Not only is the up-and-coming North Loop neighborhood home to the Fast Horse office, but the ‘hood is also home to dozens of city-dwelling pups in the surrounding dog-friendly apartments. We see them out for walks every day, and we recognize a few familiar furry faces among the bunch. (North Loopers apparently love huskies.) I had the opportunity to get up close and personal with a few North Loop dogs.

Aggie, Siberian Husky
Age: 1 year, 6 months — just a pup.
North Loop Tenure: Since she came home.
Favorite Treat: A health-conscious pup, Aggie actually likes vegetables, specifically cucumbers and celery at the moment. 
Perfect Saturday Afternoon: First, get super dirty at the Elm Creek Dog Park and then settle in for some family time on the couch. We all howl together and have a big, loud conversation. Then we apologize to our neighbors for making a bunch of noise.
Any strange quirks: Her humans describe her as more like a cat than a dog. She is incredibly independent and sits in the windowsill to look over the entire North Loop like her kingdom.

Ron Swanson, Great Dane and Komondor
Age: 4 months and already 45 lbs
Neighborhood Tenure: Been in the North Loop since December 11.
Favorite Treat: Human contact. Ron will bark at people who walk past him and don’t pet him, as if he’s offended they didn’t stop.
Perfect Saturday Afternoon: Playing in the North Loop dog park with the other North Loop puppies (and their owners, sometimes more than the dogs), followed by some serious snuggling on the couch.
Does Ron Swanson Like Breakfast Food? We’re not sure if he likes waffles as much as the actual Ron Swanson, but he does recognize the word “breakfast.” 

Kali, Siberian Husky
Age: 15 weeks
Neighborhood Tenure: One month — the new girl in town.
Favorite Treat: Green beans and anything her humans are eating
Perfect Saturday Afternoon: Kali is a social young lady, so she loves going to play with other puppies at the local humane society. Puppy socialization is important for mental and physical growth — plus it’s the cutest thing you’ve ever seen.
What are her life aspirations? An aspiring sled dog, Kali likes to run as fast as she can around her small North Loop digs, making what her humans can only assume are sled dog noises.

Dolce, Rodesian Ridgeback
Age: 6 years old
Neighborhood Tenure: Her whole life.
Favorite Treat: Never met a treat she didn’t like, but she loves loves raw beef bones.
Perfect Saturday Afternoon: After a long morning of lazily hanging out with her humans, Dolce will politely ask to go to the North Loop dog park to play with other dogs or to just lay in the sunshine. Dolce’s strict sunbathing regiment includes alternating between sun and shade and can take hours. Or until her dad makes her leave, whichever comes first.
Special Quirk: Dolce’s mom is Brazilian and speaks Portuguese around the house. Dolce seems to prefer Portuguese so much so that I had to learn what to say in Portuguese in order to communicate, despite initially having done all of Dolce’s training in English.

Suka, Siberian Husky
Age: 3 years old
Neighborhood Tenure: Lived in the North Loop for a few years, originally from North Carolina.
Favorite Treat: Steak. And everything.
Perfect Saturday Afternoon: Suka lives to hunt the elusive squirrels of Theodore Wirth Park.
What is Suka’s super power? He’s a dog speedometer. Suka can be sound asleep in the backseat, but as soon as he senses the car has slowed to below 40 mph, he instantly wakes to paw at the window until his people roll it down to feel the breeze in his fur.

Nikita, Siberian Husky
Age: About a year, maybe. She’s a rescue, so her people aren’t totally sure.
Neighborhood Tenure: 6 months.
Favorite Treat: The treats from the Spyhouse baristas. At this point they have them ready when they see her come in.
Perfect Saturday Afternoon: Running. Running at the dog park, at a friend’s house, down the apartment hallway when she jailbreaks out the front door. Then a good long nap and a trip to a dog-friendly patio to meet new people.
When meeting Nikita, one can expect: Nikita leans in for a kiss like a teenage boy: slowly, deliberately and eyes wide open.