right little asshole to those he doesn't. He does whatever he wants when he wants to, but is also eager to please. He's also a little comedian as you can probably tell from the photo.

Loves: his dad, socks, soft toys that are larger than he is, squeakers, car rides, a good lap to sit in.
Hates: other dogs, Sam.

Rainbow Bridge Doggos

🥔 Spud

Spud was a rescue mutt who we suspected was a German Shepherd Corgi cross or possibly a Swedish Vallhund cross. He was Corgi/Vallhund-shaped (teeny tiny leggies), but didn't have the colouring of either and was extremely fluffy. My family adopted him as an adult from the Humane Society in early 2009. He had spent a considerable amount of time on the streets, so he took some time to warm up to us but once he did, he was the sweetest thing! He loved to play with those big yoga balls, and really enjoyed belly rubs and being brushed. He wasn't a big fan of sirens. He passed away from cancer in mid 2011.

🐻 Cosby

Cosby was my heart dog. He was a Huntaway (New Zealand cattle dog) Corgi cross. He adopted him as a puppy from the SPCA in 1996, when we moved out to the country after 5 years of a dog-less life as renters in the 'burbs. He was named by them after David Crosby from Crosby, Stills and Nash (he had a sister called Stills and a brother called Nash) and we kept the name. Unlike Spud, he didn't have the Corgi legs, but he was definitely shaped like a Corgi in body. Cosby attached himself to me like crazy, and even though my dad liked to think he was the favourite, I know I was. I was the only one he would sleep with, and he hated when I moved out of home. Cosby passed away in 2009.

🌲 Boz

This photo is not of Boz, but because he left us well before the time of digital cameras, I do not have access to any photos of him. Boz was the dog my parents had before they brought me into the family. He was my first best friend and protector. One of my earliest memories is of Boz lying next to my crib. He was a purebred German Shepherd. We had to adopt him out to another family when my parents decided to move back to my dad's hometown and couldn't find a rental that would let us have him. My parents adopted him from a breeder in 1985, and we had to give him up in 1990. He got his name from my drunken uncle who was trying to suggest the name "Boss".

Rainbow Bridge Ratties

Due to the short lifespans of rats, we had a grand total of 24 rats over the ten years we were ratrents. To keep this page from being overwhelmed with content, I have only included basic information about each rat. They were all female, which is why the quality of some of these photos is... not good. You need a camera with an insane shutter speed to capture wiggly lady rats!

KEY: A = adopted, P = passed (away/on), T = type (colour, coat, ears). 💗 = my heart rats.