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Belmont County sheriff’s dog ‘Loki’ turns 1 year old

Photo Provided LOKI WAITS patiently to enjoy his treats during his birthday party to celebrate him turning 1 year old on March 9.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Loki, the Belmont County Sheriff’s Department’s unofficial mascot, turned 1 year old on March 9.

The dog, purchased by Sheriff Dave Lucas as his personal pet last year, celebrated the occasion on Tuesday with Lucas and children attending the department’s Explorers program.

Loki even patiently posed for photos before diving into his favorite treat — ice cream. He also received a cake from “Unique Treats by Jacquie.”

“He jumped into the chair and waited until he got permission before he tore into the ice cream,” Lucas said.

Loki is a mixed-breed pomeranian-husky. Lucas previously said though the dog is his pet, he believed it would also provide some stress relief to employees who work at the department who often must deal with serious cases and subject matter.

“He’s pretty much my partner in crime,” Lucas said. “He comes to the office every day. He’s like our mascot. K-9s are more serious dogs, and he is more laid back. He greets everyone in the morning and gets all the pets in that he can.”

Lucas said the employees have enjoyed having Loki around, too.

“If they notice he’s not here, they say, ‘Where’s Loki?” he said.

Lucas said Loki weighed 5 pounds and was 8 weeks old when he got him from a breeder in Utah. Loki was flown into Columbus, where Lucas picked him up. Now Loki weighs 32 pounds and is expected to stay about that size.

Lucas said in the future he plans to have Loki trained as a therapy dog. For now, he still has a lot of puppy in him, Lucas said.

Lucas said the department already has one therapy dog, Jersey, that works at the Belmont County Courthouse, spending time with its handler, Deputy Jennifer Yuhase.

Jersey is a Saint Bernard who is a certified therapy dog.

“She’s like the mascot of the courthouse. People bring her gifts. It’s unbelievable how a dog will make a difference,” he said.

Lucas said Jersey provides stress relief in general for those who meet her, but she’s also used to help children who need to testify for court cases.

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