Marley

Marley was a stray dog picked up by animal control in Dickinson, ND. There was absolutely no information provided about Marley, except that she was an intact stray female dog. My husband, Tyler, made sure we would only have Marley for a couple weeks until her “forever home” was found. I named her Marley (a dog name I have always love) and my mom knew I hoped for a different outcome.

The pound holds dogs for 10 days, then releases them for adoption. I had planned to pick her up for ABR from the pound on the afternoon of her 11th dog. The volunteer called me back and did not want Marley at the pound a second longer. I picked her up as early as possible on Wednesday morning. Marley and I went home to join our other Brittany-Ruger and Finn-another Brittany we were dog sitting. I always bathe dogs immediately when they get to my house. I scrubbed Marley clean of the “pound” smell and then I will never forgot what happened next. Marley crawling onto my lap after her bath (with me still sitting on the edge of the tub), and I rocked/cuddled her for at least 10 minutes. She wanted to be held and loved the human contact. For the rest of the week (I happened to be off of work due to Christmas break), we snuggled and she slowly warmed up to the other dogs in the home. She was never scared or aggressive, just cautious. Marley had one accident in the house, but figured out where to potty right away.

After a few weeks, we fell more and more in love. Marley gets along so well with Ruger. They compliment each other perfectly, love to play, and go everywhere together. Marley was fixed a few weeks after coming into foster care. She was sore and whining on the couch from the anesthesia the evening of her surgery. Tyler held her and comforted her while I ate supper. He did not want her to be alone. At that moment, he realized she was right where she belongs.

We had a few health concerns about Marley, but she is perfectly health! She was drinking water non-stop and trying to eat her food, Ruger’s food, our food, all food. We had her tested for diabetes due to the high water consumption. Everything came back in normal range! She still drinks quite a bit, but her excessive over-drinking has gone away. She still likes to eat (don’t we all?), but she has stopped pushing Ruger out of the way to get to his food. I don’t know if she needed to learn it would always be there? Either way, she is doing great! She was also nervous about leaving our side during walks. Ruger would run around in the field, but Marley wanted to be held constantly. She has finally overcome that and now runs alongside Ruger to chase birds.

Marley loves when people hold her paw and will take any human attention she can get. She is also learning about the “good life” (we think she was an outdoor dog) of sleeping in the middle of Tyler and I on our king sized bed. On weekend mornings, she likes to wake us up, roll over, and receive belly rubs for as long as possible. Marley and Ruger are an inseparable pair! We also find that caring for two Brittanys is easier than caring for one. They still require several belly rubs and treats from their humans, but they also enjoy wrestling and spending time together. It was a great decision to adopt through American Brittany Rescue!