Twitter Is Raining Hearts Over Andrew Zimmern's Sweet Dog Tribute

For many people with nine-to-fives, the daily transition from work back to home is centered around pets. Pets greet us cheerfully at the door when we get home. They give hugs and kisses. They even ask us about our days (in their own way, of course). Dogs, cats, birds, and just about all animals do hospitality better than humans could ever hope to.

Andrew Zimmern's pet, Luca the dog, is no exception. Zimmern kicked off Labor Day weekend with a touching Instagram tribute to his Lagotto Romagnola, sharing a photo of Luca captioned: "the best part of my day." In the photo, Luca is shown gazing thoughtfully out of a glass door, back turned to the camera. In the photo's caption, Zimmern seemed to channel Luca's thoughtfulness, reflecting on the role pets play in human lives: "Every dog I've ever made a part of my family has been special and tethered to that place in time ... this little guy came when I needed the unfailing love of a dog more than ever. How does one wind up loving a pet so deeply? Because they are pure empaths, they ask for nothing, they just want to be with their humans. We should all practice that, we should all 'be the dog.'"

The Instagram post has already received over 7,500 likes, in addition to 326 "hearts" from a crosspost to Twitter. Luca is a regular on Zimmern's social media. He's so popular, in fact, that Zimmern had to make him his own Instagram page –– @lucathelogotto.

Luca isn't Zimmern's first dog. The prolific chef previously owned a pug, named Pretzel. In his time, Pretzel made regular appearances on Zimmern's Instagram; a video of the pug licking Zimmern's head from 2020 received 55,000 views. Sadly, Pretzel passed away in July 2020, as Zimmern revealed in a heartfelt Instagram post. Zimmern's Instagram was dogless for many months, but this past April, the chef introduced his fans to Luca, "the newest member of [his] family." Since then, Luca's become a fan favorite. Photos and videos of Luca snuggling with Zimmern, looking pathetic after a shower, and walking down a staircase have received thousands of likes. Luca himself has nearly 3,000 followers. Not bad for a dog.