Dachshund Interview: Laurence & Violette

Welcome to our Dachshund Interviews section, where we give a voice to those who live every day with these small dogs with big personalities.
Today, we meet Laurence and her wire-haired dachshund Violette, who share their life in Nice between work, walks, and canine laughter.

Can you introduce yourself and Violette: her dachshund size, coat type, and tell us a bit about what she’s like on a daily basis?

Hello,

My name is Laurence Couturier, and I have been running a home decor concept store in Nice since 2022 (Les choses qu’on aime). Previously, I worked in the film industry as a script supervisor for about forty years.

I have traveled a lot, visited many countries, met many people, and at the end of that career, I wanted to settle down in a more permanent way in Nice, the city of my childhood.

In this life, which is much more stable than what I had experienced until now, the presence of a dog became essential, as I finally had the leisure to truly take care of one.

So, let me introduce you to Violette ☺️, who is a standard wire-haired dachshund (large model), who will be 2 years old in 2026!

How did Violette come into your life and why a dachshund?

In my childhood, I had a smooth-haired dachshund named Ripus for 18 years, and I obviously loved this dog throughout all those years.

Then, during my years as a married woman and mother, we had a wonderful dog named Bouchon who brought so much happiness to my son.

But I always told myself that I would love to have a wire-haired dachshund, because I found it to be a dog with a lot of character. One of my colleagues in the film industry used to come to sets with his dachshund, who was wonderfully well-behaved, funny, and so friendly.

I wanted one for many years, and when I had the opportunity to have a dog again, I announced that this was the breed I wanted.

A friend of mine had a couple of friends who owned a pair of dachshunds, and they promised me there would be one for me. Four years later, she called me saying: “it’s happening” and sent me the ultrasound of the mother dog.

It was in Brussels, I was in Nice, so I had to choose her via video call!

My friend went to film the little puppies, and the little brave one who was kicking everyone else, I said: “that’s my champion.” A few months later, I went to pick her up near Aix-en-Provence, and it clicked between us naturally right away.

Violette is a wire-haired dachshund: what, in your opinion, makes her personality unique compared to other dogs?

She is less well-behaved than the dachshund I mentioned earlier! But she is a cheerful, funny, incredibly intelligent, mischievous dog, stubborn as a mule, pulling on her leash as if to drag a carriage.

She barks like a bugle, she only does what she wants, she is so certain of the love that surrounds her that she is truly afraid of nothing. 😂

I imagine these are the qualities and flaws of all wire-haired dachshunds!

As a shopkeeper in Nice, how does Violette accompany you in your daily life, whether at work or outside?

She is with me all the time. I take her to the shop where she has two spots:

• at the entrance, where she happily greets customers (depending on their face 😅)
• inside, next to my counter when she is too distracted.

But her spot at the entrance has made her the star and mascot of the street.

Children stop and they greet each other, all the dogs in the neighborhood come to say hello to her.

She has a dog-sitter who comes to pick her up every afternoon for a nice walk that relaxes her paws. The rest of the time, she is with me constantly… A somewhat codependent relationship, I’ll admit!

What are, in your opinion, the essential things to know before adopting a dachshund?

You have to know that they are very, very stubborn animals! And that the daily interaction will be rich and full of surprises.

They are funny, extremely intelligent, very reactive… but stubborn as donkeys.

What is your best memory or a significant moment experienced with Violette?

My daily life with her: taking her to discover beaches, water, snow, mountains, letting her get muddy at will (her greatest happiness) are delightful moments.

And our first meeting: when I picked her up and, during the two-hour drive, she looked at me wondering who I was, and the relief on her little face when, once we arrived home, she found that it suited her…

If you had to describe the relationship you have with Violette in one sentence, what would it be?

We are inseparable, she and I…

—

A huge thank you to Laurence and her wonderful Violette for this inspiring share. You can follow the world of her shop “Les choses qu’on aime” on Instagram to discover her artistic eye, her decor finds, and obviously to meet Violette.

The DoxieLife team – 💚

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See also

• Custom Dachshund Clothing
• Dachshund Accessories

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