Luka the German Shepherd puppy lives in a busy household with Lou and her husband Cormac, two kids Niamh (aged 10) and Sean (aged 6), two elderly cats Madison and George. The family live in Newlands, Wellington, which is 10 minutes from the CBD where Luka's grown humans work, Lou owns her own PR firm and Cormac works in IT.
How did you come into each other’s lives? Our daughter Niamh wanted a dog and asked for ages. Initially Cormac had been hesitant because of the work involved but after many discussions he agreed. But only on the basis that we got a big dog like a German Shepherd. I needed no further encouragement and set out trawling the animal rescues for a GSD. After a long search we found one rescue but just missed out. Through my Google searches, one GSD breeder stood out that I kept coming back to and as luck would have it, she had a puppy ready in a couple of months.
It turns out that us getting Luka from a breeder was actually a really good idea. Our breeder has a chat group for people with her pups so we can ask questions and troubleshoot any problems quickly. It’s also like a big family and we share pictures and stories of Luka with his litter mates parents. It’s super cool. We are actually waiting to see if another puppy might join us, but that’s not confirmed yet.
How did you decide on his name? We made a big list and at dinner every night we would vote on puppy names. Out of about 30 name suggestions, Luka was the one we all agreed on. Except now we have him he often gets called other names like Bungle, Bear, PupPup, and Fluffbum.
What is Luka like? Luka is incredibly good natured just like his parents Blitz and Ruby. He loves cuddles and attention and going out in the car. Sometimes his ears don’t work but he’s getting better every day with listening to us. He’s a Black and Tan long haired GSD, so very fluffy and teddy bear like. He’s very talkative too, especially when he sees us in the morning or after work.
What makes him the goodest boy? He’s a gentle giant. And loves people and pats. Some GSD can be a bit aloof around new people but Luka is determined to make everyone his best pal.
What is Luka's Favourite walk? All walks are his favourite 😂 He loves going to the park because it’s an open space he can run about in and a big pond to sit and splash in and cool his paws after a big run. He also loves Oriental Bay so he can see lots of other dogs and get lots of attention from others. He got a lot of attention as a baby puppy down the bay too. Finally we have a walk around the block he likes because of all the bushes and trees and flowers he likes to sniff at along the way.
Does Luka have a favourite toy? We quickly learned that squeaker toys are not the best for us and he has since moved on to a kong shaker toy that has rubber edges and bounces around. He also has several rope toys and treat puzzles.
What is Luka's favourite thing to do? He loves to splash in his clamshell pool, and loves to help out in the garden with his Dad. Walkies and going to daycare rate highly too.
Where does he sleep? He mostly sleeps outside at night because he gets too hot inside. He used to start on one of our beds but then ask to go out a few minutes later. Outside he has two kennels but we mostly find him asleep on the deck. Inside he has a crate for when the weather is bad, but also likes to nap on the floor rather than in his own bed.
What are his most loved noms? Luka isn’t particularly food driven but he is fed Royal Canin kibble and a bit of essentials dog roll. He loves his duck tender treats and his liver treats most of all.
Has Luka had any transgressions? None.
What does Luka do when you go to work? Luka goes to Canine Solutions day care twice a week. And then stays home the other days. He has three doggy pals next door and they often go up to the fence line for a chat.
What are Luka's biggest lols? He tries to drink water from the hose, and likes to gallop around our house - often to take a big leap up onto the couch. The biggest lol is when he has had enough of chasing the ball at the park, he’ll dump it in the pond where we can’t get at it to throw it again 😂
Anything I might have missed? I am here for allll dog related chat. GSD are a misunderstood breed. People think they are aggressive and scary, but Luka is 100% a happy goober puppy who wouldn’t hurt anyone.
How did you come into each other’s lives? Our daughter Niamh wanted a dog and asked for ages. Initially Cormac had been hesitant because of the work involved but after many discussions he agreed. But only on the basis that we got a big dog like a German Shepherd. I needed no further encouragement and set out trawling the animal rescues for a GSD. After a long search we found one rescue but just missed out. Through my Google searches, one GSD breeder stood out that I kept coming back to and as luck would have it, she had a puppy ready in a couple of months.
It turns out that us getting Luka from a breeder was actually a really good idea. Our breeder has a chat group for people with her pups so we can ask questions and troubleshoot any problems quickly. It’s also like a big family and we share pictures and stories of Luka with his litter mates parents. It’s super cool. We are actually waiting to see if another puppy might join us, but that’s not confirmed yet.
How did you decide on his name? We made a big list and at dinner every night we would vote on puppy names. Out of about 30 name suggestions, Luka was the one we all agreed on. Except now we have him he often gets called other names like Bungle, Bear, PupPup, and Fluffbum.
What is Luka like? Luka is incredibly good natured just like his parents Blitz and Ruby. He loves cuddles and attention and going out in the car. Sometimes his ears don’t work but he’s getting better every day with listening to us. He’s a Black and Tan long haired GSD, so very fluffy and teddy bear like. He’s very talkative too, especially when he sees us in the morning or after work.
What makes him the goodest boy? He’s a gentle giant. And loves people and pats. Some GSD can be a bit aloof around new people but Luka is determined to make everyone his best pal.
What is Luka's Favourite walk? All walks are his favourite 😂 He loves going to the park because it’s an open space he can run about in and a big pond to sit and splash in and cool his paws after a big run. He also loves Oriental Bay so he can see lots of other dogs and get lots of attention from others. He got a lot of attention as a baby puppy down the bay too. Finally we have a walk around the block he likes because of all the bushes and trees and flowers he likes to sniff at along the way.
Does Luka have a favourite toy? We quickly learned that squeaker toys are not the best for us and he has since moved on to a kong shaker toy that has rubber edges and bounces around. He also has several rope toys and treat puzzles.
What is Luka's favourite thing to do? He loves to splash in his clamshell pool, and loves to help out in the garden with his Dad. Walkies and going to daycare rate highly too.
Where does he sleep? He mostly sleeps outside at night because he gets too hot inside. He used to start on one of our beds but then ask to go out a few minutes later. Outside he has two kennels but we mostly find him asleep on the deck. Inside he has a crate for when the weather is bad, but also likes to nap on the floor rather than in his own bed.
What are his most loved noms? Luka isn’t particularly food driven but he is fed Royal Canin kibble and a bit of essentials dog roll. He loves his duck tender treats and his liver treats most of all.
Has Luka had any transgressions? None.
What does Luka do when you go to work? Luka goes to Canine Solutions day care twice a week. And then stays home the other days. He has three doggy pals next door and they often go up to the fence line for a chat.
What are Luka's biggest lols? He tries to drink water from the hose, and likes to gallop around our house - often to take a big leap up onto the couch. The biggest lol is when he has had enough of chasing the ball at the park, he’ll dump it in the pond where we can’t get at it to throw it again 😂
Anything I might have missed? I am here for allll dog related chat. GSD are a misunderstood breed. People think they are aggressive and scary, but Luka is 100% a happy goober puppy who wouldn’t hurt anyone.