Your Jack Russell Minnie is now 14 years old. How did you meet?
Our son desperately wanted a dog and kept begging us to find one for him. So when his two older brothers moved out (they are 10 and 14 years older) my husband and I finally gave in. Travelling often we needed a small one that we could take anywhere, any time. I had always liked Jack Russells as they have big personalities, even if they are a small breed, and stumbled across a note in a local newspaper: a female Jack Russell, already trained, 6 months old, to adopt because its family couldn’t keep her for some reason. Sounded almost too perfect to be true. We decided we wanted to have her over for a day to see how everything would work out. We also had to be sure she was getting along with my parents’ dog. I remember how surprised I was about how little Minnie was! But still: already trained to stay in her bag, to walk on a leash and to sit when she was told so.

Was it love at first sight?
Absolutely. I remember how I calculated: Minnie was meant to be our son Hannibal’s dog in the first place. But he would eventually leave home some day – and leave his dog with us. Given that Jack Russells often reach 15 years of age we’d have some alone time with her, too. My calculations turned out to be right. And, to tell you the truth, I always felt that Minnie was my dog!

What’s so amazing about Minnie?
She is extremely responsive! If I tell her to sit outside a store, she will not move and wait for me just there. Hannibal taught her to do lots of tricks like rolling around, sit tall and even howl. We always walk without a leach, she simply doesn’t need any.

How would you describe your relationship?
Minnie got very attached to me and follows me everywhere. But if I am not around she simply finds herself another fellow to follow. I love that she’s kind of flexible in that sense, independent really. In the Masseria she knows exactly what she can and what she can’t do. I never allow her to sleep in my bed for example and she respects that. Nevertheless she must have “learned” that some people allow it and some people don’t. So she actually makes an effort to find those among the guests who do allow her.  

Do you have a secret code? 
She is responsive to a few commands like “stay”, “walk nicely” and me calling her name o whistling. But that’s only one thing.
I think our relationship is based on trust. She trusts me to take care of her and to always come back when I leave her. And I trust her to do what I tell her to do and to protect me. I am not afraid when I walk in the streets with her without a leash so she is calm and attentive of where I am. My husband is more worried that she might suddenly walk out in front of a car so when he is around she seems confused and less responsive. I guess she feels that he is worried and doesn’t trust her to stay in place. 

Why do you love her?
She is very gentle and devoted with people but also a free spirit. A bit like a cat. She is also very delicate and cleans herself like cats do… 

Where do you leave her when you have to go away?
She is happy to be with anyone actually, but always happy to see us again. She is so easy-going!

Is there anything that annoys you about her? 
It has been a couple of years that she is kicking her bowl around when she wants to eat. If I don’t move fast enough to fetch food, she starts kicking the water bowl – and makes a big mess. Super annoying for everyone but it works: I always feed her to make her stop!

Is your dog part of the family and part of the household? 
Definitely. She sleeps with our sons and grandchildren and they miss her a lot when they’re back in Denmark. Our daughter in law didn’t like dogs before but she loves Minnie and now they are talking about getting their own dog.

Any advice you would like to give someone who wants to get a dog but can’t decide?
If possible get a dog that was already trained by professionals. So many people underestimate the effort it takes to train them properly. Personally I would do it again – but who knows if we would be so lucky one more time. 

PS: The Lembcke family owns and runs Masseria Schiuma, a small Masseria between monopoli and Savelletri. Pernille has changed her profession a couple of times over the years, teaching art and religion, working as a stylist and casting director, developing a wellness brand. Recently Pernille and her husband Lars started a business to restore houses for selected people in Puglia.

Where did you meet Luna?
Basically, our daughters had always wanted a dog, and that was fine with us, since my wife and I grew up with dogs. However, we wanted to wait until our daughters were old enough to actually look after it. At first, I was looking for a Lagotto, since I heard they were good in truffle hunting (a man has to have his stupid dreams). But the closest Lagotto breeder was just too far away. A friend told us about a Jack Russell breeder not far from Trieste. We went there, and Luna, only a few weeks old, came running towards us and basically chose us, not the other way round.

What is she like?
She is very lively and incredibly friendly with everyone. It is almost embarrassing how easily she would walk away with basically anyone, as if we would treat her badly. Which we certainly don’t!

How would you describe your relationship?
She is some sort of entertainer, cheering everybody up. That’s the good thing: You come home in a bad mood, but she is always there, wagging her tail, ready to party.

Why do you love her?
Oh, I have no idea, but you don’t have a choice, do you? 

What did she teach you that nobody else would?
A dog helps you socialize with other people in a way I would never have imagined. People that had never noticed me before, out of a sudden get closer, want to talk and say Hi to the dog. As I said, she is very friendly with everyone. Not like me, when I haven’t had my morning coffee yet.

Is there anything that annoys you about her? 
Well, she just doesn’t get tired. I am an avid walker, and even when I take her on a real long walk, she seems to be more awake after than before. Also, she grew up in Grado, an island in the Adriatic Sea. But she hates water! She wouldn’t touch it, while all the other dogs enjoy running into the waves, jumping around, trying to catch seagulls. Also, Luna refuses to go out in the rain. Unbelievable.

Is your dog part of the family 100 percent?
Yes, she is an important part of the family. We even plan our holidays according to her needs. She gets incredibly scared in a car, for instance, we can’t do anything about it. So we learned to avoid weekend trips to not stress her out. It is only worth the hassle when we stay longer, so she can recover. Ecologically, that is probably a good thing! She likes to sleep on our sofa. She is not allowed in bed, though. I wouldn’t mind, but my wife is very strict about it. And since she is smarter than me, she is definitely right.

Any advice you would like to give to someone who wants to get a dog but can’t decide?
No matter how small: A dog will change your life. Remember that you need to invest time for long walks. And that’s a good thing. You will fall in love, and that’s a good thing, too. But please remember: It is still an animal, and you have to be the boss. Easier said than done with a Jack Russell, though.

PS: Want to learn more about the German writer living in Italy? Follow Stefan Maiwald’s instagram account @buch_und_wein or read one of his books, e.g. “Das Italien Prinzip”

Tell me about your two dogs Santino and Cosmo!
Santino arrived first, a purebred Welsh Corgi Cardigan. He was the “leftover” of his litter, they said he was too small. But he has definitely caught up in almost 7 years with us! Whatever was missing at first, he gained it back and now weighs around 25 kilos. I’d say he has gone way beyond for what is normal for his breed. Cosmo, the other one, is now 4 and he’s lucky to be alive, really. We picked him up from a busy street a couple of winters ago. He was out strolling with his brothers, didn’t belong to anyone but himself. But he definitely underestimated the traffic … When we saw that he almost got run over by the cars passing by, we immediately caught him and took him home. Never regretted it.

The two of them look like twins, almost…
But they couldn’t be more different! Both my “boys” are extraordinary and I love them also because they’re completing each other. Santino is confident, thoughtful but also as sensitive and touchy as a human being. Cosmo, the little one, is a lighter, happier soul, enthusiastic about everything, very affectionate and lively. If they were humans Santino would be a melancholic intellectual like Giacomo Leopardi. Cosimo could have the lightness and friendly superficiality of an actor in a B movie of the 70ies, Terence Hill maybe.

What’s everyday life in the Candido home like with the two dogs?
Well our dogs have human characteristics… This is where it gets complicated sometimes. Santino is recrimonatory, easily snapped. He seems to ask himself continuously why he can’t be with us 24/7 and do what we do, all the time. Cosmo’s enthusiasm can be exhausting, yet it’s funny and exciting.

What activities do you like to share most?
Activities? Not so much. We love to share our daily life in the house: sofa, fireplace, housework. The dogs participate in everything. They even come to the bathroom with us.

When they don’t look after their three girls or their boys Cosmo and Santino, Anna Chiara and her husband Marco Candido are running the clothing department store Candido 1859 in Maglie (www.candido1859.com) in fifth generation.

Photos: Ilenia Tesoro