Marley, an 8 year old big fuzzy LeMutte mixed breed girl, She has thick fur with a lot of undercoat – maybe some Pyrenees in the mix? Her prior vet records list her as a “Labrador mix” but that is one breed we don’t really see in her, HA. She may have some collie, and/or some shepherd, and… who knows. She is a beautiful, perfect, 75-pound one-of-a-kind gem!

Marley used to have a home where she had a lot of land to patrol, but her family moved into a small city-type home with a small fenced yard. This confused Marley, and she started barking at people passing by the see-through fence, to defend her new “territory.” The family wisely realized this was a set-up almost guaranteeing anxiety and eventual failure for Marley, so made the difficult decision to rehome her.

Marley has shown the shelter that she is a very loving but also insecure girl. Her first several days she would bark and growl at every new volunteer who met her – until they let her out of her kennel and gave her a treat. Then she became everyone’s best friend! It has taken her time to relax and get into her happy groove, but now she is acting like a normal, loving, playful dog… when not asking for a short cuddle, she can be found chasing a tennis ball (she will even pick them up and carry them around on her own if no one is available to play right away). She still doesn’t like meeting strangers very much, and we don’t introduce anyone to her from OUTSIDE her kennel or OUTSIDE the fence – however, when we bring her outside the building to meet strangers one on one, she does well, and she also does well meeting new people in the office. The secret for Marley seems to be for a person she trusts to invite a stranger into Marley’s space – then she doesn’t feel like she is in charge of defending.

To make Marley’s life as happy and stress-free as possible, we recommend a home with a good privacy fence (so she doesn’t see passers-by), or a home with a lot of private land. Marley is learning about walking on leash, but she is a very strong girl and pulls hard, so harness walking (preferably with a front-clip harness) is best for her. She walks politely past other leashed dogs but she has told us that, even though she lived with other dogs before, she would really love to be the only dog in her home. She has been non-reactive to the cats, and is trusted to be out in the shelter yard that borders the cats’ screened porches, even unsupervised! Good girl, Marley.

If you are looking for a lower-energy girl who has occasional goofy and playful moments; a sweet dog who likes being brushed (and will benefit from at least 5 minutes of grooming each day); and a good sized “leaner” dog who would love to be your faithful companion; Marley is a great choice for you. It may take her a few days (or at least a few treats) to warm up to her new family, but it’s so gratifying to see the distrust in her eyes change to joy when she sees you, and your heart will melt the first time she taps you with her paw so you will pet her some more.

Marley has had a full dental cleaning and a geriatric blood screening which showed no areas of concern – YAY. At 8 Marley is a young senior, and she can still do stairs just fine. The only supplement she is currently on is fish oil; you may wish to add some joint support supplements as she grows older, but for now she is in fine condition; her people took good care of her, and the shelter is honored to continue her care until you bring her home with you.

Marley is posted for the Forget-Me-Not shelter in Republic, WA who offer a 30-day money-back trial adoption period.

ODH has not met this dog; we urge prospective adopters to do their own evaluation.

Marley FMNot2-FS082116