Jessy Wellmer, the 46‑year‑old moderator of “Tagesthemen” says she would love to bring her Labradoodle to the newsroom, but she’s stumped by the broadcaster’s rules. “I would really like to take the dog to work, but dogs are forbidden at the NDR” she told the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung”. “I’m just following the rule” she added.
She looks back wistfully on a time when her station still advertised with a walrus and had office dogs. “Back then there were also office dogs at the NDR. That probably ended with the introduction of open‑plan offices” she recalled. While there were attempts to bring pets back, she views the practicalities with skepticism. “There was a petition at one point to bring pets back to the workplace. But the idea of having three or four dogs roaming the ARD open‑plan office during the live “Tagesschau” seems a bit difficult to me. Still, it would make my work week much sweeter”.
Juni, her Labradoodle, also serves as a conversational partner. “The dog takes away my daily sighs” she says. “I don’t normally talk to myself-it would feel strange. When the dog is on the sofa, the problem disappears. Someone’s there. It isn’t wasted chatter. The dog breathes, reacts to my voice, and there’s a resonance”.
The absence of the dog is most felt during the periods when she travels from Berlin to northern Germany for work. “I notice the difference: every other week I’m in Hamburg without the dog. I can’t do that” she said.
She also mentioned notable acquaintances of her dog. “Kim Fisher lives in the neighborhood and has a dachshund. They meet up from time to time. That could happen more often. I’ll just have to make more time for it” Wellmer explained.
The decision to get her first dog came only after an observation in the USA, especially since her family generally suffers from allergies. “When we went to New York and saw how all those hyperallergic city neurotics also had dogs, my husband said, ‘If they can manage it, we can too.’ In Central Park you also meet plenty of poodle mixes. They’re anti‑allergenic”.