Spain, Portugal, France, Ireland, Austria, Slovakia, Italy and Switzerland are, neither more nor less, the countries that our protagonist today, Lia (Bologna – Cádiz 2019), has visited. She is a dog with a Dachshund mother and a father, as her closest relative says, “God knows”; She is daring, loving and, furthermore, “famous.” She has achieved the latter thanks to the companion she wears on the red carpets, Alex O’Dogherty (San Fernando 1973).
Alex is a musician, stand-up comedian and actor. You have seen it in series such as Camera Café or Doctor Mateo, in films such as Felices 140 by Gracia Querejeta and, on stage, in shows such as Imbécil, The Hole or The Exterminating Angel.
The two, along with Ana, Alex’s partner, form a family on wheels.
Lia, Alex…
How are you?
Well, both of them are very good, especially her, who is lying there on the sofa.
How long have you been thinking about adopting a dog?
Not too much. Actually, it was my girl’s thing. If he had remained single, he would never have had a dog, a bitch, or anything. When she came into my life, and I mean my girl, she already came with the idea of ??adopting a dog and the truth is that it didn’t take her too long to convince me. Although I had my doubts, when we made the decision, I already wanted it as much as she did.
You went to the Barbate animal shelter because you were in the area… What was your first meeting like?
We were at my house, in San Fernando (Cádiz), when she saw the advertisement in Barbate, and we said: “Let’s run!” It was seeing the photo and going there. When the door of the shelter opened, Lia looked at us and nothing more was needed; We just took it and left there. Straight to the vet, yes.
He was only two months old… How was your first year together?
Everything was very fast and good. We didn’t have to adapt to anything because, as soon as we arrived in Madrid, it quickly took over our hearts, the house and everything. At that time, I was starting to write and rehearse Imbécil, the show I currently do, so I spent most of the time at home with her and was able to give her a lot of company. The only problem she has had with her is related to this and is that she finds it difficult to be left alone, otherwise, she is an exemplary dog ??in everything.
Lia is your first dog… What has cost you the most?
It cost me everything because I had no fucking idea. There, my girl is the one who has helped the most because she has had other dogs. During the first months we advised each other on techniques to get Lia to listen to us and, over time, she has become a very obedient dog. Still, as she told you, sometimes, the very few times she is left alone, she barks a little. I’m not going to point fingers at anyone, but I have a neighbor who leaves his dogs alone eight or nine hours a day. That, honestly, seems fatal to me. Lia is independent, that is, you go through the park and she is not the typical dog that is behind you all the time. You have to be vigilant because when she sees something that interests her she leaves. Fortunately, she has never gotten lost, but if I get lost…
He has traveled to eight countries without counting domestic trips… He likes to travel…
Very much! She knows that her carrier is kept in a closet, and when she hears the door open, she bolts from wherever she is, waiting for her to put it on the floor so she can get inside it. She knows perfectly well that we are going on a trip in the van. Three years ago, we bought a campervan with which we always travel to great places with it. She loves both the mountains and the beach.
Lía travels perfectly by car, motorcycle, bus, train, plane and even gondola! We can go anywhere together. When we go from Madrid to Cádiz, she gets into her carrier and you don’t hear her during the four and a half hours of the journey. It’s a luxury.
Normally, when you talk to people who share their lives with pets, they always tell you that they avoid traveling, but Lia’s case is different. She has a great time… she has gone by boat, motorcycle, bus, plane, zodiac… Even by gondola!…
It’s true, they vomit and have a hard time, but Lia’s case is different. The day we went to pick her up, we took her to my house in San Fernando and, the next day, she already made her first train trip to Madrid. She is a dog who hasn’t stopped traveling since day one; He even took the first plane relatively soon. Not only do we take it with us on trips, if we are going to eat out, we choose restaurants that accept dogs. This has been new for me and quite an experience, often unpleasant, because you realize how many places do not allow dogs and how far behind we are in this in Spain. You travel through Europe and it is different.
Of the places you have traveled to… Which one did you enjoy the most?
Here, Alex bursts out laughing remembering the trips, putting himself in Lia’s shoes and thinking… “Ask her!”
Let’s see, which one did you enjoy the most? He had to ask her. Don’t know. The thing is that, in Ireland, for example, it was all countryside and a real wonder, but she really enjoys wherever she goes. She would tell you Ireland, but in Cádiz, since she is on the beach and my in-laws take her every day, she also enjoys it a lot.
Reviewing the photos of Lia’s trips (which could be the name of a book), I burst out laughing when I saw her at the front of the gondola. Not just me, we both laugh because the one who actually captains the ship is her… At this point, Alex continues saying…
We went to Venice, once there and asked a gondolier if we could go up, and he told us “of course!” in Italian. Lia stood on the bow and that is the photo you see.
At home, there are three of you. There’s Ana… Who do you prefer?
Ah! That is the question! I say her, and she says me, but really, we both have our moments. I think there are things she does with herself and others with me. But come on, I lean more towards her and I understand it.
I understand that in confinement he kept you a lot of company…
Clear. Realize that she had just arrived. She wasn’t even a year old. Luckily, we have the park next to our house and, for those of us who have animals, they let us go down to the park. There the three of us kept a lot of company. During and after confinement.
Does he usually listen to you when you rehearse?
I want to think so. I think he knows my show better than I do (laughs).
Alex… I know you are about to fulfill a dream. Releasing a documentary about your family… What role is Lia going to play?
Well, the truth is that it does come out. The first time we went to Ireland with her, we took the camera and recorded things that we included in the documentary. She walks with me through the streets of the town where my family was born and other places in Ireland in general. In addition, she was the protagonist of the video clip for the song Vuela mi voz that we recorded on that same trip and of which she is the super protagonist.
You are relatively new to the “camper” world… What advantages does it have for Lia?
For her, all of them because she is very comfortable and delighted. We go on a trip knowing that we don’t have to worry about being let into places because we already have the van. Allowing dogs in hotels is very difficult, so when we go in the van we have no problems. Our van is a mid-size Volkswagen, and Lia fits perfectly there.
I imagine that not everything has been rosy… What has been the biggest scare you have had?
Approximately one year ago. We think she must have eaten something like a bone, or something, in the park. There are dirty people who throw a lot of shit and the dogs, if you get lost, eat it. She ate something and suddenly, at night, we had to take her to the emergency room because she started vomiting a lot and ugly. They kept her and, although it was not very serious, she was bad. We had a terrible time because we didn’t know what was wrong with her until they did the x-ray. We spent a couple of days pretty average, but other than that, nothing more.
You do a lot of sports… Does Lia accompany you?
Not much. I do part of it at home because we have a kind of mini gym. I get on the bike or the elliptical while she looks at me out of the corner of her eye, as if to say “how strange you are”, but the truth is that I would like it. The only small disadvantage of having such a small dog is that I would like to ride the bike and have her follow me. But it is not possible, you cannot have everything, of course.
Looking back… How have your habits changed since he was in your life?
Basically taking her for a walk. Something that didn’t exist in my life. Look, when Lia arrived, she had been living in this house for eleven years and had barely set foot in the park in front of her. The difference is abysmal because, now, I know all the trees it has, I have walked it up and down and I know it perfectly. Actually, it’s cool, you know? It is a moment of disconnection. Generally, I take it out twice a day. In the morning and evening. My girl does it in the afternoon. They are moments in my life that I did not contemplate before.
In everything else, it has also changed a lot for me, obviously, because now we go out with her everywhere. For example, when we travel there are many places such as cathedrals, libraries or museums that we cannot access. This is another one! It has also changed me because now I get very angry with several of these stupid rules that exist. It’s hard for me to understand why they don’t let a small dog, who fits in a backpack, enter depending on what places. It makes me very angry because “What is a small dog in a backpack going to do to you?”… Well, nothing, man, sometimes they are very inflexible and not only in Spain, that happens anywhere. It also conditions you when looking for a hotel, a restaurant… Anyway, this is also how we make a selection and find out which ones are cool and which ones aren’t.
When you have a performance or a shoot, does he come with you?
On many occasions, yes. They are performances to which I go in a van and because, that day, my girl cannot stay with her. Lia has visited many theaters, she has even come out to say hello, stealing all the limelight from her!
Not so much on filming because they are more picky. But hey, she is so adorable that she is able to change the mood of those who see her. I have always said that Lia is unique. At first, when I was very little, when I was walking down the street with her, I would look at the people coming in front of me and I could see how their faces changed when they saw her. This is one of the most beautiful things I have experienced with her. Seeing people who come with a stupid face, they see the dog, their face lights up and you realize that their mood has changed.
How do you make sure she is okay with the short time she is alone?
Whenever she has been left alone we have put a camera and there we have seen if she was right or wrong. There are days when she has barked a lot and she has been very restless. We suffer that because we don’t like to see her like that and also because of certain friction that she has caused with the neighbor because I also understand that it must be a pain to have a dog barking for a long time next to your house. So of course, it’s not pleasant. It’s something we have to work on a little more.
How does Lia complement you?
In her I have found a companion. That effect that she told you it has on people’s moods, it does to me constantly. Every day. He even knows where I am. When I feel bad and I see it, I put things into perspective. She is also my tearjerker. It’s amazing to see how she detects when you are wrong and comes to comfort you. I have verified it. It’s the kind of thing that I used to hear from people who have dogs and say “Come on, come on, it’ll be less”… But it’s true! When I’ve had some trouble and I’ve started crying, it has automatically appeared, it’s He has climbed on top of me and that is priceless. The counterpoint is that there are days when he exceeds me, “three kilos”. I go up to kiss him and he runs away like the child whose parents kiss at the school door .
Your unmissable moment?
I really like the couch moment. Every time I sit down and put the blanket on, she comes over it. In fact, my girl and I fight over who she gets on top of.
What is the greatest gift he has given you?
She is the greatest gift in herself. Now I don’t understand life without her and I want it to be forever. We know that this is not going to be the case, but, right now, we no longer understand life without it. Despite the difficulties that may entail having to organize and manage your life with it, you do it.
Alex… Tell me a secret of yours
Look, the truth is that I gave him a little bit of serrano ham. Today I noticed it was regular and I was a little worried. In the park, she has started eating grass and that means that her stomach is not right. The definitive indicator is that he hasn’t asked me for food, which is why I thought he might like a little ham. In reality, the spoiler of the house is me. My girl is the strictest, and that’s why she pays more attention to her than to me.
Before saying goodbye, we talked about his show and the importance, in general, of being able to combine his professional life with his family life. Sacrifice, dedication… Also about his other professional successes like ‘Camera Café’ or his enormous facet as a musician, but well… That’s another story.
