Jaida

Jaida (formerly Potter) joined the HOPE Program on Friday 2/24/2023. She is approximately 7 years old and is sponsored by Canine Rescue of Central PA. Jaida is joining the Program after she and her family worked REALLY hard to help her adjust to a new baby in the house. Unfortunately, she prefers the companionship of older kids (10 years and over) to that of an infant or toddler. Jaida has a HIGH PREY DRIVE and will give chase to small critters, so she shouldn’t live with cats, birds, guinea pigs, etc. The smaller and squeakier, the more interested Jaida gets! She and her family put in a lot of time and work, so she’s already a very well behaved girl. She loves going for walks and hikes, but prefers not to be bombarded by off leash dogs. After all, she’s a well mannered gal and expects her friends to be the same!



Jaida isn’t a fan of the vet’s office or the groomers, so her family trained her to be comfortable in a muzzle, and she wears it like a badge of honor! She knows a lot of commands, so she’s definitely going to keep her handler on his toes as they work on some advanced obedience skills. She also walks nicely on the leash, is food motivated (which helps with training), and isn’t generally nervous or anxious. She was very well behaved when meeting the HOPE Trainer for the first time and sat politely for petting and treats. She even showed off with a few tricks! We are super excited to bring this girl into the HOPE Dog Family!

6/02/2023 This week was good for Jaida. She and Chief played off lash with muzzles on, and it went well. Jaida knows all of her commands. She is smart, funny, and loving.

Jaida is a special dog. She loves people, after you gain her trust. But once she trusts you, you will have a friend for life. Jaida was abused in her prior life–someone wrapped duct tape around her nose. In fact, the scars are still visible. So, you can understand why people need to gain her trust when meeting her. Giving her treats is a great way to do this. Jaida would do great in a home with teen-aged kids in a quieter home, since loud noises scare her.

Jaida is more than ready to be adopted. Is there someone out there who can give Jaida her much-deserved happily ever after?

5/26/2023  This week was a good one for Jaida. Jaida and Chief played in the play yard on leash, and Jaida also ran the fence with Bella–one on each side of the fence.

Jaida got Gold Stars this week for all of her commands. She also got weighed this week. She’s a whopping 85 pounds. Boy she’s eating well!

What would be the perfect home for Jaida? I think it would be a quieter home, one with just adults. Loud sounds and crowds of people can spook her. She’d also love a fenced-in yard.

I’ve been working with Jaida on meeting new people. I give the person a treat. I tell Jaida to “sit.” Once she sits, I tell her “it’s okay, go say hi.” Then the new person gives her the treat. Then I pet her while I’m telling her it’s okay.

Jaida is definitely ready for her forever home! Could it be with you?

5/19/2023  Jaida is doing well with all of her commands. Jaida loves to be outside, She likes to watch through the fence as Chief and Bella play. Chief’s handler will bring him over to the yard where Jaida is, both dogs on leash, and they are able to play together. Chief will jump on Jaida’s back, and Jaida will dip him–they’ll do this until they both get tired.

Because of the nice weather we’ve been having, I had my sunglasses on while we were outside. Jaida wasn’t sure what to make them, and was tilting her head when looking at me. She looked like she was posing for a magazine cover.

4/28/2023 This week was a good week for Jaida. She did very good walking around with two of the other dogs. We took her, Chief, and Bella for a walk around the yard. After a few sniffs, Jaida and Chief decided to talk side by side. Jaida wasn’t such a huge fan of Bella, so they kept some distance, but they all settled into comfortable routine and hung out together.

Its clear that Jaida still misses her life on the outside, as she treats the other handler cells as her own personal drive-thrus and brings back all her treats for her handler to clean up. She also has this habit of playing catch me if you can, because when she’s out in the yard and its time to go in, if she sees her handler walking towards her with a leash, she will wait until her handler gets close and then she takes off running again. She’ll do this for a few minutes before finally deciding she’s ready to come in.

She’s just a girl who loves her freedom!

4/21/2023 We’ve been working with Jaida on her fear of loud noises, which is hard to do in the prison environment, but this week we’ve seemed to have a breakthrough! We started taking Jaida around the noise that freaked her out and we would sit and talk with her, offer her treats, and even play with her around the noise. She’s learning that she doesn’t have to be scared and she can trust us to keep her safe. In fact, she gets happy and confident to meet new people too.

We’re working on building her friendships with Rocco (her boo), Chief and Bella too. Every day its a step in the right direction! After hanging out with her friends outside, when we come back in she will stop at another handler’s cell, walking right in if there’s no dog and then sit in front of their treat jar. She will wait patiently and then do a trick or two for a treat. As soon as she gets her treat, she will carry it back to her cell and eat her treat. She’s got 7 different “drive-thrus” to choose from, and she will pick a different one each time she leaves her cell.

04/14/2023 Jaida is socializing with the other handlers very well, as well as with people in general. For the past two days Jaida and Bella have been running up and down the fence line together. The more time she spends with Bella, the more comfortable she seems to be getting with her. Socializing her around other dogs involves having Jaida just hanging out and enjoying spending time with other dogs from a distance.

Its been 7 weeks since she joined the HOPE Program, and she’s doing better and better with the others dogs each week. While we know Jaida will never want to live with another dog, nor would she enjoy dog parks, she is a dog that would love to have her own people that would take her on walks and hikes, even if it means running into the occasional dog. Given a little distance, Jaida will be happy to ignore them and continue on her way.

As well as being the only love of your life, Jaida would really thrive in a quieter home, no city living for this girl. Loud noises really make her uncomfortable, and it can take some time for her to get her confidence back. She would also prefer a home that doesn’t have a lot of comings and goings, she definitely enjoys her quite time in between exercise, training, and walks.

4/07/2023 Jade is a precious green gemstone, and our Jaida is just as beautiful and precious 

This week didn’t start out too great for Jaida. She started being a little nervous, like she was her first week here. So we’ve been spending more time with familiar people and rebuilding her confidence inside.

Outside, she’s much better! She enjoys doing this “creep stalk” to Rocco when he’s in the second play yard. Jaida will enter the first yard, see Rocco, then ever so slowly creep her way over to the fence line. Once at the fence, she explodes, jumping around and running the fence! She thinks she’s just so sneaky and if she moves slowly enough, Rocco won’t see her. It’s truly the funniest thing I’ve seen in quite a while!

3/31/2023 Jaida and I did a lot of training this week. Jaida listens well and understands all of her commands. She’s a great dog that will be a wonderful addition to a very lucky family.

Jaida loves her toys and playing fetch with a ball that squeaks. We played a lot like that outside this past week.

Jaida is a very loving dog. She loves her people and back rubs–hey, who doesn’t?!

We’re looking forward to the warmer weather and being outside more. Until next week. . .

3/24/2023 Jaida’s Handler let her write her own journal entry again this week.

Hi world, its me, Jaida! I just want everyone to know that I had a TERRIFIC WEEK! I went out to get my nails trimmed with the amazing Michelle at Compassionate Groom and Spa, got to run around off leash in a new fenced area, and I swear, I walked on water (okay, it was a pool cover, but close enough)! When I got back to prison, my Handler was outside waiting with hugs and kisses and I ran to him as fast as lightning!

I also got over my fear of the stairs here. These things are metal and you can SEE THROUGH THEM! They are super scary but I trust my Handler and with his help, I finally conquered my fear! Now I’m completely unstoppable around here! My Handler tells me all the time how awesome I am, that I’m such a sweetheart, and he really helps me face the things that make me nervous. This place might be a little scarier if it wasn’t for him. He’s really helped me to adjust here. I think my favorite thing about this place is everyone has treats and they call give really good back scratches and massages. Its like your own personal spa.

Alright, I have to go stare at some dogs just to see what happens! See ya next week!

3/17/2023 Jaida and her handler continue to build their bond, and it sounds like Jaida is making him work for it too!

Hello world it’s me Jaida! This week has been pretty cool for me! My handler is funny, I love being around him,!he makes me happy and I feel safe with him. As long as he is there, I feel like I can do anything from exploring new areas and even meeting new people! I made friends with Rocco and Finnegan and we all run along the fence line together chasing each other.  It’s super fun, but I would like everyone to know that I am the fastest! If one of the boys happens to beat me, it’s because I let him win 

This week another new dog joined us. His name is Chief. The first time I saw him I had to let him know this was my block (well, when Hazel isn’t around) and I told him he looked like a wonderful snack! But then I we started running together and I guess he’s okay for now.

The girls here are so mean towards me, we all just stare and bark at each other. The handlers tell me that once we get to know each other, they’ll quit staring. They said we don’t have to be friends but we have to learn to be around each other. The girls and I like to get into staring contests and then our handlers freak out when we start barking at each other. It’s super fun . I keep trying to tell my handler that I don’t care, I like the boys better, we get along so good!

Anyway, back to what I’m learning! My handler and I we go for walks daily. He’s starting to introduce me to new places and new people. Most of the people I meet have food for me, so that’s pretty cool. I also taught my handler to play fetch and chase! I fetch the ball and he chases me around to get it back. It’s my favorite game so far!

If you are interested in making Jaida a part of your family, she has a few requirements: no kids under 10, and no other furry pets in the home.

3/10/2023 This week was a good week. Jaida has overcome some of her fears and is more comfortable being out and about. When I first got her she was very nervous being in the new environment. Who could blame her? But as the week went on, I could see her open up and tell she is a great dog.

Jaida has already made some dogs friends here. Rocco is her favorite. She also likes Finn. She’ll run outside in the play yard with them, running back and forth along the fence.

Jaida loves attention, and I think she is already spoiled. She won’t eat unless I sit with her. When I leave my cell, she will stop whatever she is doing, go to the door, and sit and wait there until I return.

Yesterday, we had a power outage for a few hours. I was laying on my bed and Jaida was laying on the floor next to me. When the power suddenly came back on, I think it scared Jaida, and she jumped on the bed with me. It was very cute.

Jaida’s training is going well. She already knows basic commands like come, sit, stay, and wait. I’m working with her to teach her more.

Jaida loves people. She is warming up to everyone here, especially when they have treats to give her. We all treat her like she’s a princess–Princess Jaida!

3/3/2023 Potter, now known as Jaida

On February 24, 2023 I got my new dog, her name is Potter. She’s a 7ish year old rottie mix. We spent the first few days just getting to know each other and teach her her new name, Jaida. She needed a new name that really showed she’s a beautiful and smart girl! I quickly learned that one of her favorite things with me is getting scratches from her hips to her tail! She’ll even back up against you, as if to say, “more please!”

I also learned that when I ask, “Do you want to go outside?” She will tilt her head to the side and starts wagging her tail super fast.

Outside she likes to play with the rope toys, but so far the ball seems to be her favorite. She also really liked running up and down the fence with Rocco and Finnegan. She didn’t know who she liked more!

Her first couple days here she was nervous around all the new people, but a few treats and strangers started to become friends. She’s now happily greeting just about everyone! Jaida is also starting to cuddle up with me too. Everywhere I go she wants to be there too. She is such a cool dog.

Jaida is looking for a home without other pets, as she can be choosy when it comes to sharing personal space. She’d also really like a home with no babies or toddlers, she prefers older, calmer kids. You can apply to adopt Jaida here: