Marley -n- Me

Let’s chat a moment about the “here” that I referenced in a previous post. I talked about Marley’s adoption story and will give you only the Cliff Notes version of how we arrived “here” today.

We adopted Marley in 2006. I helped put on a fundraiser for a rescue in 2007. We started fostering dogs for local rescues in 2008. In 2009, we fostered our first medical dog, a dog with Demodex mange that nobody else would foster and the rescue asked me to foster for the holiday weekend so he wasn’t the only dog that had to stay in the shelter alone. After that, I was hooked on helping the medically compromised, discarded, and forgotten souls on four (and three) legs. In 2010, we fostered more dogs and we foster failed and adopted our second dog Rosie.

Rosie

In 2011, I started a rescue with two of the greatest people that I met along my rescue journey. Fast forward to today, Marley has now helped me foster, train, rehabilitate and adopt over 150 dogs. I wish I had a list of all the dogs that came through our home, it would be pretty interesting to say the least to reminisce!

Marley has helped me save and impact so many of these animals lives. We take in the broken, disparaged, displaced dogs. They come in to live in our home. We care for them. We get them medically sound. We offer them safety and stability. And then we watch them walk out healthy, confident and stronger versions of themselves.

Probably my favorite story in our rescue journey together was Bella. Some people heard puppies crying in an abandoned garage in Detroit and peaked in to see what was happening. Low and behold there were nine two day old puppies and their Mom, dirty and covered in motor oil and soot. Within hours, these kind people contacted a rescue outreach group and the doggie family was rushed into an emergency vet for care. Mom was not producing milk because she was so emaciated and so tube and bottle feeding started immediately for all nine puppies. The babies starting dieing one by one despite immediate medical interventions. The rescue organization and vet staff were crushed with each loss.

Every puppy died…except for one. Baby Bella.

Baby Bella

That is where my rescue was asked to help. Mom still needed to be hospitalized before she was ready to come into our foster home but a vet clinic or a shelter is no place for a newborn, bottle feeding baby. We were asked to take this baby immediately and Mom once she was healthy enough to be released from the vet hospital. I brought this tiny baby into my home, not knowing exactly what to do but relying on trusted mentors and doing lots of googling.

Make no mistake about it. This tiny baby, not even one pound yet, became Marley’s baby. She was there for every single every two-hour feeding making sure I was doing it right. She was up in the middle of the night with me. She cleaned her. She kept her warm. She did the motherly duty of stimulating her to go potty. (Gross, I know, but nature/nurture guys!) She taught her doggy manners. And she helped me make sure this one lone survivor actually survived. Marley raised this baby, Bella.

Bella May 2017

Bella turned into an absolutely wonderful, healthy companion. Better yet, she stayed in the family and was adopted by my brother and sister-in-law in Virginia. In fact, in our trip last month to Virginia, Marley was able to see Bella again after having been adopted five years ago.  Bella’s Mom was subsequently released from the hospital and she was adopted shortly after to a doting couple in Ann Arbor where she lives in the laps of luxury.

I believe it was the last time that Marley will be able to see Bella. But how wonderful that she got to see her baby once again before she passes. I don’t know how much time Marley has. But it doesn’t matter. She has done so much. She has impacted so many human and canine lives. And regardless if Marley is with me in the flesh or in spirit, she will always be with me rescuing the next dog. I will never be without her. She inspired that. And for that she will always be my hero.