About ADW
A Doberman’s World brings together a magazine, a shop, and an exploration of the breed’s history and cultural life. Behind it are Marie-Luise and Michael Smith, the husband-and-wife founders whose life with Dobermans became the reason for ADW.
As a child, I promised my parents I would one day own all the dogs in the world and spend every second of the day with them.
Adulthood introduced two minor inconveniences: owning all the dogs may be pathological, and becoming a velcro human requires the cash flow to support such a life. So I compromised: Mike and I built the life that lets me spend my days with the downsized pack version of my dream.
Meet the Smiths
Marie-Luise Smith
Marie-Luise leads ADW’s creative and editorial work. Her background spans radiological sciences, psychology and clinical research, including work at Parexel/Perceptive Informatics. She grew up in Germany. Alongside the magazine, her work includes researching the breed’s history and building the Doberman archive.
Michael Smith
Mike leads ADW’s training content and oversees operations and customer experience. He served in the U.S. Navy for 24 years, including as a rescue swimmer, and later worked in technical training and customer service. His first Doberman friend belonged to a neighbor: as a child, he played with her every day.
Drake, and everything
that followed.
When Marie-Luise and Michael welcomed Sir Francis Drake in 2012, they didn’t yet understand how deeply he would shape their lives. He was their first Doberman together: a loving presence, fierce yet gentle, and the beginning of everything A Doberman’s World would come to stand for.
Drake remained remarkably healthy until he was eleven and a half. Then, without warning, sudden and relatively minor symptoms began. Six weeks later, he was gone.
Marie-Luise and Michael believe, as does their veterinarian, that his rapid decline was caused by neurotoxicity from medications administered at an emergency clinic. They fought for him with everything they had: nearly $18,000 in veterinary care, every waking hour, and every ounce of research and hope. They watched him slip away in a way they believe no dog, and no caregiver, should have to endure. The pain of that loss is something they carry daily.
ADW exists because of Drake and the promise they made through that loss: to do better, to demand more, and to refuse complacency in how this breed is cared for. That promise continues with Persephone, their beautiful, untamed girl, and with the Doberman people who come to ADW looking for understanding. Their devotion to the breed runs through the magazine, the archive they are building, and the world they are creating around it.
Her father, a German radiologist, continues to shape Marie-Luise’s values. Growing up, she watched him treat every patient as the most important person in the room and refuse the usual white coat when interacting with them. He continues to teach his values through the way he lives, day after day. His example remains part of what Marie-Luise aspires to bring to ADW.
From the Smith family photographs.
shaped by love.
The work behind the pages
Reading the evidence
ADW’s researched articles include references and distinguish what the evidence supports from interpretation. That work remains open to amendment as new evidence emerges. Readers are welcome to flag an error or share a source for consideration.
Contact the editorial teamFollowing the history
The Smiths are building the Doberman archive from books, photographs and other material they collect, tracing the records behind familiar breed stories. The archive is still developing, with more of the collection and research to come.
Visit the Doberman ArchivesBackground & memberships
Marie-Luise Smith, co-founder, holds individual memberships in:
- American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
- The Skeptics Society
- International Society for Ethnopharmacology
- Gesellschaft für Phytotherapie e.V.
Full biographies on Smith & Smith Global:
Get in touch.
ADW is part of Smith & Smith Global LLC. The contact directory will help you get in touch about an article, archival material or an order.