How Bowie and I met?
Well, he was brought home by a friend who had found him and two little brothers walking on a provincial road. The two little brothers had been adopted. And this one, the shyest of them all, was all alone in this world. My friend told me to help out until she would find a long-term accommodation. I said yes, sure – no idea was I was getting into. Because from there, from my house, he never left again. We called him Bowie. His generic, as a pharmacist it’s all about generics, would be the Malinoi spepherd. 

Bowie is the most intelligent and intuitive dog in the world! No kidding. Bowie really is extraordinary for his intelligence and his intuition.

Our relationship is a special one for me because he changed my life. He changed it because I have never had animals. My parents didn’t like animals, they were even afraid of animals. I could never even think of having one at home, or, like now, wanting another one! Bowie changed my sensitivity towards not only the animal world but also made me understand many other things. It’s a relationship of gratitude, no less than that. At least on my part. Maybe even on his part because if he hadn’t met me who knows if he’d still be alive. I’ll always be grateful for having added something special to my life, for increasing my sensitivity.

His passions? Well, unlike other dogs of his size he doesn’t care much about food. He loves to roam freely, run on the beach, not be on a leash.

We don’t have a special language, for sure not a stereotyped one since he’s never been trained. It depends a lot on the situation. What I usually do is try to make myself respected at least in the most important issues. And he respects that. Anyway: A sausage is always a valid reason to make him do what I want!

If he were a person he would certainly be my third child who arrives perhaps late in life, unexpectedly. And for this reason the mother has a particular eye on him.

We love Bowie for many reasons! Because he is patient, whatever we do to him, pet him all over, kiss his ears, things that perhaps shouldn’t be done with dogs. But he would sit there waiting, patiently, and accepting our perhaps excessive effusions.

Bowie never did anything strange but one thing he did made us laugh a lot. It was eating a half-frozen fish that I had put on the stove and waiting to come back in the evening to cook it and I received a phone call from my daughter who said, “but Mom, did you forget to defrost the fish?” In reality Bowie had made it disappear. Very discreetly, really, without even moving the plate where I had placed the fish an inch.

Bowie never made it easy for me to interact with other people, because he is so afraid when we are around other people. He often barks when he sees an individual dressed in black with a hood. It’s an outfit, a certain kind of person, that scares him a lot and therefore I have to try to physically place myself between this person and him to reassure him. With me as a filter he remains calm. Otherwise, since he is afraid, he would try to defend me from what agitates him.

When I have to leave I usually take him to Giusi Luperto (3299212222) who is a certified dog trainer. Giusi is very good with dogs of any kind and her dog made friends with Bowie over the years. But when I go to pick him up he pretends to be angry. He is thrilled when he sees me but as soon as he gets into the car he turns the other way and doesn’t even give me a glance. I do know that he is happy there, Giusy always sends me videos of him playing with other dogs. And it is good for him to socialize with others of his kind. But he has to make me feel that something wasn’t right. Every single time.

Let’s just say he doesn’t do anything that bothers me. I’m sorry that he has this controversial relationship with the surrounding world when we go for a walk. But it was my responsibility not having accustomed him from an early age to socialize with the outside world. I always kept him at home a lot, he used to play in the garden and never became familiar with the outside world.

What we love to do together is go out where he can be free, where there is no one, on the beaches when there are no people, countryside. I would like to let him have many more of these experiences, in places where he can be free for whole days and wander around without having to be on a leash.

Bowie as I already said, is my third child, as well as the third brother of my children. Of course he sleeps on the bed, on a sheet that I put there for him. In fact what he does is move up and down all night, according to his needs.

Advice? It’s actually not what everyone says: Think carefully about getting a dog, etc. etc. Even though it is true that a dog is a responsibility and therefore we need to think about it. But it’s also true that if I had had to make the decision to keep him rationally, I would never have accepted him. So without knowing it I would have given up one of the most beautiful things that happened to me in life. Sometimes decisions made on impulse are the best. Because they make you discover a world of affection, sweetness, wealth that I would otherwise never have known.

PS: Marcella’s pharmacy is located in Lecce, Casciaro pharmacy. She also sells veterinary drugs.

* Together with a handful of other swimmer friends Marcella created the Association “SwimilSalento”, with the intention to surround the heel of the boot. 222 km in the open sea, swimming freestyle, in the summer as well as in the winter.

What’s so amazing about Ulisse?
The thing I love most about him is the enormous love he gives us every day. He is an affectionate little dog and is very playful.

Who would he be if he were a person? 
He would certainly be another brother!

Do you know about his secret passions? 
Ulisse loves to spend his time playing with us and taking long walks. He loves going out with us and every time he sees us going out he places his pet carrier in front of him, thus communicating his intention to come with us.

How do you understand each other? 
Our language is based on a few simple words and gestures.

Did your dog ever bring you closer to other people?
Ulisse makes me feel part of a group. Meeting other dogs and their owners during the walk offers moments of discussion and light-heartedness… It’s wonderful to see Ulisse play with the other dogs and having fun!

Where do you leave him when you have to go away for a couple of days? 
He has never been alone so far. When we are out of town the other family members are there to look after him.

Is there anything that annoys you about him? 
Whatever he does, he always makes me laugh! A bit less when he nibbles on my designer bags, yet never enough to get angry. Or when he wakes me up at dawn – I still find him adorable.

What are your favourite things to do with him?
Playing, going for long walks and sleeping in each other’s arms.

Any dreams you’d like to come true with your dog?
I’d love to take him travelling one day!

Is your dog allowed on the bed?
He is. After carefully cleaning his paws, which we do every time we come back from a walk.

Any dog /advice you would like to share?
Well, getting a dog is a commitment, most probably you’ll be forced to let go of something else. But that’s nothing against the unconditional love they have for you, without asking for anything in return. It is a pure and disinterested love, inexplicable I would say.

Dear Michele, you live and work in Brussels these days. Would you like to tell us a bit more about you and your family?
Sure, I was born in 1970 in Bangkok and have spent a life time abroad. I am a diplomat for the European Union and have served in several postings in the Middle East and Africa. My roots and my better half are from Puglia.  Manù and I have two children Angela, 12, and Marino, 9, who are both big animal and nature lovers. Mtoto (in Swahili: baby) is our black Labrador who was born in May 2013 in Nairobi, Kenya. Family & friends usually Italianize his name calling him Totó, the nickname of the famous Neapolitan comedian of the 1950-60s. 

Where did you meet?
We were looking for a dog for our new born child, Angela. I grew up with well bred hunting dogs, and labradors are known to be mild tempered and child loving. We were posted in Nairobi and it was not easy to find purebred labs in Kenya. During one of our walks in  the beautiful Karura forest, in the outskirts of Nairobi, Manù and I met a couple with some lovely labradors and they pointed us towards a family that bred chocolate and black labradors of Kenyan and Canadian stock, with an excellent bloodline. We went to see the new born pups with our toddler Angela who chose the most playful male, Mtoto.

What’s so amazing about your dog?
Mtoto’s capacities to understand human contact. All he needs is a gaze and to hear the the tone of voice. He will know immediately those that friends or foes and what is expected from him.

How would you describe your relationship?
A strong bond, even though I personally see him seldomly due to travels and work abroad, he is always joyful and affectionate to our family when we interact with him, accompanying us to the gate and waiting for our arrival. In a nutshell, he is a very loyal member of the family.

Do you know about his secret passions?
He enjoys accompanying us on our daily activities since our time in Kenya where immediately jumped beneath the driver side seat when I opened the door. It was funny when we moved him to Italy where cars are built for right hand-driving compared to Kenya’s left hand driving and he continued to jump from the front left door and crouched under the driver seat. We have since trained him to jump on the back of our hatchback as soon it opens. He loved walking in parks in Kenya with the children where he chased birds, monkeys and explored the woods. In Italy, we occasionally take him to the beach, although for a Labrador he is not a big swimmer. Last but not least: His not so secret passion is…. food!! He eats everything including figs and often we find him sniffing around our kitchen for more food.

How do you “understand” each other?
Eye sight and tone of the voice.

What makes him listen no matter what?
Mtoto is a well mannered and owner trained dog. When I really need to stop him, a loud ‘Hey’ does marvels.

If your dog was a person – who would he be?
He is the knight of our ‘round table’ – much more like Galahad than Lancelot. Galahad was the favorite of King Arthur’s knight’s. Galahad was known as the “Perfect Knight” – perfect in courage, gentleness and courtesy.

Why do you love him?
He grew up with our children Angela and Marino, shared many of our own experiences and has taken on himself several of our traits and habits. Marino’s first word was not papà or mama but, to my shock, he said “Mtotó”!

Did your dog ever bring you closer to other people?

In Kenya when we walked through the neighboring farm and gorgeous Kenya High School campus next to our home we met many children shouring and running around Mtoto. In Italy, when we take him to the beach, he facilitates the best socializing with beach goers, especially those with dogs.

Where do you leave him when you have to go away for a couple of days?
He stays at home ‘controlling the territory’. There is someone that can feed and provide water to Mtoto and the other pets which are his friends including our cat that loves and plays with him and is called Jambo (“Hello” in Swahili)).

Is there anything that annoys you about him?
When he eats the food (especially bread) that we provide to our peacocks and other animals – that’s the only challenging time to manage him and he is already overweight!

What are your favourite things to do with him?
Playing, getting him in ‘hunting mood’ without game and retrieving balls.

Any dreams you’d like to come true with your dog?
Mtoto is getting old and we would like to see if he can become a father and take him on an adventurous family journey in some wilderness.

Is your dog part of the family and part of the household?
Mtoto is an integral part of the family and his ‘territory’ is the garden where he checks on everything that is happening. He enters the house occasionally and sleeps just outside our door under a porch. When we come back from travels and we leave our luggage outside, he loves to cuddle and sleep on any clothes we have left in the open bags, warming them up!

Any advice you would like to give to someone who wants to get a dog but can’t decide?
Choose a dog adaptable to your personality, household and expectations; they will grow and learn with you and will always give at least the same love that you have given to them and be much more then a friend as they will not want to ever disappoint you.

Where did you meet?
Our story began on a walking trail in Alpe Devero. It had only been a couple of days that my husband Chicco and I had lost Kiwi, our 15 year old miniature schnauzer. You can imagine how we felt and how sad the day was. At some point a little puppy approaches us: He had major wounds on the head and under the neck. And he was smelly, hungry and full of maggots! The puppy must have figured that we had stuff to eat on us and was hoping to share our picnic lunch. Asking the people around us we couldn’t find out to whom he belonged. Someone mentioned a litter of shepherd puppies closeby and that’s where we went: to ask the shepherd if we could take Bobo home. Imagine, the little puppy was already wearing one of those high stiff collars that they use for cows! The guy gave us a long rope and the rest is history: We walked back not only the two of us but three. Again, luckily. I couldn’t have been happier.

What’s so amazing about Bobo?
Like every dog Bobo is extraordinary. So smart and sooooo good! He has an adorable perennial puppy face. One thing, however, is rather unique I’d say: Every time we meet “new” dogs he approaches the master first as if to ask his permission. Only then he’d move closer to his fellow dog. I’ve always had dogs but Bobo is the friendliest, with both humans and other animals.

How would you describe your relationship? 
We try to be together as much as possible. We even plan our holidays with him!

Do you have a secret code? 
Well, we’re using all our senses to understand each other: Sounds, looks, gestures… Can you imagine that Bobo loves hugging people that he likes?

Do you have a “key” that makes him listen no matter what? 
Bobo needs to rally people, a bit like herd dogs. If Chicco and I drift apart, all he wants to do is bring us back together and he’s a real sweetheart when he does. Sometimes, to make him move, we place ourselves at a long distance from each other and just by clapping our hands we call him first to one side and then to the other. He can’t get enough of that!

Why do you love him?
Because he belongs to the family. Because he chose us. Because we are good together. And because we are similar to each other.

What are your favourite things to do with him?
Being together and pampering each other.

Any advice you would like to share?
Getting a dog for someone who has never had one is an important decision. Consider that a dog will change your life. But change for the better! Believe me.

PS: Florence born Silvia Messeri, 55, is team leader and Real Estate Agent for Engel & Voelkers in Lecce. She arrived in Salento following her heart, attracted by the cobalt blue of the Puglian sky and the clear splendor of the stone.

Merci, french for thank you. Is that what you feel when you look at your 11 months old French bulldog?
I suppose so. Because it was pure luck that brought us together! I had no real intention of getting a dog, I’m too busy anyway. But my girls had always asked for one so I decided to give it a go and went to check out a litter of French Bulldogs in Bari, 2 hours from where I live. I knew I wouldn’t be able to resist once I got there… The rest is history.

What’s so amazing about Merci?
Her liveliness and sweetness I would say. She’s also meant to be very polite, but I believe that is because she is used to be by my side all the time. We do everything together: I take her to the lawyer or shopping, to my daughters’ sports lessons or for long rides in the car when I’m working.

Who is she more attached to?
I’m the breadwinner and she seems to understand that I’m the boss in the house. I’m providing for her basic needs and I take her to the vet (quite often, actually, they’re known to be very delicate). A piece of her big heart belongs to my daughters though. They are the ones who had wanted her so badly for a long time.

Who would she be if not a dog?
A bully in the neighborhood! Everyone knows her and her somewhat challenging character, but they also know that her attitude is fake: Merci is good from the top to the bottom of her soul.

I guess she’s got her proper role in the family?
She does! And, frankly, I didn’t think I could bond with her so much. I thought I would be different from all those dog owners who treat their animals as equals. To tell you the truth, I fell for it, too! We are 3 women in the house and we are ALL crazy about her.

Anything that annoys you about her – at least a bit?
There is something that makes me really angry but Merci doesn’t care: When I get out of the car for a few minutes and come back I’d find her sitting or sleeping on MY seat. She knows she’s not allowed to do that, she knows she’s supposed to move immediately, but he gives a damn.

What do you enjoy doing with her the most?
Well, unfortunately I don’t have much time to dedicate her, having two young girls and a challenging job. What we both enjoy are our daily visits in my atelier in Lecce. The taylors welcome her like a queen every time we show up! And then, of course, the long and cosy Sunday mornings in bed, all four of us together: Those are incredible moments for everyone!

How did you and your Golden Retrievers meet?
Hunter was a gift from my late husband. After an operation I could no longer have children and he brought him to me as it was a puppy, saying that Hunter could become our “little one”. He has been for 13 years while unfortunatley my husband is gone.

How has your life changed with them?
My husband used to travel a lot for business and Hunter stayed by my side. Eventually my daughter came back home from University so there were three of us in the house, plus three cats that Hunter got along very well with. The younger cat is convinced that Hunter is her mother, he protects her from the other cats, they often sleep in one bed etc. Then, two years ago, Dante arrived.

What is your favourite thing to do with them?
Stroll. Especially early in the morning, when I leave the house for the first time and let them loose, each with his lease in his mouth. A lot of people stop to have a chat and all three of us are very sociable! When the weather permits I take them to the sea: As true Retrievers they adore swimming! Even Hunter with his now 13 years still likes to get his paws wet and young Dante never gets tired.

If you could go back would you take them again?
Both of them, for sure! Hunter has always been a good dog, never caused any problems. He may have dug a few holes in our garden close to Martina Franca where we used to live in a Trullo. Or he ate fruit from under the trees like figs or kakis and was sick for hours… Dante on the other hand was pure terror as a little one! He ate everything in the garden, including my favourite roses, and broke I don’t know how many vases. Luckily growing older he’s getting calmer too. I like to call him the gossip boy of Santa Croce , because he is always there, on two legs, watching the world pass by from the third floor. When he sees something interesting he calls me barking as if to say: “Look who’s passing by down there, let’s say Hi!”

Anything you would like to tell people who don’t have dogs?
From my point of view, dogs are the best company in the world. They’re always in a good mood and never criticize you. My advice to those who don’t understand the meaning of life: Get a dog, it will make your life meaningful and happy every single day.

This article was previously published in Amazing Puglia Magazine.