Jacqueline and Lily, her jungle python.

Tails of the City: Sydney’s passion for pets*

Tails of the City is a new exhibition opening at the Museum of Sydney on 13 December exploring Sydney’s passion for pets and all creatures great and small.

Open until 22 March, Tails of the City is an exhibition for all ages, with hands-on activities and an array of pet paraphernalia exploring the billion dollar pet industry, from pet fashions to dog beer.

Keeping us company and sharing NSW homes today are everything from lizards to alpacas and chickens, more than 800,000 cats, more than a million dogs and even more birds and fish.

Tails of the City explores the bond between pets and owners through a series of contemporary colour portraits and more than 60 historic photographs from private and public collections. There is Jacqueline and Lily, her jungle python, Susan with her ferrets, Codey and Thorpie, and Georgina’s Champion British Giant rabbit, White Desert, who weighs in at 5 kilograms.

There are also four great events being held at the Museum of Sydney in conjunction with the Tails of the City exhibition:

§ Pet passion with Dog Trumpet — A night at the museum for pet lovers. Celebrate Tails of the City with a special after-hours event at the Museum of Sydney featuring films, guided tours, refreshments and a special performance by the band Dog Trumpet which features Peter O’Doherty and Reg Mombassa, long-time members of Mental as Anything. Thursday 15 January, 5pm–9pm.

§ Drawing animals with Cartoon Dave — Fun for the kids. Discover the secrets to turning every pet into a crazy cartoon animal with Toasted TV’s amazing cartoonist Dave. Wednesday 7 January, 10am & 11.30am.

§ Pets in the City — Handy tips for pet owners. Find out all you need to know about keeping a pet in the city from obedience training, off-leash parks to de-sexing at a special talk from City of Sydney Companion Animal Liaison  Officer Mai Dethridge. Saturday 18 January, 2pm.

§ Cat Tales — A must for cat lovers. Discover cats in history and mythology, learn about cat welfare and health, famous cats, big cats and all the different breeds at two talks by the Cat Protection Society of NSW’s  Education Officer, Nerida Atkin. Thursdays 15 & 22 January 11am.

*Based on media release issued by Historic Houses Trust.