Ciao Michaela, why don’t you tell us about you and your dogs?
Sure! My husband and I are lawyers, living in Berlin. Daudi, a 5-year-old German shepherd with long curly hair, came into my life on our 24th wedding anniversary. My husband Jörg, who was travelling a lot at the time, thought I could use some company while he was gone. He was right, 
I immediately fell madly in love with this cute little boy, who was hardly bigger than his food bowl. His name was chosen carefully: Daudi means  “the beloved” in Swahili. Just 3 months old, Daudi was hit by a car and had to get surgery. Thank God he survived! That tied us together even more, nothing can come between us.
In November 2022 another dog joined the family, Clyde, 11, a blonde shepherd mix. Clyde was my brother´s dog, originally. He had lived with my brother´s family in the south of France. After a separation my brother accepted an assignment on a cruise ship and couldn’t take Clyde with him. We offered to take him and Daudi and Clyde are now inseparable: the best buddies you can imagine! They sleep together and share food, even pass bones between each other. 

What´s so amazing about Daudi?
Daudi is incredibly energetic. He never gets tired and needs to be constantly challenged. He is super punctual and precise, a “little policeman”. He barks at everything which isn´t in order, especially at parking offenders. And he hates to be left alone. Clyde on the other hand imitates everything Daudi does. And Daudi is a great teacher! Clyde knew barely anything when he came into our house. Treats make things easier of course, they both love them!  

How would you describe your relationship?
Daudi is my personal bodyguard. He looks after me and my husband, wants to protect us from any harm. He would give his life for us, no doubt about that.

What do you know about his secret passions?
Daudi loves running free, swimming, retrieving, and digging big holes. He also loves his dog training and wants to be the best in class. He goes crazy when he sees a squirrel and tries to climb the tree on all fours. But I think the best thing ever for him is to sit between us on the couch, watch TV with us and be cuddled. Not to forget: He is a gourmet dog that loves likes asparagus, mussels, shrimps and cheese.

How do you understand each other? Do you have a secret code?
I think Daudi knows and understands everything. And he communicates just as easily what he wants or doesn’t want.

What makes him obey no matter what?
Put your shoes on and go to the entrance door.

If your dog was a person: Who would he be?
A policeman who keeps everything in order.

Why do you love him?
Because Daudi is a very special character. Not easy, very demanding, but with the purest soul.

What was the loveliest thing your dog ever did?
Some time ago my husband was sick and had to stay in bed for a while. Daudi sat next to him most of the time and tried to convince him to get up again. 

Did your dog change your relationship to other people?
Well, our friends love Daudi and he thinks that our guests only come to visit him. Other people are either afraid or admire him. 

Where do you leave him when you have to go away for a couple of days?
We have a good friend, not just a sitter, who comes to our appartement and looks after the dogs. They love him.

Is there anything that annoys you about him?
He is a hooligan when he´s on a leash.

What are your favourite things to do with him?
Go for a walk, throw his Kong into the water, cuddle him. Work and train with him on new things.

Any dreams you´d like to come true with your dog?
To live in the south of Italy near the beach because he loves swimming so much.

Is he allowed on your bed?
Yes he is, and he loves it. So does Clyde. So we have very little space left for ourselves.

Any suggestions for future dog lovers?
A dog changes your life completely. It is a great responsibility, not just for a couple of days or weeks. No, it´s for the lifetime of the dog. Sometimes 14 or 16 years! You have to be prepared to invest a lot of time, nerves and money. Your daily routine will change, holidays have to be planned differently as does the free time. But … Your dog will pay you back with his unconditional love.

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. 

Dogs have always played an important role in your life, right?
Absolutely. A few months ago my beloved Chester passed away and we are still mourning. He was a Labrador mix that came from Mallorca. I loved him so much and it still hurts. He is around, I can tell, but we cannot communicate the way we used to. In any case, I miss him a lot, that’s why I’m looking for a new Labrador mix or a Retriever. It is important for me to have a dog that is well behaved and big enough to scare off strangers. A dog that is easy-going and respects me no matter what. I’m not the one to go jogging with him for hours and I’m not very consistent in my education either. Poquito, the little Portuguese, looks like a miniature wolf. His body is tall, but the legs are short. Unfortunately, I can’t let him run free: He has already killed a few chicken at my neighbor’s. So we usually wait for the chicken to go to sleep and then go for our evening round (laughs). On the leash, most of the time, because as soon as he sees a rabbit he’s gone.

How did you meet Poquito?
I picked up Poquito at the Bahnhof Zoo train station in Berlin, eight years ago from now. He came from Portugal in an animal protection van, a tiny puppy, no more than four months old. Someone had found him in a rubbish bin. This probably explains his fear of men, especially men with white hair. It’s pretty obvious he was traumatized. Chester came from Mallorca. He had always been on a chain, as a guard dog of a big construction site. All he ever got to eat were chunks of hard bread. That’s actually why I left Mallorca after 10 years: I couldn’t stand how they treated the animals. There were abandoned dogs everywhere, in front of every house, even where no one lived. I went horseriding often and happened to see so many of them on a short chain in lonesome courtyards, exposed to the blazing sun, often without fresh water and with very little to eat for how skinny they were.
I had to go away, I couldn’t stand it anymore. The situation has improved in recent years, from what I understood. There are people who try to take care of the dogs now. But when I moved there 20 years ago, the conditions were different. In Mallorca there’s a saying that having a dog in front of the house signifies you have money, enough to feed a dog as well. When I think of how many I wanted to save, I could have adopted ten and more!

You’re saying you’re not very good at educating your dogs. How do you manage?
I look at Poquito. Guess what. And he understands. As if it was telepathy! I don’t have to raise my voice or educate him. I do it through vibrations. And with the intensity of my features. He can laugh, he must have learned it from me. And if I look angry, he knows it’s getting serious. He definitely reads my features and I read his. Then of course what I adore about him is his character, a cheeky, sometimes naughty little boy. He can walk on his hind feet, even turn in circles on two legs!

What is your relationship like?
Very mature, I guess, because Poquito is a loner. Not a pack dog like the Beagle that lives above us. And he doesn’t stick to me that much. He goes into the garden alone and lies in front of the gate for hours, watching who is passing by and, sometimes, barking at the neighbors. He’s like a little Indian, he kept his wilderness. And I’m kinda Indian too. I need a dog like him, free, with his own personality, not a dressed up one, sitting on a sofa. I also need personality in my photos. And truth. Those are the things that I’ve been looking for my entire life. Poquito is perfect in that sense. Oh my God, I’m in love with him. What was the question again?

If he was a person who would he be?
Something between Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. A part of him is like “I’m going to get really dirty now”, then the other part goes “but actually I’m quite a smart guy, well educated and super nice”. 

Who looks after him when you’re not around?
I have someone who comes to my house and takes care of the dog here. I want to avoid any other trauma for him and knowing that in a kennel there would certainly be men (impossible!) and other dogs (only partly possible), that would stress him out too much. My mother used to take care of the dogs when I was gone working. Now I have my roommate to watch out. But if she’s not around, it’s difficult. What I usually do is offer a “nice day in the country” to friends who already know him. And ask if they can open and close the door for Poquito. So far I’ve always been lucky to find someone.

Is there anything annoying about Poquito?
Well, it annoys me a lot that he kills. Because it scares me off and I don’t quite understand that my sweet little dog can turn into such a monster! But maybe that’s part of his character, being very similar to a Wolf. There are photos of white Wolves that look extremely similar to him. Also Huskies. And that’s where you have to be careful.
Many years ago I was shooting for Elle in Los Angeles. I photographed a little Wolf with the model. And I wanted to take this beautiful animal home with me, adopt it right away, it was so cute. The trainer told me that Wolves are not allowed to eat meat. They can only have dry food because once they smell fresh meat, they will kill. I ended up leaving the dog where it was at the time. But Poquito reminds me a bit of him.

Tell us about your favourite things to do together!
I actually really like watching him lying in the grass, playing with the ants and flies, feeling perfectly at ease with himself and the world around him. It’s such a lucky life he is living, without any sorrows. The only thing that counts is to live the moment. For dogs there is no past or future, they live and perceive nothing but the present. That’s what they are and that’s something I do appreciate. I learn a lot from him! He’s pure stimulation. The way he thinks, looks, smells and experiences the world with all his senses. That’s what we do when we’re together: go out in the woods. Take a look, enjoy and, each one of us in his own way, wag our tail!

Any challenges your’e facing now that he’s the only dog in the house?
Travelling with him is not easy. He will have to learn that now, because my son no longer lives in Germany and of course we want to go visit him every now and then. He has to learn to accept new places! I can’t always stay home because of my dog. But it’s difficult, he’s so scared: afraid of loud sounds, too many people… I took him to Kreuzberg, in Berlin, once. He wanted to pee on a tree. A woman came up and yelled at him that it wasn’t possible. That must have been traumatic. So travelling is and probably always will be our challenge. Because it would be nice if we could walk my paths together, too, and not just his walkies.

Any advice from someone like you who’s been working as a photographer for PETA for many years?
It’s true that I’m very connected to animal protection. PeTA (www.peta.com) for example have a beautiful page, where dogs that are free for adoption are introduced. Don’t take a dog because it looks so cute and it is still a baby! Go by its character, that’s way more important than his looks. Ask questions at the animal shelter, check if it is healthy! Those things are essential. A friend of mine adopted a dog in Spain, which ended up being totally vicious and doesn’t fit into the family at all. It was a mess to undo everything at the end. Try to take “your” dog for a walk first. Or get it from a foster family. At the animal shelter, they often don’t have time to study the dogs. Then of course you have to have the space to keep a dog, preferably a garden, and a lot of time. Leaving a dog alone too often is crucial. I personally cannot imagine a life without a dog. Especially for people who are alone the dog also replaces a partner, a very faithful partner. A dog is pure happiness! You can share things: go for a walk, eat together, meet people together. Thinking about it: I really want to get a second dog back so Poquito has a base. Because this dog needs it. And me too, I also need a second dog, absolutely.

PS: Gabriele Oestreich-Trivellini, born and raised in Hamburg, is a German portrait photographer, known as GABO. Kevin Costner, Eric Clapton, Boris Becker and many others posed in front of her camera. Gabo’s son is half Italian. For more info www.gabo-photos.com.

How did you meet?
As it often happens these days, Nathan and I met online. With the pandemic going on,  the breeder had about 800 requests per month for his dogs. So he established an obligatory Zoom meeting with a 10 Euro fee. In fact, this way he cut the number of applicants in half. He presented himself with four months old Nathan on his lap and the puppy immediately blew my mind away. If love at first sight exists, this was it. 
Three days later I drove 600 km from Berlin to Cologne where Nathan was waiting for me. He was trembling when the breeder put him into my arms. To be honest, me too. A couple of moments later he he had gotten super calm and chilled. I had tears in my eyes for how excited I was, deeply touched in an extraordinary way by a little puppy that looked like Fuchur the luckdragon from the “Neverending Story”…
Also his name, Nathan, caught my sins. My favourite uncle Nathan from NYC had passed away a couple of years ago. Wasn’t it a lovely thought that Nathan could be his reincarnation? And he looked so incredibly cute, like taken right from a toy shelf, so sweet and somewhat unreal was he.

What’s so amazing about your dog?
If I could have dream baked my perfect dog, the result wouldn’t have gotten even close to who Nathan is for me. He is the most wonderful soul! Wherever he shows up, he creates instant smiles on the  faces of everyone he meets. He’s loving and friendly with everyone, on two or four paws. Always playful and in the best mood. He loves kids and is extremely careful with them. He laughs a lot! And he is incredibly smart. 

How would you describe your relationship?
Nathan and I are together every day of the week, at (almost) every hour.  If I’ve got a business meeting I immediately miss him and start longing for him from the very minute we get separated. I’m quite sure our connection was made in heaven. It’s a match for life! One thing I underestimated: You know there’s the saying that a cute dog is the perfect wing man to pick up girls. Taking Nathan on walkies it works differently: The girls only have eyes for him. They seem to not even notice that there’s a human on the other side of the lead…

If your dog was a person – who would he be?
Probably a mix of Ghandi, young Brad Pitt and Gianluigi Buffon (because he is unbeatable when it comes to catching the ball!)

Why do you love him?
Because of all the above. And so much more. It is impossible not to love him.

What did he teach you that nobody else would?
To focus on the relevant things and to ignore everything else. Furthermore: There is no reason to start the day in a bad mood.

Is there anything that annoys you about him?
His capability to sleep anywhere, sometimes even with his eyes open. Makes me so jealous! And: his very selective hearing abilities.

What are your favourite things to do with him?
I wouldn’t be able to tell. We do almost everything together! Maybe the best thing is waking up with him sleeping in my arm, his nose in my armpit and joyfully sighing.

Is your dog part of the family 100 %?
We live in quite a big apartment. So he has room to roam. It took him no time to conquer all the sofas and couches. It is all his! For the first few days the bed was a no-go. But one Sunday he jumped up and there he was. Now every day is a Sunday.

Any advice you would like to give to someone who wants to get a dog but can’t decide?
Life without a dog is possible but pointless. I never met anyone who regretted getting a dog. A dog will change your life dramatically but in a good way.

PS: More about the journalist’s life and his big love Nathan on his Instagram account @stefanlemle