An Austin Couple Made A Sign To Reassure Worried Passersby That Their Dog Would Be Fine On The Roof

They were just passing when they saw the dog sitting on the roof. It didn’t look like it had anywhere to go and suddenly, it started barking at them. Was it calling for help? They had to know, so they walked up to the house and knocked on the front door.

If you’ve passed through Austin, Texas, you may have seen a similar sight. Indeed, you yourself may even have been worried about the dog sitting on the roof. Well, you wouldn’t have been the only ones – many people have shared these concerns.

Moreover, it’s such an unusual sight that it’s not uncommon for passers-by to knock on the house’s front door. This has been happening throughout the four years that have passed since the dog’s owners moved in. The owners in question are married couple Allie and Justin Lindenmuth.

It’s their Golden Retriever puppy, Huckleberry, who has been the source of all the attention. He’s the one that people have been noticing apparently trapped on the roof. However, things aren’t quite what they appear to be in the Lidenmuths’ household.

In fact, the family’s garden has a low hill in the back yard that reaches close to the roof. There’s a gap of just 3 feet between the two – and this hasn’t gone unnoticed by Huckleberry. Moreover, it didn’t take him too long to realize that he could make the jump.

Indeed, Huckleberry first discovered this fact when he was just nine months old – half a year after moving in. When it first happened, though, the Lindenmuths must have had the shock of their lives. They subsequently recalled the moment during an interview with Austin news channel KVUE on May 11, 2017.

The first thought that occurred to Justin was that a wild animal was making the noise. “All of a sudden, I hear this [noise] like thunder coming,” he said. “And I’m like, ‘What the heck is that? Is that a raccoon on my roof?’”

Well, Justin soon found out that the rooftop ruckus was caused by Huckleberry, and his reaction was one of disbelief. Indeed, Allie heard his exclamation from inside the house. “I was sleeping in and I just remember [Justin] screaming, ‘He figured it out!’” she told KVUE.

Huckleberry subsequently made it part of his daily routine to climb on the roof and watch the world go by. Moreover, by the same token, the world was also watching the Golden Retriever. As a result, many people were concerned that the dog was in some kind of trouble.

Fearing for Huckleberry’s safety, a lot of doorstep callers reported his strange behavior to the Lindenmuths. Every time, the family had to tell their confused visitors that Huckleberry made regular trips to the roof. Nevertheless, the calls became more and more frequent.

Allie pointed out that she couldn’t have failed to notice the dog on her roof if she tried. “It is pretty obvious when he is up there,” she laughed. “It is very loud.” Still, at one point, she and Justin were told about Huckleberry’s antics eight times in one week!

In fact, the calls became so frequent that the Lindenmuths decided to do something to let people know what was going on. With this in mind, they subsequently made a sign for future callers and attached it to the front of their house. The sign tells readers all about Huckleberry.

It reads, “Huckleberry is living up to his name and has learned how to jump onto our roof from the backyard. We never leave him [alone] without someone being at home. He will not jump off unless you entice him with food or a ball!”

“We appreciate your concern but please do not knock on our door… we know he’s up there! But please feel free to take pictures and share with the world!” Indeed, that’s exactly what people did and soon, Huckleberry was famous across the globe.

“We spent our honeymoon in India,” Allie said. “So to find out [Huckleberry] was in the Indian Daily Times or something – that was really cool for us.” In fact, the internet went wild for “Huck the Roof Dog,” as he has become known.

His Instagram page has been a roaring success, with more than 32,000 followers to date. What’s more, he always has a bark of greeting for those passing by below. Indeed, the Golden Retriever is bringing a smile to the face of everyone who sees him.

In May 2017 one social media user, Sarafina Nance, told Buzzfeed News about the first time she saw Huck. “I glanced up, I saw a huge Golden Retriever looking down at me!” she said. She subsequently tweeted about the experience.

“I just saw the bravest most glorious pupper of all time perched majestically on a roof,” she wrote. Another Twitter user commented, “This is the best thing ever.” So, why is it that Huckleberry likes his “roof time,” as the Lindenmuths call it, so much?

Well, no one really knows. It could be that the roof gives him a better view for his guard duties, or he might just enjoy being higher up. Like humans, dogs can develop phobias, but while it’s not unheard of, fear of heights is comparatively rare in canines.

Regardless of Huckleberry’s reasons, Allie says that she can’t see him stopping any time soon. “Huck still acts like a puppy five years in,” she told CBS News. “[He] isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. He is a wild one.”