Teckel 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 with us, between work, walks, and canine giggles.

Can you introduce yourself and Violette: her dachshund size, her coat type, and tell us in a few words what she is 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 more permanently in Nice, the city of my childhood.

In this much more stable life than the one I had lived until now, the presence of a dog became a necessity, because I finally had the time to truly take care of one.

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

How did Violette enter your life and why a dachshund?

In my childhood, I had a smooth-haired dachshund named Ripus for 18 years, and I obviously adored that dog 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 them to be dogs with a lot of character. One of my colleagues in the film industry used to bring his dachshund to the sets, and he was wonderfully well-behaved, funny, and so charming.

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

One of my friends 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 and said: "it's happening, it's on the way" 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 we clicked naturally right away.

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

She is not as well-behaved as the dachshund I mentioned earlier! But she is a cheerful, funny, extremely intelligent, mischievous dog, stubborn as a mule, pulling on her leash as if she were dragging a carriage.

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

I imagine these are the qualities and faults 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 boutique where she has two spots:

• at the entrance, where she happily greets customers (depending on what she thinks of them 😅)
• 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 neighborhood dogs come to say hello to her.

She has a dog-sitter who picks her up every afternoon for a nice walk to stretch her legs. 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! And that daily interaction will be rich and full of surprises.

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

What is your favorite memory or a highlight experienced with Violette?

My daily life with her: taking her to discover beaches, the water, the snow, the mountains, letting her get muddy as she pleases (her greatest joy) — these are delightful moments.

And our first meeting: when I picked her up and, during the two-hour drive, she watched me wondering who I was, and the relief on her little face when, upon arriving at the house, she decided 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...

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A huge thank you to Laurence and her wonderful Violette for this inspiring share. You can follow the world of her boutique "Les choses qu'on aime" on Instagram to discover her artistic eye, her decor finds, and of course, meet Violette.

The Teckelshop Team - 💚