Instagram story viewer> @lukeythelabrador> Posts

Retriever of Hearts | Holding Space for Mental Health

@lukeythelabrador

22.4K

followers

612

following

Working Dogs. Healing. Gentle truths about grief, purpose & hope.
🩶Lukey, 💛Sonic & 🌈 Skye
❤️‍🩹Comfort for heavy days
✨ #wisdombylukey

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

THE most wonderful travel experience as we relocate from 🇺🇸to 🇩🇰. Thank you @singaporeair and crew !!!
Stay tuned for our next leg, traveling by car and ferry from Frankfurt to Copenhagen🤗❤️
Love, Lukey

#singapore_crew #travelingwithdogs #worldtravelers #luvablelabsofinsta #labsoftheday #labradorlove #doginfluencer #bestdogever #talesofalab #silverlab #dogtraining #labsoﬁnstagram #dogsofinstagram #worldoflabs #labs_of_insta #labradorable #retriever #labsofinstagram #wetdogwednesday #adventuredog #adventuredogsofficial #englishlab #dogmum #dogmumlife #adoptdontshop #englishlabrador #labs4life #silverlabsquad #silverlab
#greatlabsofinsta by @lukeythelabrador

856

121

4 years ago

My soulmate❤️

Song credit @chrisstapleton

#souldog #mysoulmate #souldogs #labsofinstagram #lablove #dogmomsofinstagram #dogmomlife #unconditionallove #dogslove #laboftheday #labrador #mydogisfamily #dogreels #dogsarebetterthanpeople #doglifestyle #talesofalab by @lukeythelabrador

41k

438

4 years ago

Comment a ❤️‍🩹 if you can relate, and please share with someone who needs to hear this today.
Thank you @whitneyhansonpoetry for this beautiful tribute.
Love, Lukey’s mom

#griefjourney #mentalhealthwarrior #ilovemydog #dogmumsofinstagram #dogloverstagram #dailypositivity by @lukeythelabrador

3

402

3 years ago

Beyond the Pedigree 💛 A lot of thought, research and heart went into choosing Sonic. I wanted generations of proven working ability, sound health and a breeder who truly knows the dogs behind the names - all backed by an outstanding pedigree.

His sire, FTW Hawksgarth Hustle of Mynydddu (Beau), is by FTCh Fendawood Harold out of FTCh Hawksgarth Indiana. His dam, Esless Lively (Lottie), is by FTCh Castlemans Gobi of Garronpoint out of Hawksgarth Marengo, herself out of two Field Trial Champions.

Fendawood, Hawksgarth, Levenghyl, Castlemans - some of Britain’s finest working lines, with generations of Field Trial Champions and multiple IGL Championship competitors on both sides.

Those titles matter. But most importantly I wanted dogs proven through demanding shooting seasons, working consistently across changing terrain, weather and circumstances. That’s the reason I looked to the UK.

Lottie is a fast, stylish game finder and a key member of the picking-up team, working several days a week throughout the season. Beau brings his own competitive success and athletic ability, with encouraging reports about his offspring’s natural talent and trainability.

Just as important was the breeder’s 20-plus years developing Lottie’s maternal line. He knows the dogs across generations - their working abilities, temperaments, strengths and health histories - and uses that knowledge to preserve and refine the line, including through older bloodlines. Health testing has been equally thorough, with excellent, documented results.

One word kept coming up in conversations with the breeder and Beau’s owner: honest. Honest working dogs. True game finders. Clever, naturally talented dogs, quick to learn and keen to work with their handler.

To me, that’s thoughtful breeding. Not just impressive names, but generations of informed selection for working ability, temperament, reliability and health.

Of course, even the finest pedigree is no guarantee. Sonic will be his own dog, with his own strengths and quirks.

And now it’s my turn to do that foundation justice 🙌 taken in Wales by @lukeythelabrador

55

6

2 days ago

Meet Sonic (“Esless Bamford”) 💛

Yesterday, this little yellow boy joined Lukey and me here in Wales.

I thought long and hard about whether I was ready to do this again. Maybe there is no moment when you suddenly feel completely ready. But I do know how much joy there is in raising a young dog, discovering his personality, building trust, and watching a partnership grow.

So here we are. Starting a new chapter together.

A lot of thought went into choosing Sonic and his working lines, but for now, I’m simply looking forward to discovering who this little character is going to become.

We’ll spend the coming weeks in the Welsh countryside. No rushing. No big expectations. Just time together, lots of love, little adventures, the beginnings of training, hopefully plenty of sleep, and inevitably lots of rain, mud and puppy chaos. 🙈

Welcome to the family, Sonic. 💛 taken in Wales by @lukeythelabrador

249

67

6 days ago

Lukey has no idea how much I needed these days with him.

It’s been a hell of a year. And somehow, out here, it’s just us - working, learning, getting properly tired together, and doing something we both genuinely love.

We’ve done all kinds of activities together over the years, but this is where he lights up the most. After a year without real hunting work, watching those instincts and experience simply be there - while still working with me as a team - is beautiful.

After everything his body has been through, I don’t take any of it for granted. I’m grateful for every good year I get with him. And I think part of my job is to give him a life with room for the things that make him this happy.

Turns out being out there with him was exactly what I needed too.

We come home exhausted. And very, very happy. ❤️ by @lukeythelabrador

90

19

13 days ago

We did it. ❤️
Skye’s fundraiser has passed its €2,000 goal, with €2,075 raised so far for the University of Cambridge research into sudden unexplained death in young Labradors.

But what has touched me most is our incredible community.
So many of you who donated are people I have never actually met in person - long-time Instagram dog friends who have followed our lives from afar, people who knew and loved Skye through a screen, and complete strangers who simply wanted to help. Alongside friends, former colleagues, Labrador people and even friends who don’t own a dog.

Some of the messages left with the donations moved me just as much - “In honor of Skye”, “for our best friends”, “hoping every little bit helps researchers get closer to saving the lives of puppies.” ❤️

Thank you for every donation, every share, every message and every kind word. You have turned something heartbreaking into something that may one day help another dog and another family.

For Skye, and for the dogs who come after him. ❤️🐾

The fundraiser will stay open for another week for anyone who still wishes to support the research.
Link in my bio🐾 by @lukeythelabrador

118

17

a month ago

🚨Please share this - especially if you know other Labrador owners, breeders, trainers. Until Skye died, I had no idea this was happening to young Labradors.

Neither did I know that a team at the University of Cambridge is actively trying to understand why.

Skye died suddenly and completely unexpectedly at just nine months old. There is still no medical explanation for his death. His tissue is now contributing to this research.

The Cambridge team is investigating potential genetic causes, with the long-term goal of identifying dogs at risk before tragedy strikes. The first whole-genome sequencing results are now coming in, and they are studying pedigrees to better understand how the condition may be inherited.

This research needs two things: awareness and support.

If you have lost a young Labrador suddenly and unexpectedly, please contact the Cambridge team. Every case can help them build a clearer picture.

And whether you own a Labrador or simply love dogs, please share this post. If you can support the research financially, the fundraiser is linked in my bio and story this week❤️

For Skye, and for the dogs who come after him. by @lukeythelabrador

215

29

2 months ago

Lukey ❤️⛰️

#wisdombylukey #labradorlover #hikingwithdog #mountaindogs taken in Nebelhorn by @lukeythelabrador

62

9

3 months ago

He was only 9 months old. And then, without warning, he was gone. 💔

Skye - my beautiful Scottish sunnyboy. So full of life, so deeply loved, so incredibly talented, and supposed to have a whole lifetime ahead of him.

Still trying to understand why your heart just stopped. Still searching for answers.
I tried everything I could to save you. I just wish love had been enough.

💛5 September 2025 - 22 June 2026🌈

#petloss #dogloss #griefrecovery #labradoretriever #yellowlabpuppy by @lukeythelabrador

573

85

3 months ago

I could use your advice. It’s a sensitive topic and I am still overwhelmed.

I’ve never been in this situation before, and I honestly don’t know what to do once Skye’s ashes come home. It still feels so surreal.

Do I keep them in an urn? Bury them somewhere special? Scatter them at a place he loved? Have them made into a piece of jewelry or even a memorial diamond?

Right now, every option feels both right and wrong at the same time.

If you’ve been through this, would you be willing to share what you chose, and why? There isn’t a right or wrong answer… I think hearing your experiences might help me find what feels right for us.
Thank you in advance 🙏💔

#wisdombylukey #petgrief by @lukeythelabrador

358

110

3 months ago

Three weeks later, I don’t replay only the moment Skye died. I keep replaying the days before.. and after.

The drive to Bavaria for our training weekend.

For the first time in a long time, I was genuinely happy. I had old songs playing, I was singing along - something I hadn’t done in a very long time - and I was excited about the weekend ahead.

Training was wonderful. Skye was everything I had hoped he would become, and I remember feeling so grateful to have both boys with me.

On the drive back, I looked at Lukey. He was looking at me with his typical Lukey smile, and I remember chatting away to him as if he was flirting with me.

Less than an hour later, Skye was gone.

Some events split life into a before and an after.

What I keep coming back to isn’t just the moment everything changed. It’s the ordinary moments before it. The last moments when life still felt completely normal, without the slightest hint that life was about to change forever.

#wisdombylukey by @lukeythelabrador

3

23

3 months ago