LOKI – An Update

A couple of weeks ago I put up the poster in order to raise funds for LOKI.  A deadline date had been given to me of May 31st to get him off the streets of Hay River, NT.  Thankfully I was able to obtain a time extension from Town Officials.

Darting of Loki was planned for this past Friday, June 1, however the ENR Officer who will be darting Loki for me, came by the house mid afternoon Friday, and due to the number of calls he had to go out on concerning bears, as well as lynx, the darting of LOKI was postponed.  New time and date is yet to be set up.

LOKI was here yesterday, actually wanted to know what I was doing in my storage shed, he is the curious type. He also joined in the walk with ‘Henri’, and the two young ladies walking their kids in their strollers, yesterday. The women live a few doors down from me, and Loki regularly walks with them when they take the kids out. He looked so proud and happy, trotting in front of them, head and tail held high.

He had a good brunch and long drink of cool water in my backyard with me yesterday, and I was with him on Friday as well.

The ENR Officer checked out the dog run, and felt I had everything set up well for Loki; I washed out a large pet bed of Hemi’s for him, used $83.78 of the donations to purchase a 20′ nylon lunge line, a 15′ heavy duty tie out, a humane nylon training collar, and a regular wide nylon collar and leash. The lunge line I will use as an ‘umbilical cord’ which will be attached to my person and to Loki so that where I go he will go.

I wrapped a tarp around one end of the dog run, on the outside, which will give Loki additional shade and a hiding spot from curious eyes from the road. I also hung the fake wasp/hornet nests in the backyard trees, that deter those nasties from coming around. The screening has been ordered to enclose the whole dog run but has yet to arrive. This will keep all the nasties out so that he will not be a meal to those awful bugs.

I also cut down and trimmed the trees and cut down the wild roses out back, as I don’t want any of them spreading into the run. Those thorns are nasty. Today I will remove the remnants of the brush, lumber and continue getting the backyard ready for him so that when I bring him out of the run, we will have no obstructions or anything he can get tangled into.

What with the Town extending the deadline date, and with the ENR Officer  having to go out on bear calls, it may have been just as well that I did not get Loki here on Friday. The vet will be back mid June I believe, so if darting is still a week away that may be a good thing if the vet is available.

In the meantime, I will spend time with Loki as we have been all along. When he was here yesterday he did not seem at all nervous to be eating near the dog run at all..another good thing, he has accepted that it is in my backyard now.

I received a lovely call from Jean M  (Ontario) last evening, which came as quite the surprise. Of course we talked about Loki. Jean follows Loki’s FB page 

 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Friends-of-LOKI-Sole-survivor/188340937903082?fref=ts

I must tell all of you that if it were not for the donations that came in from Ontario, BC and Alberta, none of this would be possible. Loki received one donation from a Hay River resident, despite the article being published in the paper here, the posters that I put up everywhere in town and the posters I put on the local online groups here in the NWT. To say that I am extremely disappointed and hurt by the lack of donations here in town and across the NWT is an understatement given the 3 year battle I went through at my own personal expense to get the new NWT Dog Act legislated.

A very special thank you to Darlene, with a rescue organization in Ontario for having held a fund raiser for Loki.  Those whom Darlene was able to get donations from have certainly helped this cause.  Fund raisers are not easy, they are time consuming, require volunteers and are a lot of work to put together.

It is what it is, as they say. Once Loki and I begin this new chapter in our journey together, all will remain in God’s hands, just as it has been since we began our journey in October 2010.

This is one of the earlier pictures of LOKI back in 2010, when I first began going out to him.  He was a youngster at this time.  Every day, often 3 times daily, I would make the trek across the ravine, bringing him food and fresh water.  At that time we were building trust, he did not come to my property at all back then.  He would play hide and seek in the dandilions  

Loki has come a very long way from that scrawny scared  youngster, he is now a magnificent, beautiful and mature gentle soul, who deserves a loving forever home which I fully intend to give to him.

Before the snow flies once again in October, my goal is to have Loki feeling comfortable enough to be bringing him inside, being friends with all my own pets, except I will keep my bunny away from him, and looking forward to the warmth and safety of his forever home. He won’t have to hold up against frigid winds, blowing snow, rains and all manner of crazy weather, alone out there and be a meal to bulldogs, mosquitoes and other nasties.

  Here in my backyard last summer, we enjoyed quiet time together, and now this will be his permanent backyard, where he will be safe, protected and very much loved and cared for.

LOKI wishes to thank all of those total strangers in Ontario, BC and Alberta, he has never met, who have rallied around him, who have made donations, who have put in the time and energy to raise funds for him, he thanks the two reporters who published his story, and he also wants to thank all of you who continue to message and email their support, encouragement and love.