Name: Peppa Age: 1.5 years Breed: Pointer x Bull Arab (possibly!)
If Peppa was a famous person: Peppa is the perfect depiction of the Emoji dog. Just look at her face – you’ll see it!
Creative husband and wife duo Kate and Jace share their charming, eclectic home and backyard work studios with 1 year old Pointer x Bull Arab, Peppa.
A couple that love to work with their hands, Kate is the ceramic and floral artist behind Asobimasu Clay and Feast & Flower Co, while Jace is a whisky distiller, beer brewer and wood worker. Set in Melbourne’s leafy Pascoe Vale, Kate and Jace’s home has an inviting ‘collected’ feel, styled with handmade pieces alongside thoughtful, handpicked vintage finds.
Theirs is a home full of warmth and love, no doubt. Especially with winsome and ever-cuddly Peppa in tow, whose sweet, loveable nature has completely stolen their hearts (along with the will to uphold the house rules…)
How did the 3 of you become a family?
Jace and I met over a beer at our local pub. He was all long hair and skateboards, and I was young, orange hair and inquisitive. It wasn’t long before we realised we were neighbours, and that I was living the girl next door dream.
Living so close meant it was impossible for us not to spend time together. Dinner most nights, breakfast on weekends, outings to the local record store. Four years later, not much has changed really. Except now we’ve got a dog and a ring on our fingers, twice as many hobbies and a place to call our own.
One day I sent Jace a photo of some beautiful puppies that we found on Herd2Homes, a charity that rescues and re-homes working breed dogs. We both couldn’t resist, so we quickly made the trip out to Emerald knowing only one of the puppies was left for adoption. On the way there I said to Jace, “If the last puppy left is the first to greet us, then I’ve made my decision.” Jace looked at me as if to say, “that’s doubtful”.
We walked in the gate and stood in the middle of the yard. Little puppies bounding and wrestling all over the grass – all but one. She made her way over to Jace and I, and sat at Jace’s feet. He looked at me, stunned. “That’s the one,” I said.
“Jace was shocked and I was sure. With a lick of approval from Mum, we had ourselves a new little furry member of our pack, Peppa.”
What’s an average day like for you and Peppa?
My favourite days are studio days – they always start with a lie in and a cuddle. I’ll call out to Peppa and she’ll come running into our room. Then with a flying leap, she’ll plant herself in the middle of the bed. She loves a good morning hug, but it’s very hard to convince her to get up for a walk once she’s deep in a cuddle.
Once we’re up, we’ll take a morning walk to the coffee shop and go off the lead around the local oval, before settling in to a big lump of clay in my studio.
“Peppa usually spends the day guarding the perimeter of my studio, barking at some unwanted rodent that she believes lives under my floor, though I’ve never seen it. Maybe this means she’s doing her job!”
What does Peppa love to do most?
Peppa loves going on road trips! Whenever we pack up the van we always put her bed in first so she knows she’s coming with us. She’ll jump in the van hours before we’re due to leave and there’s no convincing her to get out. She just sits and waits until we hit the road.
Peppa also loves to play chasey, and regular trips to the dog park are a must. Perhaps her favourite habit is getting involved in whatever hobbies my husband and I are doing. She stands close and watches, stealing either cuttings of wood as Jace carves, or sticks from me as I’m trimming and arranging flowers. Jace likes to call her a ‘wood worker’…but I think she just enjoys stealing!
What are some of Peppa’s funny or quirky habits?
She’s a pretty crazy little pooch! She sleeps most of the day between bouts of what we call “psycho dog”.
“Anything can set her off really – puddles, sand, a noise, a blanket…she stops whatever she’s doing and looks at you with a twitch in her eye, and you know she’s about to go mad.”
Do you have any favourite places around Melbourne you like to take Peppa?
Merri Creek. Living on the north side of town is just fabulous. We’re so close to so many wonderful things from urban to bush. We get up early in the morning, get the best coffee and go for a walk along the Merri Creek – there’s so many magical spots there. I always feel spoilt.
Do you think you spoil Pepper?
I don’t think we spoil her too much. Peppa’s not really meant to sit on our velvet couches, but I never really tell her to get down anymore. She also helps herself to the spare bed which really drives me mad. She knows that, but I’m sure Peppa thinks it’s totally worth it for a good night’s sleep.
“We’re pretty straight forward about a dog being a dog, but I guess sometimes I think to myself ‘what have we become!’”
How has having Peppa changed your life?
Coming home to a waggy tail is the best. Whether you’ve been gone for five minutes or five hours, it always feels like a million years to Peppa, and she sure lets you know it.
If Peppa could tell us something about you, what do you think she would say?
I think Peppa would say she doesn’t get enough cuddles! But only because Peppa’s cuddle-to-living ratio is all out of whack.
“She’d be strapped to my front in a Baby Bjorn if she was a newborn, never wanting to be anywhere except in my arms. And then she’d sigh…she does that a lot.”
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