PONSONBY PEOPLE + THEIR PETS
GUANG HAN AND HIS WEST FOR THE LOVE OF CATS HIGHLAND TERRIERS LUCA AND TIKO Guang Han has studied and lived in New Zealand for eight years and moved to Ponsonby with his partner Jia three years ago. They opened the H2PHONE store on Scotland Street - specialising in electronic repairs and accessories - 18 months ago. Guang and Jia have had their two dogs since they were two months old. “I chose the West Highland Terrier breed because I liked the cute picture on the side of a bag of dog food in the supermarket,” says Guang. Tiko, male, is now three years old and Luca, female is two. Tiko’s name is a derivative of Guang’s self-created “English” name Stiko, and Luca’s name was inspired by Jia’s favorite French clothing brand. Tiko and Luca come to the H2PHONE store every day, and are extremely friendly and well received by all the customers. The dogs like to greet new customers at the door, with Luca sitting on her hind legs giving people a wave, and Tiko likes to talk and say hello to regular customers. Tiko was put in puppy daycare at Barkley Manor in 2011 and Luca was trained at home; both are very obedient dogs. Guang says “Tiko and Luca are not ordinary pets, they have lots of personality. Tiko is a gentleman and has lots of dog friends, unlike Luca who is only interested in people. Tiko also has really good ‘table manners’ - so he never ever wins a food fight with Luca.” Tiko and Luca have a diet of dry food, plus some boiled chicken every day. Guang continues “Both Tiko and Luca like to play with balls. Luca has a competitive gene inside her little body and she always catches the balls first, rushing to them in front of Tiko.” The dogs both love travelling in the car and Tiko often has to be returned to the store by PN shoppers at New World, as he takes any opportunity to hop in a back seat. F
“Happy is the home with at least one cat.” If Sally Frewin and her two children, Zylah and Enzo Vivace have anything to do with it, a cat will not have to leave home when its owners need to be away for one reason or another. The idea of offering an alternative to catteries was sparked when they helped out a friend who was taking a holiday. They went to her house to feed her pooch and give him a cuddle which he really appreciated. The friend was over the moon with gratitude at not having to transport him to a cattery then pick him up again when she returned, but above all she knew he would be happier staying at home. Sally and her seven Sally Frewin holding Maisy with Enzo year old daughter and and Zylah Vivace six year old son held a little lemonade store at Pasifica for a bit of fun and to their surprise it made a small profit. Zylah showed particular interest, asking how much it cost them to produce the lemonade, and what the profit margin was, so Sally thought it would be neat to start up a hobby business in order to give the children an understanding of how commerce works. Her friend’s pleasure at having her cat looked after at home sparked the idea of running a service called Happy Cats. Sally and her children are prepared to feed a family’s cat, water plants, feed goldfish and clear the letterbox for a moderate fee. An added advantage is the security element, just knowing that a trusted person is visiting the house on a regular basis. Sally has been a SPCA volunteer for more than 40 years and cats have always been an important part of her life. As a child she collected cat memorabilia and for several years that was all she received for birthday and Christmas presents. She still has about 150 cat figurines stored in a box in the garage! Her childhood love of cats has extended into adulthood and she is trained to foster them for the SPCA. Through her work for the organisation she often has abandoned kittens to bottle feed and nurture back to health, and her family are just as concerned about their welfare as she is. She and her business partner, Pippa Lekner have run a successful PR agency for eight years called the pr shop. They have recently moved from Symonds Street into a two storied, renovated villa on 63 Great North Road. Brouder Batteries operated from there for many years and when they moved further along the road showed an interest in who was moving in after them, hoping the building would survive, well thankfully it has! Pippa lives in Westmere, Sally in Grey Lynn and both find living and working in the same area simply wonderful. For convenience, Happy Cats will initially cover the same geographical area as the Ponsonby News. The prices for the service are as follows.
photography: Martin Leach
The first visit to meet the client, exchange keys and be introduced to the furry friend is free of charge. Depending on requirements, they will visit the house once or twice daily. A basic feed is $15 per visit. A half hour visit to feed, pat and play with puss is $20. Two feeds a day, morning and night is $25. Happy Cats can also water plants, feed goldfish, and clear the letter box for an additional nominal fee. Charges for a cattery stay vary widely as does the standard of comfort. The five star accommodation can be from $25 a night with many $30 plus, but however luxurious a cattery may be, Puss will always be happier at home. Sure, a cat will miss its owner but not to the extent a dog would. Cats don’t like change without their consent, and they are not likely to give it! For further details you can contact Sally on sally@theprshop.co.nz or 021 333 221. Their website, www.happycats.co.nz will soon be up and running. PN (DEIRDRE TOHILL) F
104 PONSONBY NEWS+ September 2013
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)