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| Name: |
Marco
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Age: |
Three years old
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| Gender: |
Male |
Breed: |
Husky mix
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| Home: |
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA |
Introducing Marco (also known as Mr. Marco, Big Man, Heavy Head, Chompy Chomper, Big Guy, Marco Man, Marvelous Marco, Little Man, Pully Pants). He is a Husky mix, perhaps with German Shepherd.
We were not looking to adopt another dog when we first saw Mr. Marco's picture on Facebook. We couldn't be happier (or so we thought) with our beautiful baby boy, a husky named Desmond, that we had rescued from Idaho a year and a half earlier. We thought our family was complete. One day, Mom saw a picture of a scared and very disheveled husky who had been found roaming the streets near Gooding, Idaho. Unbeknownst to us at the time, he had been taken to a shelter who had decided he was "unadoptable" after his legal hold was up and was preparing to euthanize him. All we knew at the time was that there was a plea from a rescue organization for a "husky savvy foster family" to help this boy, who showed signs of aggression, fear and being the victim of abuse and neglect. After long consideration, Mom and Dad decided we could give fostering a try. Little did we know that our decision hadn't come a moment too soon, as Daddy Dave (Marco's rescue daddy) was already en route to pick up Marco, who was scheduled to be euthanized in an hour.
Daddy Dave spent an hour on the phone with Mom before Marco was transported to us, educating us on Marco and his special needs. When Marco finally arrived at the meet up spot after a long journey from Idaho, we were off to a bit of a rough start. Now, we have since talked extensively as a family about whether or not to share this next part of the story in all of its glory. We have come to the conclusion that it is an integral part of our story that, if shared, has the power to help many humans and doggies who need and deserve second and third chances at a happy life. And so, here goes.
Mr. Marco jumped out of the transport truck and immediately ran over to Mom, leaning his big, but slender and long side body up against her legs. In all Mom's excitement, she forgot everything important and leaned over to cuddle this giant boy. He, in turn, gave a growl and moved away, frightened, but still curious, with a hopeful look in his eyes. He then saw Dad and ran over to again lean his side body against Dad's legs. Dad lost his mind, too, and leaned right over to snuggle this guy. And then Mr. Marco bit Dad on the neck. Yes, he even drew blood. This whole situation happened extremely fast. After getting over the initial shock, Dad and Mom went over the situation again and again and talked about what had happened over and over. We finally decided that the biggest mistakes that had been made were by us and that Marco deserved a little time and observation. And if anyone needed to be reprimanded, it was his new and inexperienced foster parents. With a little training and forgiveness, we knew we could become the right parents for him.
Over the next few months, we proceeded forward with great caution. Mom and Dad learned how to read Marco's body language and pick up on his cues. We learned the special attention and care it took to reward good behavior and correct unwanted behavior in a dog who initially thought that we would just beat him like most of the humans he had met before. It truly didn't take long before we proved to Marco that he could trust us. After a short time fostering him, we decided he needed to officially become a part of our family!!
It's now just a little over a year later, and Mr. Marco's personality is blossoming! We have not had any more problems with biting and he no longer cowers in the corner at the drop of a hat or rolls timidly onto his back in fear when we approach him. He now loves just about everything, except for being bathed or brushed, and has even won over his fur brothers Desmond and Jack (the ginger tabby). He loves going for walks, wrestling with Desmond and snuggling on the couch for a nap with his Mom and Dad. He thinks he's a lap dog and wants nothing more than to give kisses to his favorite humans. He has earned the nick name "Heavy Head" by resting his chin on every piece of furniture while standing. He has such a sweet and loving disposition that no one who meets him believes his rescue story. We weren't imagining having a second dog in our husky pack, and now we can't imagine our pack without him!! Thank you to everyone who made it possible for "unadoptable dog" to rescue us.
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