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Roof roof! Huckleberry welcomes new addition to his family

<p>A golden retriever pup named Huckleberry, who was photographed frequently sitting on the roof of his family home in Austin, Texas has quite the following on Instagram after rising to fame five years ago.</p> <p>Huckleberry's owners, Allie Burnitt and Justin Lindenmuth, became so used to public concern for their dog they installed a framed sign outside their home.</p> <p>"Don't be alarmed," the sign read. "Huckleberry is living up to his name and learned how to jump onto our roof from the backyard."</p> <p>“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 of him and share with the world."</p> <p>The family then offered the hashtag hucktheroofdog. Next, they had an Instagram account for him with over 3,000 follwers.</p> <p>Allie told a news outlet in the US that Huckleberry gains access to the family home through an almost one-metre-wide clearance between a hill and the family's backyard.</p> <p>"We wondered when he would figure it out. It took him about six months to figure out the roof was an extension of his backyard. He now goes up every single time we let him outside," she told the media outlet in 2017.</p> <p>Fast forward five years and Huckleberry is still enjoying time on the roof as well as close to 40,000 Instagram followers.</p> <p>Huckleberry's family have welcomed a new addition, Bluebell the Golden Retriever puppy earlier this year in April.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Ce2ephVD-4C/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Ce2ephVD-4C/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Huckleberry (@hucktheroofdog)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>A video posted to Huckleberry's social media account shows Bluebell's excited arrival with the family as well as a sneaky photo of her on the family's roof.</p> <p><em>Images: Reddit / Instagram</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Golden retriever gives birth to green puppy

<p>Three-year-old Rio gave birth to nine puppies and all but one arrived with normal fur.</p> <p>One of the puppies was born with green fur, so owner Lousie Sutherland named it Forest in honour of its unusual hue.</p> <p>“The first pup was stuck, so myself and my daughter Claire managed to free him and pull him out safely,” she told <em>The Sun</em>.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img width="500" height="278" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/40292/dog_500x278.jpg" alt="Dog (4)"/></p> <p>After researching, Louise discovered that the unusual colouring occurs due to a condition developed in the placenta.</p> <p>“It was all hands on deck but then as the puppies started to arrive, we noticed that one of the puppies had green fur. We couldn’t believe it.”</p> <p>Veterinarians believe the discolouration occurs when light-coloured puppies are exposed to a green bile pigment in the placenta which can stain the fur.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img width="499" height="328" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/40294/dog2_499x328.jpg" alt="Dog2 (1)"/></p> <p>“The colour has faded quite a bit already and will be gone soon, I’m told,” Louise said.</p> <p>There have only been three other reported cases of puppies being born with green coats, making Forest a special pup.</p> <p>Louise has found homes for the rest of the puppies but said she would keep Forest for herself. </p>

Family & Pets

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Dying golden retriever makes miracle recovery

<p>The sad fact of pet ownership is that while they bring a lot of joy into our lives, we often have to say goodbye to them before we’re ready to, which can be heartbreaking.</p> <p>When Florida couple Joey and Allison Maxwell found out that their beloved eight-year-old golden retriever Maverick was losing his battle with cancer, they were devastated.</p> <p>Mr Maxwell told <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.9news.com.au/" target="_blank">9news.com.au</a></strong></span>, “We went to the vet and the vet said there was nothing left we could do for him. We were looking at his last few days.</p> <p>“But my wife and I were sitting there depressed, in tears, trying to make sense of it all, and that’s not who we are. So, we wanted to come up with some way to get Maverick out, let him experience life to the fullest one last time.”</p> <p>Maverick has lost the use of his back two legs, so Joey and Allison decided to buy a wagon to pull him around town and let him get some much needed air.</p> <p>While the sight of a golden retriever pulled on a custom-made wagon might seem odd to some, everyone who encounters Maverick showed him a lot of love.</p> <p>But what happened the next day surprised everyone.</p> <p><img width="497" height="360" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/29178/maverick-in-text-2_497x360.jpg" alt="Maverick -in -text -2" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>Mr Maxwell said, “We were expecting a couple of hard days, but after our trip in the wagon that night, Maverick woke up the next day feeling better.</p> <p>“We took him back to the vet and she did a full exam and it turns out his cancer hasn't spread, he is still in remission and now we’re looking at long term care for the guy.</p> <p>"I really believe that had we gone home that night and sat around the house and cried and let Maverick feel that energy, he would have felt the same and given up."</p> <p>What a lovely story, and an important message about the power of positivity. Have you ever lost a pet, and how did you deal with it? Let us know in the comments.</p> <p>Also to follow Maverick’s journey, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/everybodylovesmaverick/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>click here</strong></span></a>.</p> <p><em>Video credit: Facebook / Everybody Loves Maverick </em></p> <p><strong>Related links: </strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/08/helpless-dogs-that-had-their-bed-stolen-by-the-cat/"><em>12 helpless dogs that had their bed stolen by the cat</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/2016/05/10-puppies-who-look-adorable-sleeping/"><em>10 puppies who look adorable sleeping</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/03/top-10-favourite-cat-sleeping-positions/"><em>Top 10 favourite cat sleeping positions</em></a></strong></span></p>

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