Peta Love grew up an only child in a menagerie of dogs, a cat, rabbits, hamsters and tropical fish.
The tropical fish tank was my pacifier as a baby and toddler; I would be placed in front of the tank and would find hours of mesmerised entertainment.
My cat slept in my bed, her purrs put me to sleep. She would put her neck over my neck each and every night for years and years and the effect was not just soporific but healing for me too.
My first dog was a German Shepherd but I don’t remember him well since I was a toddler when he apparently ran away. My second dog was my best friend and sibling. He, a Shetland Sheepdog, was a fantastic dog. Extraordinary. As a little girl I would put him in my pram, tuck him under the discarded doll’s pram blanket and wheel him everywhere. He suffered this ignominy with absolute doggy devotion.
When he was hit by a car and killed after escaping from the house and following his buddy, a huge Golden Retriever, across the road, I was devastated. I had nightmares about it for more than 25 years!
There followed a veritable pack of 3 family dogs, all Shelties, who were an absolute joy to live with, even with their incessant barking at everything passing the house.
My first dog as a grown-up was – woo-hoo! – an Alaskan Malamute. And a pretty dominant one he was too. That’s him with me in the pic above. Paharey Ttorque (Boo Boo). We did a little dog sledding together - using rigs rather than sled. He was a magnificent dog in every way and it was a huge loss to everyone lucky enough to know him that he suffered sudden and voracious cancer of the inter-connective tissue at almost 7 years old. I had him euthanised by our lovely vet who came to our home with his mercy needle so that he died in my arms in the garden.
How empty our home was without him. I wasn’t ready for another dog so I fostered a 6-month old Malamute girl who had been tied up in someone’s back yard from puppyhood. Wow! That was a blast. My 4 cats were nervous! She’d never seen a bed, sofa, kitchen, anything inside a house. She would just clamber right on up top of tables and kitchen counter tops. (Must have had a touch of the Siberian Husky about her, arf arf!)
Later, while not being able to find a Siberian Husky puppy I was honored and grateful beyond measure to be given a sweet little Malamute puppy from the same breeder (Jamie Watson via Vanda Parker of Paharey Kennels, Australia) who has grown to remain the sweetest and most loving, patient and darling dog – Paharey Gift from Boo (Bubba) – who will be – ta ra! TEN this year!
Bubba and I did some Dog Showing in New Zealand which was a lot of fun. I was hoping he’d get his NZ Championship – even though I was a rubbish handler showing a gorgeous on breed-standard and lovely personality Malamute – but at some point I realised he just wasn’t enjoying it as much as he had before so we stopped going to the dog shows.
I am one of those cat/dog people. I love them both the best. I’ve loved and lived with many cats, all of whom came from rescue centers. Right now I have 3 cats, a girl and two boys, who are 15, 13 and 8 years of age. I brought my whole tribe of pets with me when I relocated back home to Scotland from New Zealand. A pet passport scheme was in place so there was no quarantine. They traveled across the globe marvelously! All proved to be seasoned jet-setters from the get-go!
I have worked as a volunteer with various animal rescue organisations around the world including Fund for Animals in Australia helping victims of bush fires and to rehabilitate dogs as well as the SPCA in Auckland working in the cat module. I have also fostered many cats and litters of kittens in my home for the SPCA.
I’ve also been one of those people you see buying tons of cat food at the supermarket and nothing else (we are usually feral cat colony feeders). Yep, I’ve spent a few years trudging about dark, hidden places with cat food, water and dishes feeding the five (desexed) feral cat colonies in my local area twice a week a week. I was one of a local group network headed by darling Lola who had fed the feral cats in the area for over 60 years, yes, 60 years almost every single day, and was getting a bit tired!
I spent a couple of years studying towards a diploma in both Classical Homoeopathy and Classical Homoeopathy (Animal Health).
I’ve worked as a professional writer for about 30 years – both editorial and advertising. I’ve written fund-raising material for WWF (World Wide Fund of Animals), Greenpeace, SPCA New Zealand and Fund for Animals Sydney as well as other smaller animal-related groups. I was voluntary Editor of the Northern Alaskan Malamute Club magazine, Qimmiq Tales.
