Discovered by Zorka and her daughter Karen almost 11 years ago in a white hot backyard without shade or water, “Astro Boy” the little Maltese x Shitsu, has lived up to his name by being “Brave and Gentle and Wise”.

Why did you decide that it was time to have a pet in your life?
I’d never had a dog before. I’d wanted one since I was a little girl in Slovenia, but my mum wouldn’t allow it.

Then, my daughter Karen wanted a puppy and by the time she had finished Year 12 her workload had eased off and I thought, “Okay, now we can go get a puppy!”

When and where did you first meet Astro Boy?
One of Karen’s friends had heard that there were some dogs being given away by a lady on the other side of town. We drove down there on this 40 degree summer day and we saw this little puppy.

He was only six weeks old but so tiny! Maybe no bigger than six cm long. He was very malnourished and was sitting there in the backyard with no water and no shade along with a lot of other dogs.

When we took him to the vet they said that there was not much hope. They said that they would normally put down dogs in this condition. He could hardly walk. His legs would keep on collapsing.

But we had fallen in love instantly with each other, so we took him home and bought a baby bath. I would put him in the water and he would swim. He swam and swam until his legs got strong and he got better. It was just like having a little baby again! I was his mummy from day one.

I fed him egg yolks and I would get up to look after him every four hours right through the night. Even at three in the morning. It didn’t matter. I would cook him chicken soup and feed it to him on a spoon.

How did the other members of the family react when you brought him home?
Of course, when we first got Astro Boy, Lukey our ten year old cat was very jealous. But after about three or four months, she came to accept him. I remember one day when Astro Boy was sitting in the middle of the lawn. Lukey just walked across to him and began to lick him all over, on every part of his little body.

I think Lukey must have realized that Astro Boy was going to be around for a long time so she may as well get used to him! She treated him just like a little kitten. He was still so tiny. So small that he could sleep in one of my slippers.

What’s the most difficult time that you’ve had to go through with him?
I don’t feel like I’m home enough for him. He knows that when I go to the bathroom in the morning to put on my make-up that I’m going to leave for work. He starts calling for me then, and I leave the door open so he can see me.

It’s also hard when we go overseas (Zorka and Volbi travel back to Slovenia once a year to visit relatives). One night, I woke up because I thought I heard him cry. But we were in Tahiti! I was having nightmares about being away from him.

It’s okay when Karen looks after him, but it’s not so good when we put him in a kennel. Even though it was a beautiful kennel with lots of trees and nature I still don’t think he enjoyed it.

Astro Boy always puts everyone else before himself, so he would let the other dogs always go first to get the food. I told the kennel owners that, but I’m not sure they understood and when we came home, he had lost weight. When we brought him home, he cried for three days he was so happy to see us.

How would you describe Astro Boy’s personality?
He’s very kind, extremely gentle and friendly. We lived very close to a kindergarten and I remember seeing him just sitting there, listening to the kids all day. He loves kids, he loves Lukey, he loves cats. He would never hurt a fly. You couldn’t get a better dog than Astro Boy.

How would you describe your relationship with Astro Boy?
It’s very hard to describe actually. He’s my soul mate. In some ways I feel guilty about Astro Boy because I think of him as being on the same level as my kids! (Laughs.)

From your own personal experience, what advice would you give to anyone with a pet like yours?
Most dogs, no matter how neglected they are, will live if you give them love. I’ve met a lot of people in the parks, and they have gotten their dogs the same way we did, or got them in pounds. And as long as somebody gives them love, they will grow to be very happy and strong.

What his favourite activity?
Not much really! He doesn’t run, not just because of his breed, but also because his legs never really recovered like they should have. He loves loves sitting on laps and being cuddled.

I will take him to the park, and he has a short, slow walk, but most of the time he gets carried back. He likes hanging out with the family and getting his body massaged when he gets a bit of arthritis.

What is their favourite food?
Of course, he loves our food! But not too much, because he’s not that active and he can put on weight pretty quickly. He normally eats a high quality brand of meat that we buy from the pet shop, chicken and rice twice a week and chicken wings once a week for his teeth.

What is absolutely amazing/gob smackingly important about your pet?
Astro Boy was like a blessing from the sky. He changed my life totally. When I was little I was bitten by a German Shepherd, and so I kept away from dogs since then. But Astro Boy has changed all that. I feel the absolute opposite of how I used to feel about dogs now. We have…. Well, it almost feels like a spiritual connection!

Two months before we got Astro Boy I had a dream that there was a white room with white walls and white floorboards. And in the corner of the room there was a white cot. It was just like I was having a dream about having a baby. Anyway, we met Astro Boy and I just knew that that dream was about him! Isn’t that amazing? I still so vividly remember that dream and I really believe it was about my Astro Boy!

About Zorka, Volbi and Karen Cernjaka and Astro Boy

Zorka and her husband Volbi have been running the North Fitzroy Arms Hotel for over a year. Since arriving in Melbourne in 1982 from Slovenia, the family has owned over five pubs.

The North Fitzroy Arms is locally renowned as being one of the most family friendly pubs in the area, dotted with cosy fireplaces and hung with Zorka’s richly coloured paintings, many depicting Slovenian folk story scenes.

Zorka has painted all her life but began studies in Fine Arts at RMIT in 1997. While Zorka has painted Lukey the cat, she hasn’t yet been able to paint Astro Boy as it “just hasn’t been the right time yet.”

A Bit about Animal Hoarding
There’s a good chance that Zorka and Karen had stumbled on an “Animal Hoarder” when they first visited Astro Boy.

An animal hoarder can be misdiagnosed by the community as “someone who meant well but let the situation get out of hand.”

However, the reality can be sometimes much worse. Hoarders can live with a large number of animals in their homes, existing unhappily in filthy conditions and poor health. The RSPCA is currently calling on the Australian Government to recognize Animal Hoarding as a mental illness.