Luke
Sex: Male / Age: ca. 3 years ( as of October 2025) / Size: Medium-Large (approx 25 kg)
🐾 Affectionate, sensitive, calm
💥 Energy level: medium
🐈 Not suited to a home with cats
🐕 Gets along well with most other dogs
👶 Can be tested with children
👽 Gets along well with most new people
❄ What makes Luke special: his gorgeous green eyes
Luke came into our care in early 2024.
We spotted Luke walking by the side of a busy road, looking scared and confused. We stopped to feed him, but he kept on trying to follow us back to the car. As we struggle to find homes for our larger dogs, we weren't planning to take him in and kept trying to distract him with food, but every time we walked back to the car, he came running after us. Students who live in the area told us they had been trying to take care of him, but that local residents were treating him badly and he wasn't safe there. He clearly wanted a safe place to call home, so we took him with us to the Melez enclosure
Luke is an incredibly loyal dog and he spent the first few weeks trying to follow us around everywhere. This boy so clearly wants a family of his own!
Luke is a sweet, sensitive dog who loves peace and quiet, but also attention! Two ingredients that go perfectly together, but not in a busy shelter environment.
When Luke is in a quiet environment and feels safe, he's incredibly cheerful and sociable. He greets everyone who enters his kennel enthusiastically. Whether it is people he knows, or strangers, everyone gets an excited greeting and face licks!
Luke loves getting lots of attention. He loves to cuddle, and can sometimes be quite clingy, jumping into your arms and trying to lick your face. Getting affection makes him so happy!
But he also knows how to settle down and, after a while, he happily goes off to do his own thing. He doesn't bother you constantly for attention.
When we're cleaning the kennel, he'll occasionally come to check on you, give you an enthusiastic lick on the face, and then calmly lie down again. Just checking in!
He shares his kennel with medium-sized and small dogs and gets along very well with all of them. He enjoys playing with all his kennel mates.
When we found Luke on the street, he was playing with a few street puppies. He was so gentle with them!
Luke is nervous around large male dogs.
He also walks well on a leash and is calm and obedient.
Luke does get overstimulated easily. He's not a dog who would enjoy being taken to busy cafés or crowded environments. He prefers peace and quiet and avoids unexpected things. And this makes life in the busy enclosure tough for him..
If Luke feels threatened, he can become defensive. When there is a lot of chaos in the enclosure, and someone makes a move towards Luke that he sees as threatening, he might growl to indicate that he's nervous and needs some peace and quiet. Understanding dog communication and body language is paramount with Luke.
We've seen a very positive change in Luke's interactions with men. While he was very afraid of men when he first arrived with us, and he would bark whenever he saw one, that seems to be largely a thing of the past now. All the men who visit his kennel now receive Luke's trademark enthusiastic greeting.
Outside, on a lead, he's still alert to men, and shows signs of discomfort and stress when he sees new men in the distance, but he doesn't bark at them anymore.
Luke desperately wants to leave the enclosure. It's possible that many of his insecurities will disappear in a quiet environment, where he can feel happy and safe.
If Luke feels comfortable and has peace around him, he can finally learn to be more carefree. And we all want that for him!
We're looking for adopters for Luke who are willing to give him lots of love and time, and to build everything up calmly, at his own pace (without forcing things). By adopting Luke, you'll have a friend for life!
Luke is currently in Turkey and is ready to travel to the EU/UK.
The dogs come to their new homes microchipped, with up-to-date rabies and mixed vaccinations, neutered, dewormed and tested for heartworm, ehrlichia, leishmania and anaplasma. The dogs will undergo a final health check at the vet before departure. If necessary, their teeth will be cleaned and X-rays will be taken of any problem areas. Any concerns or potential health issues that we are aware of will be communicated to you in advance.
