Pets of WASO - every dog has its day

Ellie Lawrence, Violin

Names

Walter and Percy

Ages

Six and Four

How we met

I’ve always had rescue dogs, Walter my grey-haired dog came to me from Carnarvon. Apart from my first very beloved dog Rufus, they have all been either difficult, a challenge or downright naughty!

Fun Facts

Walter was like Houdini when we met, (I saw him literally scale a 12-foot wire fence so he could go and play with the neighbour’s dog!) which lead me to start dog training. I’d love to say he’s now doggie perfection but some days he looks at me like he’s never heard the word sit before.

People often ask what breed he is and I say He’s all the leftover bits of other dogs rolled in damp newspaper because no matter how much you wash him he STILL looks dirty!

Percy is a totally different personality, he adores all people, places, animals and especially belly rubs and thinks that if he stays very still when I come back home I won’t see that he’s chewed skirting boards, cushions, my internet cable, door cabinets or basically anything not nailed down!

What I love most about them

Walter is a sweet dog, so very desperate to please and always ready to knock things flying off tables with his never-endingly waggy tail and crazy behaviour.

Percy adores Walter and sleep. They are both tremendous trouble and joy at the same time.

Nick Metcalfe, Cello

Name

Luna (Schnoodle) and Manny (Greyhound)

Age

Two and Six

How they met

They first met when Luna was only a few months old and they've been the best of odd-couple buddies ever since.

Fun Facts

Don't let Luna's diminutive stature fool you, at top speed she is nearly as fast as Manny and a lot more agile. Like all greyhounds Manny spends about 20 hours a day sleeping and thinking deep thoughts.

What I love most about them

For those few hours he's on his feet Manny is very affectionate and loves chasing the ball at the park (or stealing the tennis balls of other poor doggos). Luna, on the other hand, is constantly bouncing around the place and for the first year it sometimes felt like she only slept 4 hours a day. She's got a cheeky personality and is not afraid to play with the bigger dogs.

Julia Brooke, Horn and Liam O’Malley, Associate Principal Trombone

Name

Enid (German Wirehaired Pointer)

I decided on the name Enid firstly because of Enid Blyton (I loved her books as a child) and also because we thought she needed an old-fashioned name because she looks like a hairy old man (I loved the name Norma too, but Liam’s great aunt was called that so it got vetoed pretty quickly!)

Age

Four

How we met

When we bought our house together, and I was finally allowed to get a pet, Liam made me promise to wait a little while at least before we got a dog...we lasted about 2 months! 

She is a very spoilt, very well-travelled dog. Liam collected her as a 10-week-old pup from her breeder in Queensland, and every year she flies with me to my parents’ house in Tasmania for Christmas.

Fun Facts

She is very vocal, and has been known to howl when we practise, but only in certain registers and pieces. She could be asleep at one end of the house, and I’ll start practising an excerpt from Mahler’s 3rd Symphony, and she’ll trot in to howl along (honestly, I think she’s telling me to stop). 

She is an absolute darling and loves people. This is lovely, but can get a bit much because she gets very excited when she greets people at the door and she is extremely large!

She is well known around the neighbourhood, to the point that one of the bartenders at our local dog friendly bar saves pizza crusts for her for when we bring her in. 

What we enjoyed most about working from home with her

Enid has really loved having us home during lockdown, mostly I think because she gets to beg for more of our meals, and also because she can try and negotiate extra walks (she has been equal parts successful and unsuccessful in this endeavour).

Jenna Smith, Associate Principal Trumpet

Name

Charlie (Labradoodle)

Age

Twelve

How we met

My dad is a vet so I grew up in a zoo, Charlie came from one of my dad's clients. Charlie is special to me because I got to choose her name (I liked the name Charlie at the time). She's also special because when I was at uni she would wake me up every morning by knocking on my bedroom door with her wagging tail and we would go for runs together. She kept me fit during that time! 

Fun Facts

At one point in my childhood my family had five cats, a dog, six birds, a turtle, fish, frogs, a bearded dragon and 21 guinea pigs! 

She's getting a bit old now but when we used to go for runs she would keep the other dogs on their toes. At the dog park, Charlie would give all the other dogs a little nip on the bottom to get them running faster so she could chase them. I used to get embarrassed when the dog owners would confront me because they knew exactly who I was and that my dad practically was the puppy preschool. 

What I love most about her

Charlie was never bothered by my trumpet practice growing up. Sometimes she would sit on my feet while I played and Charlie the bird (not to get confused with Charlie the dog) would whistle along.