St. Louis designers and their dogs

Photo by Kevin A. Roberts

Annie Genovese & Ned Breed: Great Dane  Age: 4 years  At home: “I’ve always wanted a Great Dane. I grew up with big dogs, so when I got my own apartment, I was, like, ‘I’m doing it.’ He’s 145 pounds; he’s bigger than me, but Great Danes are in the top 10 of apartment dogs because they’re real lazy. They just like to hang out. Ned has his own bed. And I don’t mean a dog bed. I mean a full-sized bed. Too bad he can’t change the sheets!” At the office (Forsyth):  “I know when the UPS man is coming five minutes before he arrives; Ned starts to bark when the truck turns the corner at Lindbergh and Baur. People freak out because he’s like a small pony. He can put his head on the table, and he leans on people. He doesn’t know how big he is, so he’s kind of in your face. 

Photo by Kevin A. Roberts

Philip Durham & Tallulah Breed: She looks like a St. Bernard, but she’s a mutt.  Age: Almost 13 years  At home: “She’s named after the actress Tallulah Bankhead. My mother and her two sisters were enthralled with her [the actress] in the ’30s. Tallulah has been a great dog from day one. She likes to be where ever I am, be it the office or upstairs in the apartment or out in the garden. She also likes to travel and has been all over the eastern third of the country with me. Loves hotel rooms. She is allowed into the bar across the street from us, where she lays staring at the bottom of the short flight of stairs that lead to the kitchen waiting for the staff to get her bacon.”  At the office (Studio|Durham): “Now that she’s approaching 13, she’s pretty sedate. In the old days, she went with me everywhere, to meetings and job sites. She’s extremely loyal; I never have to use a leash. I think having a dog in the office is a good thing in general. Soulard is extremely dog-friendly, so everyone who has projects down here loves to see her.” 

Photo by Kevin A. Roberts

Jenny Rausch & Dagny Breed: Beagle/Australian shepherd mix  Age: 7 months  At home: “Dagny’s never met a dog she doesn’t know how to interact with. We were just in Florida, and she made friends with three dogs, including an English bull dog who just wanted to chew on her leg, so she let him. She morphs into anything she needs to be. At night, at home, we put the kids to bed together. I lie down with them and she’s at the foot of the bed. Then it’s our time to cuddle. Every morning we have 15 kids at the bus stop in our backyard. They bring their dogs, and there’s a German Shepherd who Dagny’s been friends with from the start. He’s gotten huge, but they’re still the best of friends. Dagny’s everybody’s best friend.”  At the office (Karr Bick Kitchen and Bath): “She’s the office puppy, but the last couple of weeks, she just wants to play all day, so we’ve actually left her at home. We’re hoping that when she mellows out a bit, we can bring her back, because the customers like her. Dagny has the coloring of a Ralph Lauren dog. She goes with everything, all the colors that I love in our interiors.” 