Former Liverpool legend, sports commentator, pundit and racehorse breeder Michael Owen lives near Chester with his wife Louise, four children, Staffordshire bull terrier Kaiser, Italian greyhound Zola and French bulldog Belle.
Kaiser is my brother-in-law’s fault. We sadly lost our previous Staffordshire bull terrier, Ronnie, who was only eight, and we were still mourning when my brother-in-law met a local lady walking her dog, who had just had Staffy pups.
She sent him some photos, which he showed to us, and once you’ve seen them… My eldest daughter, Gemma, has always loved Italian greyhounds and she brainwashed my two younger daughters into thinking we wanted one of those. I was just saying I only want Staffies from now on, but then you get bullied quite easily when you’re a parent and they all ganged up on me and I was only allowed one Staffy.
If you want a slight upgrade on a cat then a French bulldog is for you, and so we have a third dog, Belle. Kaiser and Zola are blue.
I was brought up thinking true Staffy colours are white, brindle and red and I’ve always had those, but because these puppies were available, I went and saw them and they were just to die for. Italian greyhounds are very, very strange creatures.
Zola is a really new experience. He shows you an awful lot of affection but when you go to stroke him he shies away, yet he keeps coming back for more. When it’s cold and you’re sat there watching telly it’s not enough to curl up and sit by you, they have to almost burrow underneath you for the warmth and in the winter they simply won’t go outside. I’ve had Staffies all my life and I don’t think I’ve ever met a Staffy that’s not full-on.
I class Kaiser as a dog’s dog – he’s a proper dog – if you want them to fetch sticks, jump in water, be loyal, energetic and go on walks, I think a Staffordshire bull terrier is the one, but if you’re protective of your house and you don’t want things chewed it’s another matter. Kaiser does all the things a normal Staffy does – he’s my type of dog.
Zola was harder because he was a totally new character to try to understand. We knew having warmth was a big thing with greyhounds but we weren’t quite prepared to the extent. If it’s raining, he’s happy lying in the house all day but we had so much fun with him over the summer. He’s so good on a walk, very well-mannered and sticks by you and comes to your call, and he loves chasing anything that moves – whether that’s rabbits, squirrels or blowing leaves – and he almost tugs Kaiser along with him. It’s staggering how fast he is; it’s such a lovely sight. He’s like Bambi, he just hops around.
Staffies wear their heart on their sleeve. You absolutely know how they’re feeling. If they’re a little bit sad you can tell, if they’re happy you know and they’re always pleased to see you and wag their tails so fast you think it’s going to fall off. French bulldogs don’t bother when you come home. They will look at you and maybe walk up to you. They’re typically French – Belle has an arrogance about her. You go on a walk and she’s 200 yards behind you, just sniffing in her own world. There could literally be a bomb blasting five metres away and she wouldn’t have a care in the world.
And the other thing with French bulldogs is breaking wind. God almighty, she doesn’t stop. They’re all outdoorsy dogs because we’re constantly mucking out and feeding our dozen horses. It’s a real routine for them, we walk up to the yard, we put the feeds in the back of the quad, Kaiser and Zola have a little sniff around and play, and as soon as we turn on the quad bike, they know that it’s a sign to jump on and bomb around all our paddocks. Belle jumps on the quad straight away.
At around 8pm Kaiser and Zola go berserk for half an hour, using the last bits of energy in their battery before they go to bed. Before that, they’ll snuggle into you on the sofa while we watch a bit of TV. The guy who looks after them when we’re on holiday sends us videos. We all love our dogs but my youngest daughter, Jessica, aged 12, bless her heart, doesn’t really like going on holiday because she misses her horses and the dogs too much. I think the dogs have only left our property twice. We’ve taken them to the beach once and they loved that, but we’ve got 25 to 30 acres of paddocks, our gardens are in about 15 acres and there are ponds and streams.
We have two or three routes we take them on. I hate having a smelly house. I said when we got Kaiser and Zola we should get a groomer to come round and clean them and do their nails, but all those best-laid plans... I would like to think I’m similar to a Staffy. I’m definitely a happy person, very rarely get down or depressed or in a mood so I feel I’m quite a bubbly character. I try to give the dogs good manners ANIMAL MAGIC because they have to know what’s right and wrong and so I think they see me as the dominant person who shouts the rules out. But it’s Jessica who spends the most time with them and they probably love her more than anyone else.
Belle, Kaiser and Zola Owen
My wife Louise came up with the name Bluebell and Belle came from that
Zola is named after one of the best footballers of my generation, Gianfranco Zola (and he’s Italian)
Kaiser was the nickname for my old friend Dietmar Hamann, who played for Liverpool
I talk to Kaiser
They get their main meal in the mornings and we’ll probably give them something small in the evenings
They don’t watch telly but if they see an animal on the screen, they may have a shout at it
Staffies don’t swim – they go in as far as they dare and they like submerging themselves but not to the extent that their feet aren’t on the floor
If you’re in the lounge and a car comes up the drive, Zola barks and alerts everyone else
Zola wears a coat in the winter, which he absolutely loves
Staffies are notoriously tough little things but they’re right drips as well. They’re very scared of fireworks and loud bangs
Our vet is Village Vets at 15 Ash Lane in Mancot, Flintshire
