About the human

I'm Pedro Holanda. Holanda is Portuguese for Holland. No, I didn't change it after moving to the Netherlands. It's more of a destiny thing.

I was born and raised in Fortaleza, Brazil, and grew up surrounded by animals. My parents were not very strict about pets, and my sister and I took full advantage. Over the years we brought home all sorts of exotic pets and staged a few forced cat adoptions. My parents usually found out after the cat had moved in.

I always knew I wanted a dog of my own, but it was never the right time. First my MSc, then my PhD, then general life shenanigans.

Then COVID hit. Curfews, lockdowns, nowhere to be. Finally, the right time for a dog.

Coming from Fortaleza, where lots of dogs and cats are abandoned on the street, my first thought was to adopt. Surprise: I couldn't find a single street dog here, and the shelters I checked were all empty, because everyone and their mother wanted a pet. That stuck with me, because back home it's the complete opposite.

In 2021 I finally got Oogie Boogie, and we've been on a lot of adventures since. He loves a good hike, licking strangers in the face, and greeting every guest like they came over just for him.

He's also weirdly in sync with my feelings. Sometimes he understands me better than I understand myself, which gets annoying. When I'm playing something brutal like Silksong, one tiny sign of frustration and he's already licking my face. Calm down, dude. This is self-inflicted stress.

My point is, Oogie Boogie has an amazing life, and he makes mine amazing too. But I'm very aware that's not the case for a lot of dogs.

That's why I've been donating to animal shelters in Brazil on and off for years. I know how tight things are for them. So I figured I'd try to make something good whilst having some fun: put the cutest little doggo ever on some clothes and see if it helps. Oogie Boogie finally has a job.