Dr. Aivee and Dr. Z Teo’s Life With More Than 100 Dogs

From giant poodles to fluffy French bulldogs, the Teos’ extraordinary furry family has become a source of joy, connection, and an ever-growing sense of home.

There is a moment in every Dr. Z Teo dog story when Dr. Aivee Teo asks the inevitable question: Don’t we have enough dogs?

The question is less a protest than a familiar refrain. Because Dr. Z, the bigger dog person in the family, has a particular weakness for dogs that are unusual, rare and, preferably, not yet seen in the Philippines. And Dr. Aivee, after asking about space and whether they really need another one, eventually supports him.

“I always feel that way,” she says. “I always tell Z, ‘Don’t we have enough dogs?’”

Then she adds the important part: “If it’s something that he’s very passionate about, and it’s something that makes him happy, I always have to support that.”

That philosophy has taken the Teo family quite far. Today, the couple and their three children share their lives with more than 100 dogs, divided between their Makati home and their farm in Cavite. There are giant poodles, Akitas, fluffy French bulldogs, Australian shepherds, and other rare breeds, each with its own personality, routine and, apparently, place in the family.

It started with Bernie, a St. Bernard brought in from Russia. For the children, she was less a pet than a giant member of the family, a gentle presence they could lie on and play with. After Bernie died, the family wanted another big dog.

That was when Z came up with a surprise.

In late 2019 or early 2020, he gave Aivee two giant poodles from Russia, a male and a female named Paris and Berlin. They were unlike anything she had seen before: enormous, fluffy and, as she describes them, like teddy bears dressed up as people.

Then Paris and Berlin had eight puppies.

And the timing could not have been more consequential. The pandemic gave the family more time at home, while photos of their unusual dogs began circulating online. Suddenly, people wanted to know what these giant, glamorous creatures were.

The dogs became something of celebrities.

Take them out and people would stop them for photos. At Bonifacio High Street, Aivee recalls, the crowd became so big they could barely move.

For Z, it only deepened the fascination. He began researching breeds from around the world, drawn not only to their looks but to their histories: dogs bred to work on farms, survive in mountains or serve particular communities, their characteristics shaped over generations.

“I like anything unique,” he says.

It is a quality that has clearly translated into his canine choices.

But if Z is the family’s dog researcher and collector of rare breeds, Aivee is perhaps the person who makes the whole enterprise work as a family.

Both doctors have demanding careers, and she says the dogs have become a form of stress relief and a way for the family to spend time together. With three children growing up alongside the animals, the dogs have also become teachers of sorts.

Responsibility. Loyalty. Compassion. Selflessness.

The children have to learn that another living being needs their attention, too. Even when the family travels, they make video calls just to see the dogs.

And then there is the sheer logistics of caring for more than 100 animals.

“It needs a village,” Z says with a laugh.

There are people looking after grooming, nutrition, and veterinary care. In fact, Luxuri Pets, the couple’s pet-care business, grew partly out of this very need. What began as a way to properly care for their own dogs eventually became a service for other pet owners.

Some of the Teos’ dogs even have jobs. A few rotate through the pet boutique as mascots, greeting clients and entertaining visitors.

The dogs, it turns out, are also remarkably good at bringing people together.

For the Teos, mentioning that they have more than 100 dogs has become the ultimate icebreaker. People who might otherwise have little to talk about suddenly have questions: What breed is that? Where did you get it? What are they like? How do you take care of so many?

The conversation can go on for quite a while.

Their children have discovered this, too. Friends, classmates, and even the parents of their friends know about the family’s dogs and bring them up in conversation.

“It’s connected us with so many people,” Aivee says.

Z agrees. Dog lovers seem to recognize one another. A conversation about a rare breed can quickly turn into an exchange about pets, grooming, food, personalities and the joys and challenges of living with animals.

For a couple whose professional lives revolve around people, it is an unexpectedly lovely extension of their world.

The dogs have also taught the Teo children something about getting along. With so many different personalities and breeds sharing the same space, the animals have to learn to coexist.

“So it teaches our kids that they should also get along with each other, no matter their differences,” Aivee says.

There are, naturally, favorites.

Sydney, their Australian shepherd, is the household queen, smart enough to understand what is being said to her. Tokyo, their Akita, is intensely loyal to their eldest son and used to wait by the window for him to come home from school; Tokyo eventually moved with him to Singapore. London, a Great Dane, caught Aivee’s attention after she saw the breed in a movie.

And then there are Paris and Berlin, the giant poodles who started this whole thing. They remain special not simply because they were the first, but because they changed the shape of the Teo family.

Today, the dogs live between the city home and the farm, with some moving back and forth. There is a team to care for them, three children who have grown up with them, and two parents who have somehow made room for more than 100 personalities.

Aivee still asks if they have enough dogs. Z still thinks there is room for another.

And Aivee, with the resigned affection of someone who knows her husband well, still supports him.

In the Teo household, the dogs may have started as a fascination, but somewhere along the way, they became family, community, and a rather large reason to keep making room.

In this story: Producer: Mavi Sulangi. Videographer: Angelo Tantuico. Photography Assistant: Emelito Lansangan.