MKR star Luke Hines opens up about labrador Chia
He’s a TV foodie and personal trainer to Hollywood’s A-list stars. But for Luke Hines, the one constant is his labrador, Chia. SEE THE BEST DOG-FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES NEAR YOU
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He first found fame more than six years ago on Channel 7’s “My Kitchen Rules” as one half of buff, beach duo ‘the Bondi Boys’.
Giving his all and cooking up a storm before being eliminated in the semi-finals, former personal trainer, Luke Hines, went on to prove that he was much more than a reality show one-trick pony.
Authoring 10 best-selling cookbooks; partnering with “MKR” judge, Pete Evans, on the ‘Paleo Way’ eating program - and later launching his own version; training Hollywood heavyweight, Angelina Jolie; and most recently hosting Seven’s House of Wellness; Luke is now one of the most recognisable foodie figures in the country.
But throughout most of his meteoric rise to stardom there has been one constant pillar of support: five-year-old Labrador, Chia.
“She’s called Chia, but I more often than not call her ‘lady’ because she is such a lady!” laughs Luke. “She is a Labrador, but not as you’d expect. She’s the runt of the litter, so is half the size of a regular Lab and has a really unique coat and a pointy face, rather than a square one.”
Growing up with a family dog present throughout his childhood, as an adult Luke held a longtime desire to get his own Labrador, but resisted due to the small size of his Bondi unit. However, a move north of the border to Queensland’s beach town of Casuarina five years ago meant that he could finally realise his dream.
“When I was still living in Sydney I started to look online for Labrador puppies and a family on the Gold Coast had a litter,” he recalls. “Funnily enough, Chia wasn’t the dog I had originally selected. I had my heart set on a particular chocolate Lab.
However, I flew up and the puppy I selected had absolutely zero interest in me. There was no sign of a connection. Then, I looked over in the corner and saw who was to become Chia.
She was half the size of her bothers and sisters, alone and shaking in the corner having been rejected by her mother. I went over, gently picked her up, and our eyes met. She stopped shaking, licked me, and I knew it was meant to be.”
While their initial bond was strong, true to form with most puppies, a few toilet training teething issues followed.
“I often describe the first night with her as ‘the night she painted the bathroom brown’,” he said, chuckling. “She slept in the bathroom as part of her initial training. I to her crying, opened the bathroom door, and everything was covered in poo - she had walked in it and rolled in it and just s[read it everywhere. I spent the next hour cleaning up!”
Though in Chia’s formative days Luke had to persevere, the rewards, he said, have been endless.
“Dogs just get you. They listen and read the energy of their humans. They understand how to love, in such an unconditional and supportive way. They get you out of the house each and every morning, they keep you company during the day and provide all the cuddles you could ask for each and every night on the couch.”
And while the down-to-earth fit foodie has done the hard yards with training Chia, the playful pup has, in turn, taught him a thing or two.
“She’s helped teach me a lot about being present in the moment for sure,” he agrees. “There are so many times when I am glued to my phone, deep in a social media scroll-fest, where she gives me a nudge or a kiss to grab my attention and remind me to switch off my device and be in the moment. I love that she always reminds me that the most important thing is right now.
“She’s a true representation of how a dog really is ‘mans best friend’. The company and love she gives me has gotten me through some tough times - times where, without her, I would have felt very alone.”
As busy as Luke is professionally, having Chia as an almost constant companion has seen their relationship parlayed into work. Now
proud ambassadors for pet food company Black Hawk Pet Care, the clean eating guru is applying his same principles around healthy “real” food for humans, to our canine companions. “I feel incredibly passionate about sharing the real food movement with both humans AND animals,” he said.
Looking towards the future, Luke said that he struggles to consider his life without his fur baby shadow.
“I can’t imagine the past five years of adventures without her being a part of them…I sometimes look at her and my heart feels so deep with sadness at the thought she won’t always be around. That said, knowing her time is finite, it makes me love her and spoil her more as I want her life on earth to be the best it can be.”
And while he doesn’t know how much time he and Chia have together, he’s certain of one thing: that a dog will always be part of his life.
“I will always have a dog,” he affirms. “A dog for me is a form of therapy, they are good for my soul, they make me who I am. I will do everything I can to have a furry friend by my side, no matter what.”
Originally published as MKR star Luke Hines opens up about labrador Chia
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