Alberta, you organize events, your future husband Disonysos organizes photoshoots. There’s also your toddler son Fabrizio.
When do you ever have time for Ettore?
Alberta: I don’t need to make time for him. Ettore is my shadow, he has always been. I take him everywhere, even to the beautician!

Tell me about your particular relationship.
Alberta: Our relationship? Ettore understands me in everything. We don’t have a “language”, commands don’t exist. I talk to him as if he were a human, a person. And I feel he talks to me, too. He “asks” me when he wants to go to the bar, or if he can eat. He shows me where he wants to drink etc. We got to be quite symbiotic over the years! When I’m sad he is sad, if I get angry he gets scared. He’s my mirror in everything. Ettore really and truly is like a son to me, he is unique.
Dionysos: We take him with us everywhere we go, unless we have to fly. A couple of days ago we took him to one our most special events ever: We tried all the dishes of our wedding this summer. Ettore simply had to share the moment with us!

What do you enjoy doing together the most?
Dionysos: I love when we’re at the beach and he saves us. Every time you swim out a bit he comes and grabs you with his mouth and pulls you to the shore. He will scratch you all over but that’s a Labrador!
Alberta: We used to go for endless walks, seaside, countryside, everywhere. We still do, but getting older his paws started to hurt. But Ettore never gives up, he makes the extra effort. He’s always there for me, with me. He is even allowed in bed, but usually he jumps down at some point, looking for a cooler place to rest.

Any advice you’d like to share?
Alberta: Well, taking in a dog is quite a decision. You must be ready for it, because it ‘s going to be a lot more than a hobby. A dog is not a toy, it needs attention and care. For the sake of the dog you must be ready to step back.. But to those who are ready I can only suggest to get one! I don’t know what my life would be without a dog. I’ve had one since I was 11, went out in my pijama to take the dog for a run early in the morning, then took him with me to university. A dog adds rhythm to your life, it establishes rules and while it helps you feel good it also teaches you responsibility. You can’t get distracted while you’re driving, for example, because your dog is always there. A child, your pet. That’s what it is: Having a dog is like having a child.
Dionysos: Alberta is right. Don’t get a dog to show off! A dog is like a child. You need to give him the same attention you’d give to a family member. Too many people get dogs and then leave them locked away in the house or behind a fence. But they are animals that need not only care but also a lot of affection. You want a dog to make “bella figura” every friday night, walk him for two hours and then leave him with your 70-year-old mother all week? Forget it and get yourself a motorbike.

Why did you call your Gelateria Baldo Gelato? I hear Baldo the Bracco was kind of famous in Lecce…
It’s coincidence, actually. My ex partner Alberto and I were planning to open an icecream bar. Baldo, the Bracco, was our loved and appreciated companion, aristoctratic, superior, a phantastic dog. When we started to exchange emails with our architect in Milan, planning details etc., he himself started to put in “Baldo” as a reference to every note concerning the bar. We never changed it, also because the bar became Baldo’s favourite spot. He used to lie down in front of the staircase, often without a leash because there was no need, his nose in the warm Salento wind. Imagine that clients from Texas loved him so much that they found a breeder in the States, got the exact same dog and called him Baldo, like ours who sadly passed away a couple of years ago. But they wrote me telling that I’d sure be happy that there was another Bracco Baldo in this world.

Ettore is now two 1/2 years old. A male teenage Labrador. How did you cope during the first few months that are supposed to be challenging?
Well every dog is different and Ettore is definitely different to Baldo. But we love him just as much. He is crazy, in a nice way of course, never gets tired, never fights with other dogs. All he wants to do is play and have fun. Just lately we noticed his distinctly protective side and at times he can even become a guard dog with quite an unexpected temper. He would like to lead, I guess, that’s why he definitely needs to be managed, also because he weighs almost 40 kilos. What we did is set up a very precise set of roles, rules and duties for everyone in the house, without ever neglecting the aspect of cuddles and games.
Ettore is and he always will be an alpha male, a handsome big boy. He’s always been like that, since he was as a puppy. But as a puppy it was easier. One because he was younger and two because my ex-partner lived in Lecce and therefore I had a lot of free time in managing the family. Now that Ettore has grown up and my ex-partner has returned to live in Milan, everything became a bit more difficult. Especially the walkies! But for what it seems we’ll move to a house with an outside space soon, so we’ll manage, as we always did. Because let’s face it: Life with an animal may be more complicated at times, more stressful in other moments, dirtier always. But it’s definitely more cheerful!

What did you learn from your Labrador?
That everyone in the family has their own needs and we need to find a reconciliation that suits everyone, more or less. And that in the end love is sacrifice, but in the sense of something sacred. Love is made of rituals and daily attentions. Those we kind of cultivate.