Two Abruzzese Sheepdogs – that’s not for everyone…
And they were three! Unfortunately we lost one to cancer. His name was Ago, our very first dog in the family. Someone had told us about a litter close to our home, just out of Martina Franca in Puglia. We showed up, immediately decided to take one of them home and instantly fell in love with our little big Ago. A great dog, beautiful, strong, to good to be true! Sadly, he got sick and died of Leukemia within months. Just enough time to educate our second Abruzzese Sheepdog, a female that we called Tea. When Ago got worse and died, my husband and I suffered with him and grieved for him as if it was a child. Unbelievable how close we had become, how hard it was to let him go. We eventually found another male and called him Ugo. So even if it’s not three but only two of them now, we’re as close as any family can be. The dogs live outside,  yet they are like kids for us. We’ve created a perfect harmony, understanding each other without words. I actually think the dogs are getting more and more similar to us, but that’s what they say about dogs and masters, don’t they? 

What’s so amazing/special about your dogs?
They are extraordinary in every way! We are family, no more no less. And we love spending time together, being outdoors together, go hiking, playing, fighting with them on the floor like children, for hours. And they consider us their parents, calling us, barking, howling… as if we were two of them.

What did they teach you that nobody else would?
They taught us to be good. Because a dog would never leave you no matter what. He is always there, by your side, come rain or come shine. Looking at you, looking after you, caring about you. They want to be like us and we want to be like them, we learn from them.  

Is there anything that annoys you about them? 
Not at all. Humans can be annoying sometimes! But dogs? At least OUR dogs are just sweet, always. Even though it’s a breed that’s known to be very territorial and highly protective. 

What are your favourite things to do with them?
Playing and having fun. Only when it’s time to eat, they forget everything. As if they celebrated every single feast. Pure instinct. 

Are your dogs part of the household? Do they sleep in your bed?
No way. Our dogs are too big to keep them inside. They’ve got their outdoor space, their dog beds, and the entire estate to run and have fun. They seem to be more than happy with it. 

Any advice you would like to give to someone who wants to get a dog but can’t decide?
Go and get one, immediately. Because he will change your life and will make you happy. A dog helps you to be yourself, to forget about your sorrows. You’ll find that negativity disappears. It doesn’t take much: Just look him in the eyes and you’ll see his soul. 

PS: If you’d like to learn more about flower designer Michele Zaurino, check out his Instagram account @michele_zaurino

Where did you meet? How did you connect?
I was keen to have a toy poodle delivered on my youngest daughter’s birthday. Since the date was important, yet specific, I went through desperate measures to purchase him online, eventually to discover it was a scam. Tsunami arrived by train, there was a charge of 300 Dollars to have him delivered, in addition to the fortune that I had paid in advance. The man who delivered Tsunami didn’t look very healthy, he carried adult dog food with this puppy that was not even the size of my hand. I made several attempts to track down the person who sold it to me, but he had disappeared. The person who had brought me the puppy had no contact either. A mystery.
With all the birthday hype, I didn’t realize something was wrong until I had alone time with Tsunami, the next morning. Soon I discovered the puppy that I bought online that was supposed to have pedigree papers, had instead arrived with fleas, cardia, almost lifeless. I worried he wouldn’t make it. The real problem was that I had no information on what he had been eating. It took a good week to nurse him to better health, I had to do all the vaccines and of course he was without a microchip. Eventually I did find the scammer, but I highly suspect he smuggles hundreds of dogs from who knows where, Romania or Albania, and I didn’t want to take the time or energy to pursue it in court. Meanwhile, we had all fallen in love with Tsunami. 

What’s so amazing/special about your dog?
Tsunami is very, very particular. Once I got him back to health, he wouldn’t play as a puppy or chew on anything in the house, rather he would sit and stare at my every move, never taking his eyes off of me as I moved around the house. He was memorizing my every move. He still has that serial killer persona to this day. Obviously I’m teasing. Tsunami is a joy to have in our family, he loves us very much. He is a wonderful swimmer and loves sailing. He acts like a sailor himself, a pirate defending his ship. He is working when he is sailing, it’s his happy place. 
Tsunami understands both English and Italian. He can be very protective and possessive, there are certain aspects of his character that root from his early abandonment from the mother. He does bite, but it’s a work in progress, he knows how to be a good boy, too. 
Tsunami has an excellent nose. Before conducting the DNA test, I would’ve bet that he was a truffle dog. Early on I would hide white truffles in the house and he would find them, eventually we go outdoors and look for truffles with success. He loves those kind of mind games, challenging his nose. 

What’s your dog’s role in the family?
He’s the baby boy in a family of three girls.

If your dog was a person – who would he be?
Albert Einstein 

Why do you love him?
He’s perfect in every single way, I love Tsunami for his loyalty to our family. His trust. He has been there for me during some hard times –
I will always be in debt to Tsunami. 

What did he teach you that nobody else would?
He taught me telepathic communication. He doesn’t talk, but we communicate all the time. 

Is there anything that annoys you about him?
If I leave for 10 minutes, he goes nuts when I come back as if I left him for 10 days. 

What are your favourite things to do with him?
Sailing 

Is your dog part of the household 100 %?
Absolutely, he sleeps in my bed, always next to me. 

Any advice you would like to give to someone who wants to get a dog but can’t decide?
Don’t buy a dog online.

Pictures: Kirstie McConnell for https://classicoportraits.com/expats, Calling Italy Home

Pino didn’t wake up when we came in?
Don’t worry, he can’t hear anything, and he cannot see too well either. He’ll wake up eventually and I’ll give him a bite to eat. He’s way over 13 years old, moves very little because of his injuries and arthritis, so basicallly that’s what he does: sleep and eat. Yet, he’s been with me for almost three years now. Keeping me company when I wake up early, have my first cup of coffee and start knitting or working on my unique pieces made out of fabric and all sort of materials. Or when I watch television after a long day: He’ll stretch out right next to me, enjoying nothing but the smell of me being there for him.

How did you find out about Pino?
A volunteer had found him, run over on one of the main streets leading out of my town. Can’t you take care of him, she was asking. You could tell he was suffering, so I said, let’s take him to the vet and see what he says.

He seems to be doing just fine now.
Yes, but it took a while! At first he wouldn’t even let me pet him, poor thing. He just didn’t know what it was like to be loved by someone. But he got very attached to me. So now whenever I have to leave him with someone for a couple of days because I need to travel, he suffers loneliness, wouldn’t touch any food and can’t wait for me to be back. I’m his person, he knows nothing but the smell of me.

You used to have a handful of dogs, you said…
Yes, that was when I lived in the countryside, on a large estate where we went for long walks without ever leaving the property. They were all street dogs and I loved every single one of them! Athos, Yaris, Aygo, Leon and Toy. When I came home from work they used to party all around me! At night we would walk around the house, looking at the stars while I told them about my day. Different times, different measures… I promised myself I would never leave them, whatever happens. Within 2 or 3 years they died one after the other. I buried them around the big olive tree in the garden. This way they could go to sleep together as they used to and be together forever in their happy place. When the last of them had died, I was ready to move forward. I took a picture to always remember everything – and found myself an apartment in town.

I guess Pino made the transition easier for you.
Not that there was no other dog in the meantime! Did I tell you about Ciccia? The dog that came into my shop one day and decided to never leave again? She came every single day for about ten years! And she was extremely smart, knew exactly when she would find me etc. She usually arrived by 4.30 pm,
a couple of minutes before me. I opened the door and she would follow me behind the cash desk, where she remained all afternoon, listening and watching. During pandemic I took her home with me, my dogs had gone and she kept me company for a year.

Now it’s Pino who’s taking care of you…
Yes, we do enjoy each others company. I’ve got a lot of friends, a busy lifestyle etc. But there’s nothing like coming back home and having someone waiting for you. Yet, I promised myself that after Pino I wouldn’t take any more dogs. A least for a little while. But then again, don’t they say life happens while you make other plans?

PS: Wanna check out some of Francesca’s unique and 100 percent handmade pieces? Here’s her Instagram account: @viv’arte_

My compliments, You look perfectly fit! Thanks to Mimma…?
Well, I’m doing my best! I’ve been trying to calm down her incredibly playful character. You can see some results but… Mimma just cannot hold herself back when she’s happy (which she always is!) and since she’s not exactly a Chihuahua, I’m trying hard to keep her from dragging me away. Mimma is a very sociable dog, she wants to say Hi to everyone, play with everyone (even with the cats but they don’t always understand her), wants to run, swim and, above all, roll in everything she finds that’s stinky or yucky in some way. Bad luck for me but a great business for the city’s ​​dog ​​toilets.

Tell me about your life.
Mimma and I spend a lot of time together and try to make the most of it. We love hiking. Well, hiking is not quite right: As soon as she sees a meadow,
a beach or any other open space, she starts running happily all over the place. Mimma is a very active dog and loves to explore and dig big holes when we go on excursions. While we walk she repeatedly comes close to touch me with her nose, as if to make sure that Mom is still there. Once we went for a walk to the lakes of Alimini, near Otranto. She couldn’t resist throwing herself into the water to chase three ducks swimming carelessly in the middle of the lake. Another day, close to the beautiful and scenic Acquaviva Bay in Marittima, she accidentally fell into a well full of dirty water. She eventually got out again and shook herself wildly, getting everyone around her wet and dirty. Yet she’s easily forgiven because she is so sweet! I simply wouldn’t know what to do without our occasional excursions, no matter where and when. Seeing her run freely (especially in the snow!) makes me very happy.

You live in a city (Lecce, Italy), not exactly the best place to let dogs run free. How do you cope?
Yes, that’s a a problem, especially for larger dogs like Mimma. Where do we go run, play with a ball, hide and seek? The city park unfortunately opens too late, therefore we cannot go every morning. That park has a dog area which unfortunately is below expectations: small, dirty, full of fleas, mosquitoes and who knows what else. Not exactly the best place to take her. But unfortunately there’s very few alternatives. South of Rome there don’t seem to be any more walking areas for dogs. It’s a mess for people and dogs like us.

Do you share Mimma with someone or is it just You and her?
There’s also Michele, my fiancé, who invited me to come live with him and welcomed the two of us with great patience. He would never admit it but he got very attached to Mimma, too. When he comes home from work he’d whistle the legendary jingle (the Jurassic Park soundtrack) and Mimma looses it! She usually waits for him at the exact same hour, wagging her tail and waiting for him to cuddle her, give her the cookie (their ritual), calming down only when he gets out of his shoes.

Any other things you share?
There is Yoga, which I used to do before she arrived and which we practise “together” now. Let me put it this way: I try to do yoga and she thinks I wanna play, so she runs around me and under me like crazy. We both love these moments! We have also embarked on a path that will enable us to practice what used to be called Pet Therapy and is now AAI (Animal Assisted Interventions): an initiative where a specially-trained dog and professional handler work together, in conjunction with a human services professional (eg therapist, social care practitioner, teacher or healthcare provider), to promote improvements in the physical, social, emotional and/or cognitive functioning of a person. In order to help them build self esteem, overcome anxiety, interact with others, change certain patterns of behaviour and many more. It’s interesting and challenging for both of us! And I hope it’ll help me to make people in need participate in what I enjoy every day.