Marley
Marley Age: 4 1/2
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Updated 10/4/11
Now that’s one happy boy! Just check out Marley’s photos, snapped at a recent trip to the home of his “grandparents.” Is this REALLY a three-legged dog? “He does really well with fetching and running,” says his foster mom. “Turns out he actually handles running a lot better than I expected. I think he might be even better at faster speeds, less balancing issues. We were unaware until we got him into a large yard that he could RUN—and run he did.”
For his first several weeks in foster care, Marley had issues with frequent vomiting. We ruled out any serious health issues—turns out, as the vet said, “he just eats too fast.” His family is now using an elevated feeder and a “slow feeder” bowl, shaped to prevent dogs from gobbling their food at high speed. It’s working!
Anyone out there looking for a loving, outgoing, high-energy young fellow with charm to spare? Any family who enjoys Golden energy and is willing to make those few little adjustments to Marley’s feeding needs will be lucky to have this dog!
Updated 8/28/11
Marley is doing fine in foster care. He is such a sweet little guy! He is very healthy despite his missing limb, and he has a beautiful coat. He is calm when we’re all relaxing at the house, but he can get pretty excited when visitors arrive. There’s definitely a “wind-down” period for him—it takes him some time to relax again. We have already learned that we have to time his eating and drinking for his calmer periods so he doesn’t throw up! I think all that hopping is unsettling for his stomach. He needs time to just lie there, relax and digest.
He really is a wonderful dog. Very sweet and loves to give kisses. We have been calling him “Barley,” since we have a close friend with a dog named Marley. I don’t think he knows the difference, because he responds all the same. We just thought it was cute—like hops & barley—because he does all that hopping. :)
Updated 8/26/11
“No ID# yet, male, 3 legged, owner surrender due to other dog in home is attacking him, nice boy, ~ 5 years old. Any chance you can take today?”
The e-mail came in on Sunday afternoon, and volunteer Sarah was at the shelter on Monday morning to collect Marley. The surrendering owners hadn’t had him all his life, and the paperwork didn’t say anything about how he lost one of his front legs—but the amputation isn’t recent, and it sure doesn’t prevent Marley from jumping around with the best of them! “With all the bouncing he does on his single front leg, it was impossible to get a clear photo of him! I sat on a bench and was surprised to find his entire body splayed acrosst my lap 2 seconds later(I have the muddy paw prints on my dress work shirt to prove it!). He just wanted to be petted and stroked. He's an absolute beauty, with a beautiful block head and strong Golden physique. He looks happy and healthy.
“He seems potty trained as he did his business upon exiting the kennel. He was unaffected by the barking dogs and went and pulled towards another dog on the leash to give a friendly sniff. (He pulls a lot harder than I would have expected—totally manageable though.) When we left the shelter he hopped into the car with ease and settled in for the ride to Tanglewood. He almost fell asleep as I petted him during the drive there. At the vet’s his tail was wagging nonstop, making quite a racket thumping against the kennel run wall.”
Marley is a big, handsome, friendly, happy, self-confident guy. A sweetheart! Some lucky family is going to snap this “tripod” up in an instant! We’ll have more details about his personality as he settles into foster care.