The Resident Dogs & Peacocks
Gentle souls, loyal companions, and quiet guardians of the villa.
Always Welcoming, Always Outside
All four dogs are exceptionally friendly and beautifully trained. They love being around people, joining guests for garden walks, and snoozing nearby in patches of sunlight. They also respect the villa entirely: not one paw is ever set indoors.
These dogs are more than companions—they are part of the soul of villa. Each carries a story of resilience, loyalty, and love, and together they form a warm, gentle presence that guests remember long after they leave.
Fido — The Gentleman King
Fido is our distinguished alpha male, a calm and noble presence who needs no force to command respect. Raised on a nearby boutique beach, he spent his early life among people and carries that ease with him still.
Fido came to the villa to enjoy a peaceful retirement—just as the host had promised him years ago. Today, he is the host’s loyal shadow, the two are rarely seen apart when he is home, content simply to walk beside him, watching over the gardens and welcoming guests with grace. He even has a concrete seat in the Pergola named after him due to it being the only seat he ever sits on, ” Fido’s seat”
Nelson — The Soft-Hearted Warrior
Nelson, another long-time companion from the beach, looks a little weathered from a past where he never backed down from a challenge.
But beneath his rugged exterior lies the gentlest of hearts. Calm, affectionate, and endlessly relaxed, Nelson embodies the spirit of a peaceful warrior—wise from experience, yet wonderfully laid back.
Like Fido, he came to the villa to live out his days surrounded by kindness, comfort, and the slow rhythms of island life. He has an often cheeky habit of squeezing through your legs to gain attention or leaning onto you, like all dogs he craves attention.
Banjo — The Princess of the South
Banjo, who will turn two in early 2026, began her life in heartbreaking circumstances. Abandoned with her mother and siblings on a busy Colombo road, she was rescued at just a day old—eyes still closed. A close friend of the host ( Dana) hand-fed the litter with a syringe until they grew strong, and Banjo was later chosen to begin a new life in the calm of the south. As a puppy she was a whirlwind of mischief turning the garden into her personal playground. A seemingly mission of removing any plant her own height.
All of that changed the day Birdie arrived.
Birdie — The Little Miracle
Birdie came to us in the summer of 2025 after being struck by a vehicle, left blind and with brain trauma.
The incredible team at WeCare ( local animal charity listed below) saved her, nursing her back to full health. When the host visited with Fido for his regular care, he was shown Birdie and needed only twenty-five seconds to say, “Yes, I’ll take her.” Huge thanks to Vet Nurse Kat who kindly dealt with things for us.
From the moment she arrived, Banjo to everyone’s astonishment changed overnight & transformed into a nurturing, protective mother figure, guiding Birdie through every moment with tender patience. https://wecareworldwide.org.uk
As with Banjo the owner wanted her to swim and she was given immediate swimming lessons. The concern was if a puppy fell into the pool they could be in trouble. So both girls can swim, the boys…well thats a different story!
Peacocks
There are a great number of peacocks in and around the property. If not on our grounds, they’re usually over on our English neighbour Richard’s land. Between his garden and ours, we share somewhere in the region of 10 to 15 peacocks.
In the evenings, they roost high up in the palm trees, and in the mornings they greet the day with a chorus that sounds very much like overenthusiastic cockerels announcing the dawn. Quite often, Nelson can be heard whinging back at them, like someone irritated by an alarm clock they didn’t ask for.
The pea hens—the females—are far less striking, as it’s the males, the peacocks, that put on the real display. They fan out their magnificent feathers in an elaborate dance to impress and captivate the ladies. You’ll often find fallen feathers scattered on the ground, and after proper sterilisation, we’ve kept some that now make their way to the peacock tree in the Sunset Lounge. Finding a Peacock stroll past you whilst in the gardens is quite a common occurance.
