Lulu the poodle is so clever, say her owners Paul and Val, that she knew she had to pass the good behaviour test when they moved to Ryman Healthcare’s Linda Jones Village.

“We brought Lulu along and she gave the sales advisor, David, the nod. She just sat on our knee, proving she was a well-behaved dog,” laughs Val.

She passed the test and quickly adapted to her new life in the couple’s first floor apartment.

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Five years on, the couple says Lulu has a great routine and loves to interact with the other dogs in the village. She can often be seen people or dog watching from their window overlooking the lower half of the village.

“The other little dogs round here greet each other with great joy,” says Val.

“She’ll scratch the pad on the back of the door when she wants to go out and she’ll rattle her bowl if her water bowl’s empty.

“She’s a very clever girl, and very knowing.”

She was eight weeks’ old when they got her and when the couple decided to make the move into Linda Jones Village, Lulu was four-years-old. A no pets rule would have been a dealbreaker, they say.

“That was what attracted us more to Ryman, the fact we were allowed to bring her in.”

A couple of times a week, she’ll go for a playdate with Paul and Val’s friends, fellow Linda Jones residents known as Auntie Di and Uncle Bill to Lulu. The pair say they always look forward to cuddles and spending time playing with the cute miniature toy poodle.

“We enjoy hearing her knock on the door to come in, after sprinting up the corridor. She has her own toybox at our place that she heads straight for,” says Di, who also hides bickies throughout their apartment for Lulu to find.

“Lulu is cheeky! She listens to what you say and we believe she understands what we say. She’s also loving – we think that she is adorable!”

Val clearly remembers the day she decided to get a dog.

“I was sitting in the conservatory in the house we used to live in and I said to myself, ‘I think I will get myself a dog!’

“I told the children and they said, ‘go for it mum!’

Before that, Val and her husband Paul had only had working dogs, a Doberman Rottweiler cross who worked as a guard dog when they were managers at drug and alcohol centres.

“I don’t know what made me go for a poodle,” says Val. “But it took 18 months before we actually found one we liked.”

It was worth the wait though as Lulu has been the perfect dog.

“She’s been so good, she’s just a little treasure,” says Val.

Paul says it’s all about good training and routine which ensures that life goes smoothly.

“She’s absolutely all about routine. She gets up at 6am when we get up. If we’re lying in she will wake us up with a gentle tap, tap, tap!”

They take her for a quick toilet trip then it’s breakfast and off for a walk.

“On goes the collar and off we go,” says Paul.

The couple says she is just like another member of their family who goes everywhere with them.

“Everywhere we go we take her with us. To the caravan, to Bunnings, she’ll sit in the trolley when we go there. She loves the jetski, she has her own life jacket!”

Lulu proudly shows off her certificate for completing the Walking for Wellness challenge with Paul and Val.

They even got the happy moment immortalised on a cushion!

When the village told residents about Ryman’s upcoming Walking for Wellness challenge, Lulu joined Paul and Val on every walk and did them twice.

The residents’ combined efforts resulted in Linda Jones winning Ryman’s Fittest Village award in 2023, with certificates and medals awarded for some of the outstanding efforts.

“Lulu did all the walks with us so we were thrilled when she was awarded her very own certificate!” says Paul.

While she is nine years old now and walking shorter distances these days, she gives just as much joy to Paul and Val than ever.

The responsibility of looking after Lulu adds great variety to their days, Val says, but it’s the enrichment of having her in their lives that really outweighs everything.

“She’s a real little joy. I just loved her as soon as I saw her. I didn’t think I could love a dog like I do her.”