Loki

4/12/2024. Loki has had an uneventful week. Nothing really good or bad with the exception of Loki because he himself is quite exceptional. What makes him exceptional? Let me tell you. The daily monotony and grind can easily engulf me. With Loki however he wants me focused on the moment not what I did yesterday or thinking about what needs to be done tomorrow just be with Loki in the moment and everything always seems to fall into place. Loki has a way to get me centered and not only present, but to enjoy and cherish the moment too. This is all Loki asks of me is to be present, enjoy the moment, and in return all the noise in my life turns into a peaceful quietness. So, in my opinion, this is why Loki is exceptional!

…HOPE Trainer here…ARI has arranged for our very own Loki to be interviewed by Fox43’s Danielle Miller on May 1st! Be sure to set your DVRs or tune in on the day and we will be sure to share more details as they become available!

Loki is sponsored by Animal Rescue Inc (ARI) and to make him all yours, you can apply here, https://form.jotform.com/90533572444154

4/5/2024 I can’t believe Loki is still here with me after 15 weeks!  He is by far the best dog I’ve been blessed to train.  He’s the perfect balance of energy and chill!  On these rainy days its really hard to get Loki enough exercise but he would rather play inside, then outside anyway!  Even when its nice outside, he prefers to play inside.  The only time he loves playing outside is when there’s snow!  On rainy days Loki likes to do his morning bathroom break and then come right back inside, curl up right beside you, and snooze for a few more hours. 

Also, if you have another dog, or two, or more, Loki would be a PERFECT addition!  Loki is awesome with other dogs!  I think I need to stop talking about how cute, awesome, friendly, and perfect Loki is.  Then again, the true goal is to find Loki his forever home and not try to keep him all to myself!  Yet, its such a bittersweet thought because he’s a dog I love so very much.  I know he deserves a much more enriching life than I can provide him in here.3/29/2024  Loki is extremely popular with the staff, inmates, and of course all the other dogs! Just last week, a new dog named Merlin came into the HOPE program. I feel as though Loki is the unofficial “Walmart Greeter” here at the prison because he happily greets all two and four-legged entities that step onto the block. It took no time at all for Loki to meet Merlin and then just a few days after joining, Merlin‘s favorite way to greet Loki is to preen his face, neck, and front legs. It is the cutest scene in the world and you could see it for yourself, if you want to adopt the most perfect dog in the world…and his buddy too!

 Sure, Loki can be aloof at times but that’s what makes him so fun and special to be around. Just the other day, when Loki was starting to wind down, I began scratching his neck and made his back leg kick back-and-forth. Loki got this wide eyed look of amazement and even some confusion on his face because I don’t think he realized that it was his own leg, and what was making it kick! I could be wrong because Loki didn’t say any of this to me personally but the confused look on his face told me all I need to know. And if you don’t believe me, adopt him and ask him yourself.

3/22/2024 Loki is a VERY picky eater, which makes it harder to do training with him.  Peanut butter is a NO go, most of the training treats are a NO go, except for the Pup-Peroni treats.  And not only is Loki a picky eater, he's also hit or miss with when he wants to eat or even train.  For awhile his training has felt like it stalled out, because consistency is key!

However, I recently found out that Loki is a health nut!  He likes celery, green peppers, and the ultimate training treat for him is provolone cheese!  I just cut it into very small cubes and then training is in session and Loki is full speed ahead!  We are working on his Level 3 Advanced Obedience test, and now that I have figured out his high value treat, we will start working on the Canine Good Citizen Test too!

Loki is doing amazing with his training and learns extremely fast...as long as I have his cheese!

3/15/2024 Loki's training continues daily. Even though he's been here three months now, I still drill his cues every day. The recall cue is one of the most important because I want to make sure that Loki doesn't get into any trouble. Training is all good but one doesn't know how good or bad recall is until it's used in real situations. So being able to call your dog when they're in the middle of play with another dog is vital.

This past week I put Loki's training to the test by having Loki off leash. Booker, the new dog, was on leash. Both dogs had a blast, but more important, Loki would stop play and come to me when given the recall cue.

To take it up a notch, we had Loki and Hazel playing off leash. When I gave Loki the recall cue, he would stop play and come right to me. I'd like to say it's me, but it's really one of the many examples of how Loki is much smarter than me.

Loki is still waiting for his forever home! Free Loki!

3/8/2024 Loki has a new best friend--Booker! Booker lives right next door, so it's really important that Loki and Booker get along.

Loki gave Booker a little time to get acclimated to prison life, then they had a brief encounter--nice and slow because we have nothing but time. . . But, it was quite apparent that the two really took to each other. In fact, I would have to say that Booker is Loki's new favorite--sorry, Sonja!

This is Loki's character, though. He loves all people and all the dogs! Doesn't matter the size, age, male or female, Loki wants to play and then he's good for a nap. . . or two.

Loki is literally the PERFECT dog! So hopefully no one is reading this, and I'll get to keep him for a little longer!

3/1/2024 Just a typical week for Loki. He really likes to attend Bingo on the other side of the housing unit. Bingo is one of the many activities provided to the mental health side of the block. Loki loves to socialize and get people to pet him during Bingo. With 40 to 50 people playing, he takes his time to say hello to everyone. Loki makes sure to stop by each person who has won Bingo because the winners get to pick treats--people treats, not doggie treats. But don't tell that to Loki--he LOVES Slim Jims and Jack Links Beef Jerky because they taste awesomely delicious!

2/16/2024 Loki is such an awesome dog! He had a meet and greet last week with a family that was interested in adopting him, but after the meeting, the HOPE team never heard from them so I guess they decided they didn't want this wonderful boy! So. . . he's still available, which is great for all of you out there looking to adopt an absolutely GREAT dog!

Loki is doing great with everyone and everything! He enjoyed playing in the snow last week, as did all of the dogs here. Heck, even us handlers loved the snow!

2/9/2024 Loki has a new best friend--Sonja. It took them awhile to warm up, but now they love being around each other. If Sonya sees that Loki going outside to the play yard, Sonja makes sure to let her handler know that she wants to go outside too!

Sonja loves to give Loki kisses, and he doesn't seem to mind these PDAs. However, if Loki ignores her, she gives him a little nip at his nose.

Loki and Sonja like to play keep away with toys. If Loki has a toy, Sonja will bark at him until he gives it to her. Then he'll go get another toy, and she'll bark at him until he gives her that one. And this keeps going until Sonja has all of Loki's toys. Then, Loki will start barking at Sonja until she gives him one of the toys, Then he'll do it again, until eventually, all of the toys are back in Loki's possession. Then the process starts all over again. It's hilarious.

I may be a bit biased, but I think that Loki is the favorite of all of the other dogs! And, he's a favorite of a lot of the people here too!

And. . . Loki aced his Level Two Obedience Test!

2/2/2024 Loki starts his mornings by going outside, then comes back in and is the morning greeter. He greets everyone coming in to work and loves to put a smile on everyone's face. There is even a person who never wanted anything to with the dogs here, but this person will pet Loki for a few minutes each morning!

Loki had some interesting experiences this week. First, he was introduced to a vacuum cleaner. While it was running he had his hackles up and was barking, but I was able to calm him and let him know it was okay with treats and some praise for his calmer behavior. He even became comfortable enough to sniff it.

Then, the medical cart pulled into the driveway, and Loki went nuts. Treats to the rescue again! He calmed quickly, then sniffed the cart, and proceeded to ignore it like it had never existed.

Loki is such a great dog--a wonderful combination of energy and chill.

1/26/2024 abc27 came to the prison on Monday to film for a segment they are doing about HOPE. They featured ALL six of the dogs here at the prison, they interviewed one of the handlers, as well as Lynzee our HOPE trainer, and Deputy Superintendant Randy Evans, who has adopted two HOPE dogs.

I might be a bit biased, but Loki did wonderfully in front of the camera. He handled all the commotion and new people in stride.

Loki was a natural in front of the camera and was glad to show off his agility and mad hops. Loki is a star whether the camera is on him or not!

1/12/2024 Loki's week was full of meeting new dogs and experiences. Loki quickly made friends with Bella before she left for her forever home. Loki has also met the rest of the dogs and loves to run the fence with any of them.

We also got about half a foot of snow this past week, which Loki absolutely loved! For hours, we played fetch with a football. I also hid the football in the snow, and Loki would frantically dig to get it out. I also threw some snowballs into the snow, and he was wondering here they went!

Loki is doing great with his training. He has mastered so many commands in the short three weeks he has been here. He is one smart (and super cute) dog!

Stayed tuned for next week to find out if he passed his Level One Obedience Test!

1/05/2024 Loki's second week in the "Big House" has gone really well. He's adjusting great to prison life (better than me)!

He isn't however, very keen on any of the food we have here--can't blame him! I've been playing around with wetting his food to see if that will help. He doesn't like it dry or too wet--he likes it just right! But his pickiness about the food has really worked to my advantage in training him, because he LOVES treats! He has already mastered sit, down, paw, back up, load up, touch, off, side, and other side. He's ready to take his Level 1 Obedience Test--stay tuned to see if he passes!

Loki has proved to be a super chill dog. We were out in the dayroom, where it is VERY noisy, lots of commotion, lots of inmates about. . . what does Loki do? He plops down and goes to sleep! Not bothered one bit by all the noise! He realizes he can chill just about anywhere.

The other night when I was playing Dominoes, Loki jumped on top of the table and laid down to go to sleep! The one caveat is that he'll stick his front paw up in the air. He'll hold it there until I touch his paw and hold it, then he'll lay down and go to sleep. It's so darn cute!