loki shire

Loki Shire ACCT-A-211763 is currently considered urgent and at risk of euthanasia due to medical and behavioral concerns. Loki Shire must have confirmed placement with a RESCUE PARTNER by SUNDAY, JULY 20TH at 10AM. Should Loki Shire's medical or behavioral status change, his urgency and timeline for placement may also change.

Loki Shire came to ACCT Philly after living in a home for nearly two years. His previous owner described struggling with Loki?s high energy, anxiety, and escalating needs that they were no longer able to manage?especially after Loki began chewing on the tip of his own tail, an injury that requires amputation. Despite multiple attempts at keeping him, they ultimately made the decision to surrender him to the shelter on July 9th.
Though clearly overwhelmed in the shelter, Loki Shire is showing us small glimmers of hope. He?s been described by staff and volunteers as scared but compliant, allowing leashing and gentle handling despite visibly trembling and attempting to avoid contact. In quiet moments, Loki has shown interest in gentle pets and even took treats after returning to his kennel. His interactions with another dog, Parker, were cautious and reserved?he consistently chose avoidance and displayed appropriate de-escalation behaviors, such as sniffing the ground or walking away. Given his severe separation anxiety, self-mutilation, and history of reactivity and resource guarding in the home, Loki Shire is rescue-only. He is urgently seeking placement with a rescue partner who can address his medical and behavioral needs.

VIDEOS:
Meet timestamped Loki Shire: https://youtube.com/shorts/1pV6eHRjb_M?si=cPk6LnLd85LWMWR1

Loki Shire is low key loving: https://youtube.com/shorts/R2I87bfU6MA?si=n1zy5fjqSX0CYr2r

Meeting volunteer Dan for the first time: https://youtube.com/shorts/Zz_IoQL1KTQ?si=rF23pBXsDEsRZdmI

Sweet sensitive boy Loki Shire: https://youtube.com/shorts/aO2rsqJnRmg?feature=share

Loki Shire meets Chick, short meet version: https://youtu.be/_mAz45fUBbA?si=aSPcHVCJFgba7xtl

Loki Shire and Parker: https://youtu.be/yf39ywhC27w
Loki Shire and Parker 2: https://youtu.be/u36vIHjyt3c

Behavior notes --
Per volunteer on 7/16: I took Loki out for some promo on Wed; at that point he was not on the timestamp list. On Thursday he was added for medical and behavior issues and is rescue only. He was laying on his bed, but didn't get up when I opened the kennel door so I lassoed him, and with a gentle tug, he stood. He slowly came forward and stepped out.His tail was tucked as we walked.
He was very calm walking through the aisles, showed interest in some of the dogs in the surgical kennels, by nicely sniffing them.
We passed several people on our way into the large yard, and he kept on walking, observing them cautiously and gave them a wide berth.
He is very easy to walk, barely pulling.
He had minimal interest in toys - initially chased them but really didn't retrieve or play with any.
He did come to me for pets, leaned against my leg and seems to enjoy the pets.
I'm not sure he knows sit, but he did take treats gently.
We walked to the grassy spot, where he stood on my lap, gave me some kisses, and I gave him lots of pets.
He didn?t bother with his tail at all during our time. He was not wearing his cone. I had no issues returning him to his kennel. He is such a handsome boy, very affectionate and well-mannered.

Per volunteer on 7/13: When Loki saw me approach his kennel he quickly retreated to the other side and was visibly shaking. I lowered the barrier and he allowed me to leash him despite being terrified. Outside, he immediately relieved himself and we took a 10 minute walk around the property before going into a run. He was wearing a cone for medical reasons which I took off for his time outside and he didn't go for his tail at all. In the run, he sniffed the perimeter for a few minutes. He didn't approach me but he did allow me to pet him when I approached him. I couldn't easily figure out how to put his cone back on but he tolerated me truly manhandling him to get it back on without any issues. We returned to his kennel with no problems. He didn't take treats from me outside but finally took some cheese after I put him back in his kennel. Poor guy is terrified to be back here and is trying to be brave. He did great for the photoshoot.

Per staff 7/13:
Kennel presentation: He was laying down in the back of his kennel with head up, ears to the side and soft squinty eyes with averted gaze. When trying to get him to come to the front, he remained in place so I went around to the back. When I came to the back gate, he stood up and dipped his head low and was easy to leash with tail low, not wagging.
Leash skills: Walks on a loose leash, with tentative and hesitant body language navigating through the kennels to the outside, tail low and still, eyes darting, ears back, slightly hunched posture.
Sociability: I took him into an outside pen, and he was avoiding me when I was standing up. I sat down and he came into my space. I offered treats and he declined. He then walked away to sniff, and I called him back over and he approached with head low and tail low wagging just at the end, indicating nervousness. He refused to take a treat. I slowly and gently touched him on his head, back and sides, and he was unfazed, not soliciting attention when I stopped, and instead walked away.
Play: No interest
Dog interaction: Met Parker homes through the fence and then on leash, approached the fence with his body to the side, tail middle and stiff, ears to the side and stiff and overall tense body, mouth closed, eyes orienting towards parker. Parker was barking at him and play bowing, and Loki would look at him and then walk away. On leash as we approached parker he would stop and sniff the ground , likely a displacement behavior to try to avoid the interaction. Parker would bark and do small lunges towards him and play bows, Loki averted his gaze and would keep a distance, sniffing the ground. when sniffing parker, Loki had his ears back his tail middle or down and still, tense body, closed mouth, walked away consistently during each interaction.
Return to kennel: Navigating through the kennels again, he was hesitant walking by people and things like a mop bucket, he would lean away and have whale eye with ears back and tail down. When he saw his kennel, he picked up his pace and hopped right in and was easy to remove the leash.
Color level: Blue

Per staff 7/10: Sitting frozen with whale eye at the back of the kennel, averting gaze. Wouldn?t eat offered treats. Stepped in to leash him, he flinched and with light leash pressure he walked slowly to the exam room.
Frozen and still for the exam, tolerant of all medical handling to his tail, mouth closed and lip licks, whale eye, very still and tense body.
Walked more quickly back to kennel and scrambled to hop back in, leaned back and away as I took the leash off.

Summary of owner surrender forms:
Loki was surrendered after living with his owner for approximately two years. The owner submitted multiple surrender requests over several months. The first, in January, cited a lack of time, and they accepted rehoming resources. In April, they reached out due to behavioral concerns and were provided training resources but later requested a surrender appointment. An appointment was scheduled for May but was cancelled; another was made later that month, but Loki was not brought in. On July 8th, the owner contacted the shelter again?this time citing both behavioral and medical concerns. Loki was surrendered the following day.

Three forms were filled out requesting medical and behavioral information about Loki. Most information on the forms matched, but there were a few slight differences over time. He was described as extremely high energy, playful, and affectionate, but also presented a number of behavioral challenges that ultimately became too much for his owner to manage. The owner reported that Loki is not fully housebroken, frequently having accidents and occasionally marking indoors. He has separation anxiety and becomes highly stressed when crated?often attempting to escape. He was walked two to three times a day for about 15?20 minutes and ate dry Dog Chow twice daily. His favorite snacks included peanut butter and ?anything,? and he especially enjoyed toys like squeaky toys, stuffed animals, rope toys, and puzzle toys with treats. Loki knows several basic commands including his name, sit, lay down, stay, and down. Loki?s favorite activities included going for walks, running, exploring, tug-of-war, being petted, playing with other animals, and spending time with his people.

However, he also struggled with behavioral issues including: separation anxiety, destructive chewing, mouthing/play biting, excessive barking, leash reactivity and pulling, food and toy/resource guarding, reactivity/aggression toward cats and other dogs, reactivity toward strangers, and possibly children (owner initially marked ?don?t know,? then ?aggressive,? then left blank), and marking indoors (added in the most recent form). Although Loki has never bitten a person or animal, he was described as reactive, particularly while eating or when seeing other animals. His owner noted he barks, growls, and lunges?especially at cats and wildlife, showing a high prey drive.

The owner described Loki as a striking dog, noting affectionately that his nose is shaped like a heart?one of their favorite things about him. When asked what Loki?s perfect home would look like, his owner shared the following over time: ?Their perfect home would be someone who is able to provide as much attention to him as possible. A large backyard that he can run around in and lots of play time.? ?Someone with lots of time to give attention and patience. Playful and loving.? ?Someone who can afford to keep up with his antics. Someone who has the time and patience to spend with him and play with him.? These responses reflect a consistent desire for Loki to find an active, attentive, and patient home?one that can meet both his physical and emotional needs.

MEDICAL:
7/17/25 ? Vet recheck scheduled to assess continued trazodone needs and treatment progress.

7/10/25 ? Began trazodone, gabapentin, amoxicillin/clavulanate, and carprofen treatment for tail injury and pain management. Urinalysis completed. Results showed elevated bilirubin, leukocytes, pH 7.5, and ketones.

7/9/25 ? Eyes - clear, bit red. Ears - couldn't see he was too tense. Nose - moist. Mouth/Teeth/Gums - pink gums teeth looked white. Coat & Skin - clean no love fleas. Urogenital - male no testicles. Gait/Mobility - no lameness. Attitude: bar very tense and scared.

Per his owner surrender notes, Loki was brought to a vet on June 14th, where it was determined that Loki had a limp in his back right leg and had chewed the tip of his own tail while the owner was away for a few hours, likely due to stress and anxiety. His owner was advised the tail would need amputation, but could not afford the surgery.

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Due to being significantly overcapacity with dogs and cats and higher than usual intake, extensions are unlikely to be granted. If you are interested in an animal please contact ACCT Philly immediately.

Due to limited space, timestamps may also be proceeded with early so it is imperative to let us know if you are considering adopting or tagging a dog or cat.

ACCT Philly is located at 111 West Hunting Park Ave in Philadelphia. We are open for adoptions 7 days a week. Please visit www.acctphilly.org/adopt for details.

If you are a rescue interested in pulling this animal, please email our lifesaving team, or visit here if you are not currently a rescue partner: https://acctphilly.org/acct-philly-love-local-partnership-program/

Confirmed placement is considered confirmation of an actual rescue pull. Possible placement, interested parties, and other \"TBD\" statuses are not considered confirmed and do not indicate an animal is no longer urgent.

All animals at ACCT Philly are from Philadelphia, as the only open intake animal shelter in Philadelphia, we are not able to accept animals from outside of Philadelphia. ACCT Philly?s Pennsylvania kennel license number is 08313.