Mug shots

This is my Mama "Marley" on the left and me "Dunkin" on the right. Mama Marley is doing well, she is "very protective" of her humans though. I am growing like a Hybrid Poplar, nearly 8 months old now and approx. 75-80 pounds. Our human mom took these pictures of us while we were enjoying the cool breeze. We are usually digging through the flower bed at high rates of speed and slamming into each other somewhere right around where we are sitting right now.

This is Gramps, 13 year old lab mix, goes by the name "Buzzy" he's still one tuff dog so don't be fooled by this picture. He gets some special treatment and is allowed to chill on the sofa from time-to-time. Buzzy taught us how to bark at the cats when they are spotted way down the road and when they start up the driveway, how to chase them over the garden fence. Scaredy cats!!! LOL

Come on, just look at me, do I look like I could do this?

I thought so... Marley did it... No Dunkin did it... Afraid not Marley did it

At any rate, our human mom got a real life lesson on how to re-upholster the arm of her couch, she did such a nice job the first time, we did it again the very next day. Now, when she goes away she pushes the coffee table against the couch, and puts Mama Marley upstairs with Gramps.

Thanks To You Mama Marley, We Have A Keeper

As some of you may remember, this pup started out being called, "Brownie" due to the color of yarn used in identifying each of the eight puppies, this is him at 6 days old.

This is he, just alittle over one month old here... Folks, meet "Dunkin"

Look at him now, he is just two month old; actual date of this picture Apr.18, 2009 ( I really need to reset the date on our digital) We have decided (well, that's a royal we, meaning me) we couldn't part with this little guy. Just like our old Lab mix this puppy seemed to be very vocal, he whimpered and whined alot.

Speaking of which, he is calling me to go out for a potty break, BRB...

GOOD BOY!

I'm so impressed at how quickly Dunkin catches on, this is great news. I intend on putting Dunkin through a number of training classes and into agility, for anyone who has owned a retreiver knows they are an energetic breed requiring hours of playtime.

Here you see Marley "helping me out" in the process of calming Dunkin down. Marley loves to show her son the ropes, she is teaching him how to defend himself and it is funny to watch. As, I've mentioned Dunkin catches on very quick. Marley will agitate Dunkin until he is chasing her around the livingroom, grabbing at her tail, chewing on her ear, latching onto Marley's collar, even grabbing hold of her lip. Just when you think they've had enough, a new round starts with a ball the other one wants, or the knotted rope in a game of tug-of-war. Hubby and I sit back a chuckle often saying "Dunkin is going to be a big boy" when he grows up, definately, going to tower over Mama Marley.

Marley's day with the Vet

Today, Marley went to the veterinarians to be altered (spayed) poor girl. She has let herself gain total trust in our family. To the point, that she has become very territorial, if she spots someone walking down the road she goes after them, hair standing on her back, barking furiously. When she is following someone down the road barking and we call to her, she gets closer to the people walking, rather than listening to our calls. Hubby, spoke to the Vet about this today, as Marley having been so afraid of people when she was dropped off in our neighborhood back in August of 2008 seems as if she may bite you out of fear.

I called Hubby earlier to check on how Marley did when they arrived at the Vets office, she was terrified, shaking all over, after explaining to the Veterinarian her past history as we know of it, he was willing to let Marley stay on her leash rather than in a cage, hoping to let her get aquainted with him and his staff members.

It breaks our hearts, to think that Marley had been abused so badly, to the point she trusts no one outside this family. We hope and pray, that our family can and will be able to prove to Marley, not all people are cruel. We'd love to put Marley in class with her son Dunkin, however, with her being this terrified of other people, we must work through that first.

Any dog whisperers out there that would be willing to guide this family and the dog who chose us to a better way of life with strangers...

Who Knew

From assisting in the delivery, to getting up 2 or 3 times each night, dragging Momma Marley with me, into the whelping box we would go. Marley was not keen on getting into the box with a litter of 8 screaming babies, she needed someone to hold her paw, night after night, this became the norm, If I left just for a minute, momma Marley would be out of that whelping box and wedged under the bed. Oh, no ya don't girl, these babies depend on momma's milk, come on now, I'll sit with you. When the pups reached the 16th day they were climbing out of the whelping box. Out to the shop I went in search of plywood to make a wall for the laundry/utility room (a bigger box) just for the puppies. I ran out to the country store and purchased a formula made for babies "Just Born" this was mixed with Iams puppy smart to make a runny mash, which the pups would lap up, then stumble off to their blanket to sleep for a few hours, or until they started screaming for more mash.

As time went on, the mash was less mushy and more like tender kibbles. Then it came down to just Iams puppy smart and warm water to feed the little buggers. Now drinking on their own for a few weeks and eating "very well" at the age of 6 weeks, I've decided to start searching for new puppy parents. Happy to say, half of them have found just that. Four pups were placed with families that had dog breeds of this type, they'd had them anywhere from 12 up to 14 years depending on individual circumstances. Three out of four went to country homes and one went to a home on the lake, all very kind folks, loved their prior pets, saddened by their passings. These are homes all puppy parents should look for, a thorough screening was done with each family to qualify, and to give me a clear conscience of knowing they will be properly cared for.

Little, did I know how difficult it would be to see them all leave. It must be because I had to play the role of their mother for the last 6 weeks. Two more will be going home tomorrow, guess hubby will have to see them off, I'm not good at saying my good~byes. It seems the last ones are the most difficult... (pay no attention to the date) I had to recharge the batteries in my digital and skipped over setting the date. These were taken today April 3,2009 as they all lay sleeping under the stools at the island. Well, they were asleep until they heard me coming...

I pray, that the remaining puppies will get loving families and that each puppy will remain a family member to those who have chosen them for the rest of their precious lives.

Hugs and puppy kisses to all who reads this...

Look at Us Now

We now occupy a much larger space in the laundry/utility room downstairs. Our box was big but, no longer comfy with eight of us running around, climbing on top of each other while trying to catch a few winks. As you can tell, we are all getting stronger everyday, see us all walking around sniffing out the new smells.

Hello, my temporary name is Browny (that's the color of yarn I wear, so our human Mom can tell who's who) we are all the same color and just about the same size. Which sometimes works out in our favor. Like, for instance, our human Mom makes us a mash consisting of Iam's Smart Puppy and puppy formula, she soaks the food and then blends it up to make us well, baby food of sorts, with us being all the same, some of us get to chow down twice, you see where I'm going with this... Here I am expressing my appreciation for the new space we moved into today.

Wowser, after we eat that mash, we have all we can do to stumble around to search for a warm place to crash. Our bellies are so full, and eyes so heavy, we topple over several times before we finally collapse, see my siblings, there in front of me. I'm trying so hard to stay awake for awhile and watch my human mom as she has to clean up the mess left behind, you know what I mean...

Our K-9 Mom Marley, doesn't really want to connect with us, so our human Mom has lots to do. During the day she spends several hours washing blankets & laying fresh papers down for us, along with a few feedings of mash here and there. At night, she gets up on average 2-3 times to check on us, well sometimes, we wake her up with our little whimpers, we love to cuddle up on her lap. She tries so hard to get our K-9 Mom to feed us, Marley our mother, will only allow us a few minutes at a time to nurse, then she gets up and walks away (puppies hanging from her belly, dropping off one by one.) However, as you can see, (thanks to our human Mom) we are growing at a steady pace, having lots of energy to gum each other (we are just starting to develope little teeth) as well as pounce on one another.

In just 4 short weeks we will all be ready to face our future with new owners, hope they love us as much as we are loved here.

What do you think, want to take one of us home, huh, do ya?

Are You My Mother

It would seem Marley doesn't want to be the sole caretaker of the eight pups she has brought into this world. From the delivery to the hourly feedings she requires my company either inside the box or sitting on the floor right outside of the box. During the day, I must remind mommy to get into the box at least every 3 to 4 hours (this makes it difficult to leave the farm) when the puppies start start getting restless and climbing around. At night, we make sure she feeds them prior to us going to bed, that way, I'm only required to get up once during the night (Marley comes to my bedside and starts sniffing me) once I'm up she leads me to the box where she feeds for approx. 15 minutes or so.

These little guys are going to make excellent hunting dogs, their coats are very healthy and thick (Golden Retreiver coats) their noses pick up Marley's scent whenever she is near the room. Three out of the eight pups are screamers, once they get Marley's scent they scurring around the box screaming ( well, I'm sure it is suppose to be a howl) but at the puppy stage, it sure sounds like screaming. They will be 2 weeks old tomorrow, soon, they will be moved to the utility room downstairs due to them already climbing on the cutout for Marley to get in and out of the box.

I have done alot of reading about Retreivers and have discovered, they are very brilliant dogs, eager to learn and please their masters. They are quick learners (which we've discovered with Marley) doing really well in obedience classes as well as agility type classes. These dogs are so smart they are commonly known to be trained for Guide dogs, Search and Rescue, and even for people with medical disorders like epilepsy, autism, heart conditions, etc. etc. They do wonderful with other pets in the household, not known to be agressive (not good for guard dogs) which means they are not barkers, however, they do alert you when someone unfamiliar comes.

It will be difficult to see them go but as long as their new owners are kind and respectful we'll be happy knowing their owners are getting a great deal...

Eight Little Marley's

Marley, is now a mother to eight of the cutest little critters you ever did see. Born on February 20th she gave us an equal number of boys to girls (four each.)

If they as good as their mother they will make excellent companions.

Marley has become our shadow, she follows us everywhere, loves to follow along to the barn at chore time. In the past our horses have chased dogs out of their territory, sending them hauling under an electrical fence. With Marley, the horses have allowed her into their individual stalls while we are in them cleaning. She does not like to be left behind, if we are heading out to do chores, she is right on our heels, (dogs do get sad) If we leave her inside while we go to the barn, she does seem sad. This is just the type of dog we have dreamed of, one we could have tag along on trail rides, one that will not disturb the other animals on the farm. She is very loyal, eager to please her new masters, loves to play fetch, is not bothered by water, (as a matter of fact, she loves the water.

After the first six days our little puppies needed a bigger box.

These pictures had to be taken in groups as the pups just finished eating and scattered all around the box to fall asleep.

They are 11 days old now, it's amazing how strong these babies are, their eyes are should be opening within the next few days.

That's more than enough baby pictures for one night, I will be posting more as these little guys grow. I'm sure we will have several stories to tell prior to finding them loving homes.

Marley Meets Diego

Marley, giving me the "If I would have known then, what I know now" look.

Just prior to Christmas, Marley goes into season, now, for those of you that have read prior articles about Marley, you know she had been looked over by a Veterinarian . At that time, she was so afraid of the human kind that she either ran in another direction or shrunk in place. Our Vet, worked around her very patiently and slow, determined that perhaps she was from an SPCA somewhere, thought she could feel a scar from the spaying procedure, but not completely sure of that.

You all know, that when a female dog goes into season, it's time to search the house for anything that will fit over their backside, something that you can cut a hole for the tail to fit through. We have several garments tucked into a spare drawer in the laundry room for these "special occasions."

This is a strange question, however, one that needs to be asked, Have any of you forgotten to remove these special garments prior to letting your k-9 outside to releave themselves? It's just not a pretty picture...

Marley, is really starting to look good, she is finally filling out some, which is nice considering she was awful thin when she first decided to chose our family to be hers.

It is Sunday, on Sundays we attend mass, then usually go for brunch o a country drive. Returning home after church on this particular Sunday to change into different clothes, and let the dogs out for a potty break before we go out for the day. Hubby goes out to call in the dogs, no Marley, where could she have gone, calling to her "Marley come" still no Marley. Hubby darts in the door, grabs the keys to the car, and heads down the driveway. Wondering what is wrong, I go to the livingroom window, the Jeep is stopped and parked in the middle of the road, behind it is my husband holding onto Marley's collar with one hand and reaching for the dog who is now connected to Marley (you all know what I mean) as he reaches for Diego, who at this point is twisted in all directions; Diego snarls at him. At this point, I'm standing in the front door shouting to hubby, there's nothing you can do, just let them work it out.

Diego, is another retriever that lives down the road from us. Looks alot like Marley, except his hair is a little longer, his head a little broader. He often visits without us knowing he is around, until we go out to spot him stalking chickens, or lifting his leg on the posts of the front porch.

It is now the end of January, Marley is really filling out now, she is going to be a mommy, Diego, is going to be the daddy. Our family has recently started to place bets on how many retrievers we will have to foster. My guess is 9, hubby guesses 7, and our granddaughter who also lives with us guesses 6.

Marley is close, in a week or less we will no longer just have an orphaned retriever, we will own a whole pack of them.

Looking at Marley now, how many pups would you guess Marley may have?

The Things Marley gets into...

How many of you are familiar with the Book written by John Grogan titled "Marley & Me"?

My husband & I often comment we are living this book with our dog Marley. One difference is our dog is a female, however, this does not matter to her. It seems like, when you're back is turned, she knows it and will do some awful things. Being home with her all day myself, get to fish things out of her throat, such as; gravel, twistie ties from bread bags, fabric scraps, tin foil, kids little toys, and that's if I catch her in the act. One of these days, she'll most likely require surgery of some sort to fish all this stuff out of her stomach.

She just loves tagging along to the barn at chore time, it would seem she loves eating (well this is being as modest as I can) droppings. Marley does not discriminate, she loves it all, rather it comes from the kitties, chickens, or horses it's one of her favorite things. I ask hubby, "please don't take Marley out there, she just wants to eat maure, but he loves having her there for company. I'm not sure I'd enjoy her company, knowing she is scarfing down such dirty things, Yuk!

Marley, loves to lay on the ottoman, she listens for her daddy to arrive home each evening. With every passing car Marley pops up into a sitting position, so she can peer out the window to see if that's him. She adores him so...

All day, while everyone is away at school and work, Marley is at my heels, especially, when I'm in the refridgerator. I wish I could have my space back in the kitchen, I cannot recall, how many times I've nearly tripped over her. If I'm standing at the sink doing dishes, she's laying right behind me, If I'm at the stove, she's right there, laundry's just the same, I'd love to be a fly on the wall to see what she does when we are away from the house....

Another Day with Marley

Marley loves the snow, she will lay on the ground, in the snow, for long stretches. She loves sticking her nose in it, as if she's smelling a little mouse, somewhere, down under there.



















Must take nap, playing in all this white stuff makes one tired. I'm so blessed to have found a nice warm house to call home. It has heated floors, therefore, keeping me warm from head to paws.

I adore this little girl! You see, I had wandered the countryside for months, scared out of my mind, just a persons voice would send me sailing off, with my tail between my legs. It was this caring soul, that got the bright idea to capture my heart, by acting like me. She got down on her elbows, waged her tail, whimpered and whined, until I came close enough to give her a lickin' on the face. After a bit, I got to thinking this is kinda nice, I gave in, as I enjoyed the company.

Sure am happy that I decided to pick these people to love me, and spoil me.

The place Marley calls home

Here you see Marley in the kitchen, she is asking Mom to play ball with her, however, mom is busy making Christmas cookies. Look at this face, how could anyone resist, I couldn't and ended up tossing the ball a few times so she could chase it and bring it back. Marley also likes to get Buster in the game, after awhile, having the ball in her mouth, she will run around the coffee table with Buster hot on her heels (with no intentions of letting him have the ball, of course) changing directions, jumping on the furniture, it is fun to watch them play together (not bad for Buster being 12 years old) it seems to bring out Busters playful side. Marley, also loves one of our three bunnies (Spunky) she will lay on the floor until Spunky comes over to touch noses, then they do alittle hide and seek (well Spunky hides) Marley is always the seeker in this game. Spunky is in the background trying to sneak up on Marley from behind, as you can see Spunky has the run of the mill in our woodshop/storage area. (very spoiled animals)

Spunky saying to Marley; "catch me if you can" then she hops to a place no dog could ever squeeze into. Marley is so patient she just lays on the floor with her nose stuck into little cracks waiting for Spunky to reveal herself , frequelntly Spunky changes her hiding spot and is somewhere else close to Marley (who doesn't have a clue) until the bunny hops up and tags her. Yes, Spunky will touch you with both front feet to capture your attention.

Our dog Marley, loves to tag along during barn chores, she frequents the chicken coop, as well as the horse stables. She loves all the attention the other critters give her, and is very happy living on the farm.

Marley chose us (short story)

This is our Marley, she showed up in our area this past summer, we believe; someone dropped her off. Some of you already know what it took to gain her trust, for you that don't, it took many months of daily feedings, each day we would speak softly only to have Marley fly off. It seemed she was very afraid of the human kind.

Then one day, I came in from photographing Marley and mentioned to my granddaughter that I had been out again taking pictures of (the dog) as she was refered to back then. Our granddaughter had asked if she could get some shots on her own and headed out the front door. Busy in the house, I wandered over to the window, here is our granddaughter on the front porch her head tucked downward and she's wagging her backside like a dog and standing directly in front of her is the dog, Marley, tounge hanging out and wagging her own tail. Wow, our granddaughter is playing with the dog who we've been trying for months to gain her trust. The very next day, our granddaughter goes off to school, upon returning home surprisingly enough "the dog" meets her in the driveway.

We have captured Marley's heart, she is "learning" to trust us more and more each day. The weather outside is turning chilly as fall approaches, so we lay a heavy blanket on the front porch for the new dog to sleep nights.

We are unsure at this time, whether to let her inside, didn't know what would bring someone to drop such a beautiful creature off inthe middle of the boonies. Must have done sumptin real bad to deserve that! After about a week on the porch I tried letting her in for an hour here and there, until one day she remained inside all day. She has now worked her way into not only our hearts but our home as well. Letting Marley out nights to sleep, it is getting really cold out there dropping into the lower 30's F at night. Then a storm blew in and Marley was outside, when I got up in the middle of the night to let her in she was nowhere to be found. The wind is howling, the rain is coming down in sheets, where could she have gone to wait it out, this we never knew. From this point foreward Marley slept inside in our laundryroom, she started with just a babygate across the door to keep her in, that didn't hold Marley long before she learned to jump over it. She then required two gates stacked on top of each other to hold her in, whining each night in hopes we would just let her have her freedom.

Here you see Marley playing with our 11 year old Lab mix (who until now) would not even think of letting another animal into his yard. Marley has captured his heart also, in a big way, Buster, loves Marley and the two will play for hours.

To Be Continued