Australians who have made their four-legged friends part of the family

Rebecca and Adam Douglas have baby gates in their home to keep things safe from the children. When twins Beatrix and Boris snipped through router cords in two bites, they went shopping at Toys R Us, where staff asked when they were expecting the baby. “We said, ‘actually, they’re for our rabbits’.”

Rebecca, a writer and customer service worker, and Adam, a software engineer, have “two cats, two rabbits and zero children – they’re our fur babies,” she says. Mew-Two is a 17-year-old black and white moggy with a penchant for seeking food and attention. Eight-year-old tabby Minnie drools when desiring affection.

Twins Beatrix and Boris Bunny were mostly Adam’s idea. Rebecca thought rabbits were “almost like cats, but with way less personality”.

The couples’ life revolves around their pets. Every morning, hungry Mew-Two wakes Rebecca. “He’ll jump up on the bed and paw at me, pat my face, claw in my hair, meow really loudly just to get me going,” she says. She feeds the cats morning and evening, and buys greens for the rabbits every second day.

Adam cleans the litter trays and feeds the rabbits. On Friday nights, he buys litter and hay, and spends Saturday morning cleaning out the back room, which has been set up with a hutch, some wooden steps and a pyramid that he made for the rabbits to play in.

From that room, a cat flap opens onto their back verandah, leading to a retaining wall along the side fence to the backyard. This whole area is enclosed under netting, with greens planted for the bunnies to forage on. Every time an inedible plant dies, they replace it with one the rabbits can eat.

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Rebecca and Adam Douglas have two cats, two rabbits and zero children.

Evenings and weekends include family relaxation time. “Mew-Two is more the snuggly one who’ll come and sit on you if you’re lying down on the couch,” Rebecca says. “Minnie does sometimes, but she’s a little bit more standoffish.” The rabbits will cuddle in their laps, but get restless after about 10 minutes and want to go back to their own room.

Holidays centre around the animals too. They don’t book anything before securing one of three couples trusted to babysit, who are given comprehensive instructions around food, medications and vets.

Although she frets when they’re sick, Rebecca says the animals bring life to the household and give unconditional love.

For single copywriter Katherine Pranic, unconditional love for her dog is a prerequisite for any potential partner.

Adopted from the RSPCA at five weeks old, Sarge was originally Katherine’s parents’ dog. When she moved to Sydney’s northern beaches three years ago, Sarge came too.

Katherine’s apartment has been styled to accommodate him. “I bought a four-seater lounge so he could sit on the couch with me,” she says. “He’s 40 kilos, so a typical two-seater just wouldn’t cut it.”

A Reebok stepper in front of the couch helps Sarge, now a senior at 11, get up and down; he has beds in the loungeroom and bedroom; and an eating mat in the kitchen.

Daily life revolves around Sarge – with walks every morning and evening, and sometimes a lunchtime stroll. “Or he’ll tag along as I do errands,” Katherine says. “The ladies in the post office love him.”

Katherine Pranic adopted Sarge from the RSPCA.

Two or three times a week they visit the dog park, and once a week she meets friends for a doggie “date”, where the pooches play together.

Katherine loves that Sarge is a catalyst for creating local connections. “People recognise you because of your dog. Neighbours want to stop, chat and pat him,” she says. Because she works from home, this is especially important. “It can be isolating, so having a dog gets me out and interacting with humans daily.”

It also means she turns down on-site work contracts. Sarge “is generally a very chilled dog, [but] as he gets older he’s getting more anxious if left alone for consistent stretches of time,” she says. “I can go into an office once or twice a week, but every day is out of the question nowadays with him to care for.”

Katherine says she feels lucky to have Sarge in her life. “I know some people would only consider him a ‘dog’ but he is part of my family,” she says. “In the midst of [a] … turbulent decade for me, … his presence has really carried me through.”