Please tell us about yourself and your dogs!
We are Carsten and Carlotta Teubel, both in our 50s, entrepreneurs, currently living in Berlin. I, Carlotta, used to work in the fashion Industry, Carsten was in finance. Together we created the brand Worldpearlslove, now we’re looking for new challenges. Our dogs are Noosa, a Labrador Retriever, 6yrs old, and Bali, a Miniature Dachshund, 3yrs.  Noosa comes from a breeder in Germany (Hessen) and was the only chocolate lab in the litter. His two black brothers got adopted, his mother and four sisters died after birth. So Noosa was “raised” by a foster dog-mom for his first few weeks! Bali got adopted from a family in Berlin when he was nine weeks old. We thought he would be an “ordinary”, normal sized dachshund but he grew into a big miniature one. 

What’s so amazing about your dogs? 
Noosa is our CCO (Chief Cuddling Officer) and will do everything for cheese. Bali has the heart of a lion in a sausage costume and is the little big “security guy”. 

How would you describe your relationship? 
Noosa loves his freedom. But when it comes down to it, he’s very close and affectionate. Bali is always by our side, to an extent that he loves to sleep under the sheets (with us) at night. 

Do you know about their secret passions? 
Noosa loves swimming and rescuing everything and everyone in the water. The most passionate lifeguard! Bali loves to sleep in the sun, no matter how hot.

How do you “understand” each other?
We talk like we would talk to other fellow humans: Gentle conversation instead of commands.

Do you have a “trick” that always works?
Both of them are easy to handle, very smart and understanding. But since we’re together ALL the time really, they think they don’t always HAVE TO obey. But there’s one very powerful “code” that always works and it is HAPPIHAPPI (german slang for EAT EAT). They’d come immediately from wherever they are.  

If your dogs were persons – who would they be? 
Noosa is such a cool guy. He could be Steve McQueen or Denzel Washington. Bali has something of Clint Eastwood about him, but also of Hugh Grant, the womanizer. 

Why do you love them?
Because they are our furry sons. We are family. 

What was the most memorable thing your dogs ever did? 
Noosa once brought home a little bird. All we noticed was a very tiny bird’s foot hanging out of its mouth… He must have picked up the little one off the ground, maybe he had fallen out of his nest. And he definitely wanted to save him! Noosa would never have done him any harm. 
Bali amazed us right from the beginning. We remember very well that he slept through the first night. We had already prepared ourselves to go out at least three or four times, as we used to when Noosa was little. But we  woke up the next morning, everything dry and the little one still fast asleep. He should actually be called “easy and dry”.

Did your dog ever bring you closer to another person/other people? 
Of course they do. We’ve got in touch with the whole neighborhood. With people we didn’t know before and then became friends and with people we never actually wanted to know. That’s life.

Where do you leave them when you have to go away for a couple of days? 
We did it only a couple of times when we travelled far during the winter. The dogs were in a dog hotel outside of Berlin. The last two years we’ve lived in Ibiza where we’ve got the lovliest dog sitter. She lives near San Carlos and both the dogs just adore her and her hippie attitude.  

Is there anything that annoys you about them? 
Oh yes: Noosa loves to sniff each square centimeter in the street. A normal walk can take hours And Bali loves to bark: outside, when he sees other dogs and inside, when the door bell rings. But then again, that makes him an alarm system on four paws, doesn’t it?

What are your favourite things to do with them? 
They love to walk in the forest which they do three times a week with their dog walker. And they love nice restaurants, because they know they’ll get to try delicious pieces falling off the table. We all love playing in and out of the water, catching balls, cuddling and scratching, stroking and swimming. 

Any dreams you’d like to come true with your dogs? 
Living with them close to the sea and beach. 

Any advice you would like to share? 
Think about one thing before getting a dog: You do need time for them. They only want to be with you. How much space you have is not so important. It is your time that they need and deserve. 

A rainy day in Monopoli. What are you up to today?
We just came back from a long walk along the Adricatic coast. I’m always amazed how tenacious Tita is for being so little! She can run for hours and never gets tired. Maybe that’s also because I take them out all together. Being part of a pack makes it more entertaining, I guess. To tell you the truth, Tita is everything one would never expect from a Chihuahua. Super sweet with everyone, not aggressive at all, a Chihuahua anti cliché. All my five dogs have learned to live in a hierarchy, that makes my life easier. And they’re all very affectionate and loving! So I guess that’s what we’ll do today: Lie on the sofa and cuddle. Wait for the thunderstorm to pass and for the the sun to come out again.

How do you communicate with your dogs?
We understand each other perfectly through looks, a whistle, some exclamation, never shouting because there’s no need.

Do you know their secret pleasures? What do you do to spoil them every once in a while?
Fresh meat is always a winner, that works no matter what. Then there is this treat they adore, from the animal shop: a piece of dry beef. They all go crazy for it! Especially my little rebel, Pupi, the Bali dog.

You brought a Bali dog home?
Yes I did, couldn’t help it. I found her on a street, very sick and super tiny. Because I didn’t want to leave her, she was sent on an incredible journey: All the way to Jakarta at first where she got a new passport, then on a plane via Istanbul and Rome to Puglia. Eight days on the road and in the air, looked after by living, helping hands. But Pupi is a hero, she made it.  And we love her unconditionally.

Getting back to your latest arrival, Tita: Who would she be if she was a person?
She would be a tribal warrior girl! You may not believe it but she once chased a big dog just by barking at him, her little mean kind of barking.

You travel a lot, sometimes stay away for weeks. Where do you leave your dogs in the meantime?
There is a young woman close to where we live: She is a dog trainer and very happy to keep them while we travel, which is at least twice a year for about a month and a half every time. The dogs adore her! And they are just as happy when we come back. It would be lovely to be able to take them with us every time we leave. Unfortunately not everyone welcomes them the way they should. I once went to Miami, where there are parks for small dogs only, where they can play we each other safely. Isn’t that phantastic? In Italy, especially in the South, they’ve got as whole different approach, a different mentality really.

What’s your favourite thing to do with your furry kids?
Long walks by the sea are our favourite. I try to do it every day! We’d spend at least two hours outside. During the winter, when we’ve got the beaches around Monopoli for ourselves, it’s even more exciting. They love to run together and I enjoy the moment of peace, every problem you may have gets lighter, any bad mood disappears while you’re walking, in nature, with your dogs.

Any advice you’d like to share?
Dogs make our lives richer and I would suggest everbody to get one. But I think not everyone is capable to understand how to really make a dog happy. Dogs need all our love, yes, but they also need to be treated like dogs. They need long walks even though they are small, they don’t need to be over clean, they need to eat dog food to stay healthy and they need rules in order to be happy.  They need to run free and they need a pack leader to run back to.  The most beautiful thing that happened to me with my five dogs is to understand that dogs love to live with other dogs, love to play together and to sleep cuddling each other. They have their own rules to live together peacefully.