Dave is quite aggressive and vocal. He shouts when he hears people coming. Actually, it’s more of a high-pitched squeak, but I’m trying to make him sound interesting. He’s quite cheeky with me, but he can go all shy with strangers. One of the nice things about him is that he has a permanent smile. You think “Ah, he’s smiling”, and it cheers you up. There’s also something quite comforting in the fact that guinea pigs are so stupid.
He lives in a sort of open-plan penthouse. It’s like a giant drawer with no top — quite modern, really. He’s spoilt like that. His favourite food is flat-leaf parsley, which I suppose is quite directional, and rocket salad. He can even tell the difference between M&S carrots and bog-standard ones. I know he’d like chocolate, but he’s not allowed it. He’s a Deptford pig, from a pet shop there, and I reckon they gave him crisps and sweets. I don’t think it has done his digestion or his teeth any good.
Julie Verhoeven, the artist and designer, with her guinea pig, Dave