Part 1. Author Questions. The Fast Five.

Q1. Serial pet monogamist? Or ménage a pet? 

Cookie is filling every spare second so serial pet monogamist for now, although I’d love to get another cat one day
 
Q2. Set the scene. – where do you hang out with your pet/s? 

Cookie is a puppy so he’s chaotically hands-on at the moment, but loads of fun. He wakes pre-dawn, we visit the backyard where he makes sure all the leaves and sticks know their place. When he’s done we return inside, he noses his breakfast around in his food bowl unimpressed, then brings me his rope toy to play tug of war. We do a little training, which honestly doesn’t seem to be going as well as the others in his puppy training class because I can’t stop laughing at his antics. Throughout the day you can usually find him under my feet, but if he isn’t there he’s squeezing himself under the pool fence (lucky we have a good cover). When he’s finally tired again he has a cuddle then attempts to sleep under my desk while I work, although it turns into play time again pretty quickly. Early evening you can find him zooming around the backyard with me standing in the middle, in fits of laughter.

 
Q. 3 Pet character profile
Cookie ‘Monster’ Cairns is a 13 week old mini cavoodle who is full of beans. His nickname, Cookie Monster, comes into play when he steals socks or sneaks into places he shouldn’t be. He joined our family 3 weeks ago after the unexpected death of our beloved Alfie, a 10 year old Shavoodle. Cookie is single-handedly (or is that single pawedly) helping to heal that loss
 
Q 4. Muse, distraction, or disruptor?
Cookie is definitely a distractor, he’s into everything just like a toddler, which I’m loving, as he’s making me see the world again as a place of adventure that needs to be explored. He’s also so cute and rolypoly clumsy – how can I resist being distracted?

Q 5 Best pet in a book?
The best pet I’ve read recently is Six-Thirty from Lessons in Chemistry. I loved the novel and Six-Thirty’s POV sections were some of my favourite scenes!
 
Part 2. Now we’re talking, or panting, or purring…

Questions for both author and pet.

                • Favourite treat.

Rae:       Chicken, especially if my husband sneaks it to him when I’m not looking

Cookie: She nibbles on some kind of brown block called chocolate but tells me I can’t have any because it’ll make me sick. I think she is wrong. I’m going to keep trying to get some

                • Their Worst habit. 

Rae:       He’s still learning that his teeth and human skin are not a great combination

Cookie: She works too much. It’s SO boring. She should play with me more

                • Their best quality 

Rae:       Cookie is really affectionate and full of life

Cookie: If I want her attention all I have to do is look cute, do something silly or cuddle in. She’s a pushover 

                • Bedroom truths… On the bed, under the bed, next to the bed, closed bedroom door. 3 in the bed. ???? 

Rae:       Cookie sleeps in a crate, in another room. So far, so good

Cookie: She sleeps on a bed but won’t let me up on it. Very mean, don’t you think? I will wear her down!