David Yonan and Ikea
David Yonan and Ikea
We have never met a dog lover we didn’t like. And so meet David with his very beloved Ikea.
We love the story of how Ikea got her name!
“I adopted Ikea in 2013 from Pet Barn in Dubbo. They were working with the RSPCA. It was almost 6 hours of driving each way and I only spent the 40 minutes it took to adopt her and buy some supplies before heading home. It was the best and most transformative thing I've ever done in my life.
She was a very small 2kg dog who was about 4 months old when she was picked up off the street by the RSPCA.
She had had a rough start. Her fur was all matted and needed to be cut off, she was under weight, and she was scared but fierce with more of a "fight than flight" fear response - likely because she needed to of the need to protect herself and protect any food she came across.
In saying that, she loved love, and her original name was "Snuggle Pot".
She had a lot of triggers, and the more I got to know her, the more I thought about how she was as much of a work in progress as I was.
The name Ikea comes from a little joke I had with my ex. We were looking for some cheap furniture and IKEA has decent stuff at a reasonable price - which needed to be put back together.
And that's where the name "Ikea" came from... this little girl needed love and patience to be put back together, and I wasn’t going to give up on her.
Obviously I didn't read the instructions, but the allen key goes in the back and there are still a couple of screws lose (wonderful jokes from other people) which accounts for her sometimes offensive behaviour.
The first thing I do is warn people to be careful and respect her cues when they meet her.”
What is your Bondi story?
“We moved to Bondi a little over 10 years ago. One of the other best decisions of my life. A beautiful beach, a great lifestyle, and a wonderful community of people who mostly choose to be here.
We've lived in the same apartment the whole time.
There have been beautiful pets that have lived in our building who have passed, and it wasn't until then that I realised that our number of days behind us probably outnumber the days ahead of us.
Over the years I've changed my life to accommodate and incorporate Ikea into as many aspects of it as possible. I used to do 220+ days of international travel as a consultant, and I've eliminated that. There are now less than 20 nights per year when I'm away travelling, and that's still too many.
I've got absolutely zero regrets.”
How do you spend the first hour of your day?
“It depends on the weather and work, but I like to walk, stretch, do a light workout and get in the water. It doesn't always happen.
One thing I've done is put an every day reminder in my phone to give her a back massage. Not that I need the reminder, but sometimes you get caught up in stuff (like work or your own bullshit), and it's a very satisfying break because of how much she loves it.”
Is there one thing you’d like people to know about you?
“Big guy, small dog. One's friendly, the other will likely ignore you unless you have treats. If you see us, say hi, she's a lot more tolerant with age, and I like to chat with people.
Aside from working in software, I'm also working on a not for profit I’m going to call "Pets for Pensioners", but am thinking of changing it to "Pets for People".
I heard about a lady who passed away in her apartment and wasn't found until her neighbours complained about a smell. How shameful for our society.
Isolation and loneliness are issues that all people face at multiple times in their lives, and I truly believe that companion animals, and dogs in particular, can support and help people navigate tough times with the unconditional love they provide, and the purpose they give people in supporting the animal.
There's a lot to do, to get it up and running. I'd love to build it to the point to where it could sustain me to the point where I could work on it full time.
Ikea had made me less selfish and more patient. She's supported me and helped me through tough times (like the COVID lockdowns), and that has provided me with new perspectives that have been the foundation of transformation in my life.”
