Ventura de Dolceacqua was born in Dolceacqua, in western Liguria. The son of a kenneler, he learned the care of animals from an early age. His father may have had minor talent - the medieval equivalent of a "dog whisperer," but Ventura definitely discovered he had extraordinary talent with animals. So much so that he found animals easier to deal with than people.

His father arranged for his education by a poor priest, who taught Ventura basic Latin and how to read and write. One of the books the priest had was a text with tales of strange and wondrous beasts. Ventura developed a keen interest in such beasts, and remains alert for tidings of anything strange or unusual.

Despite his talent, however, when his father died on a dangerous hunt, his noble patron did not confirm him in his father's place, and Ventura was forced to seek his own fortune. He had heard of a possible position near Florence, and so he headed south with his trusty hound Corrado, riding his father's aging horse. He encountered a party from Arx Caeles near Florence, and Concentius recruited him to train the bear cub Bambo. After journeying with Arx Caeles for a time, he settled at Fortunia with his wife Giuanna, their children, and a menagerie of animals.

He spends much of his time attempting to create fish weirs in which he may summon fish - an endeavor that has finally seen success.

Ventura speaks a Genoese dialect of Ligurian, Latin, Guan, accented Czech, and a little Tuscan. He also recognizes a few words of Sardinian.