MEET LUKA

Hi! I’m Luka.

I’m the Chief Disruption Officer here at Bark & Bond Life.

One day in 2021, I showed up on Becky’s doorstep.

I didn’t have a tennis ball, a couch, or any idea of what my forever home would look like.

Turns out… my forever home looked exactly like Becky’s house.

Becky says she rescued me…

But if you ask me, I rescued her too.

Before Becky

My first memory is the woods. There were other dogs around, but I didn’t know them, and they seemed scared too. I was hungry, lost, and didn’t know where to go.

One day, a boy and girl stopped their car and convinced me to get in. I didn’t trust them, so I barked from the back seat the whole time. They drove me around to meet several humans while I demonstrated that I could jump REALLY HIGH and run REALLY FAST.

Eventually, the boy brought me to what turned out to be my forever home. He said he’d be back in two weeks.

That was in 2021. Humans are funny. They think dogs don’t remember things.

At first, Becky—apparently my “rescuer”—looked strange, sounded different, and didn’t seem entirely trustworthy. So I barked at her for three days. I barked while she filled my food bowl, filled my water bowl, watched the giant talking box, took me outside, and tried to make me go to sleep.

I also inspected the blankets, pillows, and anything else I could reach. Apparently, humans don’t appreciate having their possessions inspected with teeth. Eventually, I learned that chewing up feather pillows is bad behavior—but I thought we were being attacked by ducks!

It took a while, but I learned that Becky was trustworthy. She makes sure I have everything I need, gives me a chance to do better, and somehow still loves me when I don’t.

I love her too.

And these days, I don’t bark at her anymore.

Learning How Humans Work

Eventually, I got a crate and my own room. It’s decorated with dog art, and I even have my own TV. My favorite movie is White Wolf. These days, I’m allowed out whenever Becky isn’t sleeping, interviewing, or in a meeting. If I get too opinionated, I end up outside guarding the yard.

At first, I didn’t always want to go into my crate. Then Becky discovered that Triple Treats are my weakness. She promised I’d get one every time I went in when asked—and she kept her word. Now I hear “Triple Treat” and suddenly I’m the most obedient dog in the world. Sometimes I get excited and jump, but Becky reminds me that they are “NO JUMPING TREATS.” I remember my manners, sit in my crate, and wait for her to say, “Good boy!”

Every now and then, Becky’s schedule changes and we stay up late together. Sometimes there’s popcorn. She calls it Midnight Snack Time. Before bed, I get a marrow bone, we check that the house is secure, and then Becky says, “Nighty night.” It sure beats sleeping in the woods!

My Very Important Job

Every morning after breakfast, I help Becky work. She says she “works from home,” but she’s the only human here. All day she stares at a glowing rectangle and talks to invisible humans. I’ve checked behind it. There aren’t any humans back there.

Naturally, I help with the conversations. For some reason, Becky doesn’t appreciate my contributions and often sends me outside to guard the yard again.

When she has interviews and meetings, I spend extra time guarding the yard. I have water, toys, snacks, and even a covered deck, but honestly those things are more fun when Becky is around.

I also inspect the mail and keep an eye on everything happening in the house. Some people say I disrupt things. I prefer to think of myself as a safety inspector. Apparently, my official title at Bark and Bond is Chief Disruption Officer. They insist that’s a compliment.

The Things I Love

I love sniffing, especially after the lawn people have been here. But more than anything, I love balls—tennis balls, footballs, basketballs, Chuckit balls, exercise balls. If it’s round, there’s a good chance I love it.

I used to bring balls into the house and bury them under the furniture. Now we have another rule: NO BALLS IN THE HOUSE!

Every day, I seem to have a different favorite ball. That doesn’t stop me from dumping every ball I own all over the yard. Organization is not really my thing.

My life is pretty great. The only things I don’t enjoy are nail trims, being told what to do, and guarding the yard by myself. Even the best Yard Guard in the neighborhood likes company.

Becky says that if I was going to take over her life, she was going to make a website about mine. Apparently, I’m the star now. I think that’s fair. I do all the interesting things.

She also says visitors to the website are going to be my new friends. That sounds good to me. I love when humans visit. They smell like places I’ve never been and adventures I’ve never had, so it’s my duty to inspect them thoroughly. I even remember not to use my teeth!

So if you visit Bark & Bond Life, don’t worry.

I’ll inspect you.
I’ll inspect your shoes.
I’ll inspect your pockets—just in case there are treats.

And if you brought treats?

We’re definitely going to be best friends.

Welcome to my world. 🐾