My English Setter Rescue, Loki (from Turkey!) & His First Week in Wisconsin
- Notes From The Frontier
- Mar 26
- 4 min read
I've always had English Setter rescues in the past and have been looking to adopt a new dogn (or two💙). But the old-fashioned English line of "Laverack" setters common in Britain and Europe are very hard to find in the States (as rescues). So I found a Laverack in Turkey, where the dogs are used often in the countryside of Turkey, then abandoned.
Here's Loki's first week with us in Wisconsin, in pictures and text.
Loki came from amazing dog rescue called "The Garden" outside of Istanbul. Turkey has a horrible stray dog problem on their streets. My daughter lived in Istanbul as a Middle East correspondent for several years. Evan and I saw first-hand all the stray dogs that roamed Istanbul's streets. The Turkish people are wonderful about taking care of these dogs, feeding them, watering them, building houses for them and even paying to take them to vets for vaccinations and care. But their city homes are small and they cannot take them in. The Garden is huge and houses more than 700 dogs of all types. It has many, many acres and dogs are well managed, well fed and cared for with the help of an American nonprofit called "Tattered Paws & Golden Hearts." Tattered Paws has been vetting dogs are the Garden for adoption in the U.S. and Canada. Recently, they adopted their 1,000th dog from the Garden!
Anyone who has adopted a rescue dog from the Humane Society or a rescue nonprofit can attest to the simply spectacular efforts they make to care for the dogs, ensure they are vaccinated, their diseases or maladies are addressed, and the vetting process to ensure that the humans who take them into their families are worthy and caring. I've adopted at several English Setter rescue nonprofits and they are all amazing, as is Tattered Paws. (See my post on Saturday about these rescue organizations and why all my dogs have been rescues.)
Oftentimes, little is known about the dogs that end up at The Garden in Turkey (or most shelters in the States, for that matter.) We know that Loki was surrendered to a shelter in the Konya, a large city in central Turkey, and the home of the famous ancient poet Rumi. Rumi and his family moved there in the early 1200s from what is today Afghanistan to escape the Mongol invasion led by Genghis Kahn.
Loki was found in that shelter. Because he is an English Setter, Emre and Tattered Paw found him and moved him to The Garden, where he could be vetted for adoption. Now that we've had Loki a week, I am certain that he had a very loving owner, most probably a man (since Loki responded very strongly to Evan in the beginning). Loki is an amazing dog, very, very affectionate, well-trained and extremely well-behaved. He sits patiently while waiting to be fed and responded instantly to the Turkish command for "sit: otermak. He also responds to the Turkish words for "good boy": iyi çocuk .
I am trying to find out more about Loki's background. As a writer, I've already imaged a scenario: he was owned by an old man who dearly loved him and spent much time with him. Maybe the old man died, or had to go to a care home. I can't imagine giving Loki up unless there was some horrible emergency.
I also can't imagine how Loki suffered when he was abandoned. English Setters are famous for being extremely sensitive and very, very devoted to their humans.
If that [imagined] old Turkish man is still alive, I would like him to know Loki landed in the most loving home possible! 🥰
I also believe that Loki was an outside dog. When he tried to take him inside, he balked and would not come in. Whe we coaxed him in, his tail was between his legs and we had to gently drag him in. But he learned very quickly that he was allowed to come inside with us. But as he got to know our home, he was always afraid to pass through door jams. In his previous life, he was certainly not allowed inside.
It was the same with furniture privileges. He would not jump up on furniture. We had to lift him up! But he is a very smart dog and learned very quickly that we would be a part of our family and would live with us indoors.
But he still loves, loves, loves to be outside and runs like crazy in our huge back yard. He is also definitely a hunting dog and he stalks every living critter he's seen in our back yard and our three-mile walkies. (See below.)
How incredibly lucky Evan and I are to have Loki. A match made in heaven--and dog heaven too. Stay tuned for more Loki adventures. And see my post on Saturday about why I am so devoted to rescue dogs and how you can adopt a rescue too.
Thank you for sharing this journey with Loki🙏💙
You may be interested in these related posts:
Indians & Their Dogs
Prairie Pets
https://www.notesfromthefrontier.com/post/prairie-companions
Custer's Dogs
"My English Setter Rescue, Loki & His First Week in Wisconsin" was first published on Notes from the Frontier and Facebook on March 26, 2025.
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