Pets of WASO

Elliot O’Brien, Viola

Name

Florentino (Flori)

Fun fact

Originally named Florence because we thought he was female. When he went to get spayed the vet found some male parts, and so he was renamed Florentino.

What I love most about him

We had him for just over three years and he was so much more than just a rabbit to us. He had his own personality! One funny trait he had was that he would only let men pat him.

Sadly, Flori passed away a few weeks back after suddenly becoming ill earlier that day, our Cavoodle Benji already misses his little brother like crazy. 

Check out more of Florentino’s gorgeous photos on his Instagram https://instagram.com/little_bunny_florence

Alex Timcke, Principal Timpani

Name

Fred

There’s no particular reason for choosing this name, other than wanting something that sounds ok when you scream it across the park or the beach.

Age

Five

He’s part kelpie and part Jack Russell, which means he chases EVERYTHING with never-ending tenacity. Sometimes he seems a lot older than that, then other times he displays the maturity of a one year old. The level of maturity he displays is directly the opposite of what’s required of him.

How we met

Since we have three kids we looked for a dog that would work with that dynamic. Out of the blue, we saw an ad on Gumtree for puppies that were great with children. It sounded a bit too good to be true but when we arrived I asked the lady how she knew that the puppies were good with kids. She replied “because I have eight”. It took me a minute to realise that she meant kids not puppies!

Fun Facts

We realised very early on that Fred would be making his own decisions about when and how he would respond to commands. The best example of this is when he caught on to the fact that there was a picnic going on over the other side of our local dog park and it involved cheese and crackers and lots of small children - Fred’s favourite combination of things. So, despite my yelling repeatedly at the top of my voice for him to stop, he sprinted over 200 metres to land like a canine meteor in the middle of this picnic and consume his own bodyweight in Jatz crackers and camembert cheese. It’s funny now, but at the time it was completely humiliating, particularly since the picnic gathering was a group of other parents and kids from our local primary school. I wasn’t happy.

What I love most about him

Fred is a real character. He has an infuriating mix of complete indifference and gentle affection. He will only "sit" when dinner is involved, but is the first on the couch when there’s a snuggle involved. I think all of us kind of like the fact that he’s a bit of an individual, but a bit of doggish obedience wouldn’t go astray every now and then.

What I enjoyed most about working from home with him

Fred is now a big fan of us all being at home. At the start, it seemed like he thought we were invading his territory, but then he worked out that working from home actually meant more walks to the park, more food, and generally more attention for him. In the end, if Fred is happy and content, we are too.

Semra Lee-Smith, A/Associate Concertmaster

Names

My dog Mojito (Mo or Momo for short), cats Jack and Snookie.

Ages

Mo is nine, Jack is eight and Snookie is 17.

How we met

I adopted Snookie from a shelter in Malaysia when I was working with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO). She’s the meanest cat I’ve ever met and friends nicknamed her Psycho Kitty/Kitler.

When Snookie turned 10, we adopted Jack from the Cat Haven. He’s the nicest, friendliest cat I’ve ever met and I consider him my reward for surviving Snookie for 10 years. 

My husband got Mo for me; she’s my first dog. She’s incredibly naughty and I’ve never managed to teach her to do anything apart from sit. At my dog park, I’ve been asked if she’s actually my dog because she runs away from me when I call her.

Fun facts

When I joined WASO, MPO paid for my relocation so I used WASO’s relocation payment for Snookie’s airfare. She’s actually mentioned in my employment letter. Snookie had to be quarantined for a couple of months when we got to Perth and I used to visit her wearing welder’s gloves because she got increasingly cranky the longer she stayed in her cell.

When Mo was a puppy, she used to take all my bras from the laundry hamper and leave them in the driveway. Try explaining that to the postie!

What I love most about them

Mo and Jack are besties. When Jack was a kitten, he used to sleep with Mo. Bizarrely, he also used to suckle on Mo - apparently kittens do this when they are separated from their mothers too early. We think that Jack thinks he’s a dog as he is an unusually friendly cat. He smooches up to all my students, gets in their cars with them, and lies on their feet during their lessons. He is also constantly trying to sneak up on Snookie, much to her displeasure.