May life remain uncertain and exciting! - only one thing is certain for me: never without a dog by my side.

Q: How did you get into dogs and what lifestyle do associate you with them?

A: I was actually "una gattara", a cat lover. I spent most of my college years in Rome in a cat sanctuary downtown. I got into dogs through my boyfriend in Rome at the time. That was almost 20 years ago and since then I can't imagine my life without dogs! Not everything can be planned with a dog, so you have to face everyday life with ease and composure. People with dogs are usually more open and easy-going.

Q: How often do you talk to your dog and about what (fashion, style...)?

A: Currently, communication with Dragica is limited to commands, in the hope that she will eventually get the commands! As we all know, hope dies last.

Q: Your favourite restaurants, bars, cafes and parks with dog?

A: Vienna is the perfect dog city! In most big cities it is an absolute no-go to take dogs to restaurants or bars. Vienna is completely different, where you are welcome virtually everywhere with four-legged friends! With my old dog Symi, I couldn't pass the Schwarze Kameel without stopping in for a freshly sliced ham - personally served by the maître of the house, Johann Georg Gensbichler. Young Dragica is more of a fan of the Fabios, so we both enjoy watching the show from the terrace. We can also highly recommend the "dog menu" at Do&Co.

Q: Which dog habits do you prefer to keep under wraps and what do you insist on?

A: I wish I had declared the bed a no-go zone in time, but I obviously lacked the consistency for that. Now I am tolerated.

Q: Do you travel with your dog and where do you prefer to go? And what should not be missing?

A: Unfortunately, Dragica has a car aversion, so traveling is limited. We regularly visit southern Styria. In the huge garden there, Dragica, the drama queen, thank God, forgets relatively quickly the hardships of the journey.

Q: What do you value in dog accessories?

A: The partner look is the perfect look.

Dragica enjoying a day out in Vienna with her "Basel" collar and leash set.

ABOUT NADJA BERNHARD

Nadja Bernhard has always commuted between cultures. As a child between Canada and Styria. As an adult, she was drawn to Rome, after 10 years she left the Eternal City and the ORF correspondent's office there and continued her journalistic career in Washington. Then followed the call to the ORF home base in Vienna. After crisis assignments in Haiti, Cairo, Baghdad, and Tripoli, she began her career as a presenter. First Kulturmontag, then Zeit im Bild. Nadja Bernhard has been living in Austria without interruption for 11 years now, her constant companion: wanderlust. And dogs. Meanwhile, 15-year-old Symi (the age can't be determined that precisely. This is also a constant in Nadja Bernhard's life: street dogs picked up somewhere) enjoys her twilight years in the family's Dominzil in southern Styria. A year ago Nadja Bernhard adopted her second darling, "Dragica", the "precious one", from Bosnia.

She will probably go abroad again at some point - life may remain uncertain and exciting! - Only one thing is certain for Nadja Bernhard: never without a dog by her side.