Puppy love

AS TOLD TO BC PIRES

My name is Sara Maynard and I try to make the lives of animals better.

I never liked the term “animal activist.”

I’m the first Trinidadian in our family. My dad was from England and my mum grew up in India. My parents met in England. My dad came out here to open the Government Printery years and years and years ago. He loved Trinidad and decided to stay.

I have a daughter, Shivani, and my husband Douglas Agostini has a son, Jude, and a daughter, Jodi. We always say we have three children. I’m 54 and Jude is going to be 50 soon. There’s a 23-year gap between Douglas and me. But sometimes I feel I’m the adult. Men take
a lot longer to age. He’s literally the kindest person I’ve ever met. I’m very lucky. From the minute we met, he became my daughter’s father.

I was born in the west, so I guess I’m from there. I lived in Trinidad until I was six and then from six to 16 I lived in England. My parents separated and my mum moved to England. I came back to Trinidad to work with my dad, who was then part of a printing company, CPPP Ltd.

My dad said I had two choices of career: I could do printing or I could do printing. I told him I would do printing.

I know Trinis say I’m a white girl, but I’ve never ever considered myself white. I’m Anglo-Indian. And that’s how I’ve always seen myself. I’ve always felt I’m a Trinidadian whose parents are mixed, Anglo and Indian.

Going to England wasn’t good. I never felt it was my home. Where I lived was quite a conservative area and I got called “Paki” and the usual (racist slurs). But it would be unfair to say it was a terrible place. It wasn’t good but it wasn’t bad. When I came back to Trinidad at 16, I never left again.

I am healthy to a certain extent. But I can go off the deep end. Douglas always says he doesn’t know how I haven’t exploded.

I’m fat because I eat a lot, not because of any metabolism issues! I don’t make excuses. I’m a big woman who should probably eat a lot better, but that’s life. I do like a lot of unhealthy things.

My dad liked to party. I could leave him on the dance floor.

I’m not a great morning person. I’m more of a three-o’clock-in-the-morning person.