Golden Retriever Loves Greeting Neighbors from the Roof of Texas Home: 'Never Met a Stranger'
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Huckleberry (Huck for short) is happy to welcome you to the neighborhood — if you don't mind looking up.
The 10-year-old golden retriever, born on Christmas Day, loves to greet neighbors and new friends from the roof of his Austin home.
Huck — named after Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn — splits his time between Austin, Texas, and Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, with owners Allie and Justin Lindenmuth, who got the canine in 2011.
"Huckleberry definitely lives up to his name ... loveable and mischievous," Allie told PEOPLE about her pooch's personality.
Huck started to show off his mischievous side a year after the Lindenmuth family moved into their current Austin home.
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"Huck discovered he could jump from the hill in our backyard onto the roof," the golden retriever's owner explained. "There was no going back after that. He loves it up there."
After realizing how much Huck adored watching the neighborhood from the roof, his pet parents started allowing supervised visits to the top of the house, which have now become routine.
"We only allow him outside when we are home, or he would be up there all day. With his old age, we have since built him a little ramp, so he does not hurt his hips getting up there," Allie shared.
Over his years of roof visits, Huck has amassed quite a following of local fans and online supporters. The dog has over 44,000 Instagram followers on his account @HucktheRoofDog.
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"We started an Instagram because many people would come to our door and ask to learn more about Huck. We never thought it would grow so popular," Allie said, adding that it is still common for drivers to do a U-turn "to confirm they, in fact, saw a dog on the roof."
The Lindenmuth family's neighbors know to look for Huck on the roof, where the dog eagerly greets them from his perch, but "new neighbors and passersby still come up to the door weekly" to meet Huckleberry for the first time.
Allie is happy to let Huck continue his watch from the roof because she can tell how happy it makes the pet.
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"He just loves watching all the neighbors pass by. He has an amazing view of Austin from up there. I truly think he thinks it is just an extension of the backyard. He barks at all his neighbor friends to say, 'Hi!'' she said.
When Huck isn't outside ruling the roof, the golden retriever can be found swimming or cuddling.
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"Huck is the sweetest pup. He could be snuggled all day long and has never met a stranger," Allie said.
"He is so protective and loving. He wants to be with his humans all day long," she added.
Huck will share his love for roofs and his caring attitude with the world through a new book, according to his pet parents, which is due out next year.
