About Marley

I am reaching out to several rescues in this email as a last chance to help rehome by dog, Marley. Marley is a very special dog that is SUPER sweet, loves his humans, loves snuggling, but is reactive to children and has a bite history. We have tried everything we can to keep Marley in our home, but we have a 13 year old son that Marley reacts aggressively towards. This is our last chance for Marley, as our only other option at this time is euthanasia. It will literally break my heart to have to put this physically healthy, but mentally unstable, dog to sleep. I know there is a perfect home for him as he is the most loving dog I have ever owned! Here is Marley's story: We adopted this Weinreimer/Pitty mix when he was 8 weeks old from All Aboard Animal Rescue in Fort Collins. He came from Texas with his mom and sibling(the sibling was blue, -more Weinreimer looking...but I think Marley has Black Mouth Cur the more we have researched him). He is now 21 months old.. Marley is a smart puppy that took well to a solid exercise schedule and training program at home. He house-trained immediately, and follows basic commands like come, sit, down, stay, spin, and 'find it'. We have 2 other dogs (mixes, 8 years old) and Marley initially got along well with both dogs. One of my dogs was getting aggressive with food and Marley, so we never have bones out, and all food is always fed in separate rooms and removed. Marley has shown aggressive behavior with the dog, but just gives a warning, which is an aggressive bark. When Marley was 9 months old, he did bite one of my dogs in the bum when playing, and it did puncture the dog's skin and did need medical attention. We haven't had any issues with the dogs since, but I think Marley would do better as the only dog in the house until he is completely comfortable in a new home. When Marley was about a year and a half, we had a serious incident with him biting our 12 year old neighbor, unprovoked, when he came into the house. Marley was familiar with this child, so it really was a shock to us. The bite needed medical attention-- a good cleaning and 1 stitch on his thigh. We self-reported the incident, and self quarantined him until he was cleared by the Humane society. At this time, he was still good with both of our kids, aged 11 and 12 at the time. A few weeks later, the kids were arguing, and Marley bit my son when he pushed my daughter. This was not a major bite, but did break the skin a little and caused bruising. At this time, we began working with our vet, as well as the Veterinary Behavior Center in Boulder with Dr. Fagen and Dr. Jones, as well as a behavior trainer. We did a complete medical exam, xrays, etc. to ensure nothing physical was causing him to be aggressive. We have found the right mix of medication for Marley, along with training has been highly effective. We have been muzzle training him, and he is happy with wearing it for long periods of time when my son is present, or other guests in our home. Marley has shown so much positive response to trainings and medication. However, he is still reacting to my son on occasion when he is wearing the muzzle. (He can't bite through the muzzle, but lunges with an aggressive bark.) The only warning we ever see with Marley is a blank stare prior to the lunges. We can self foster as long as needed (Marley is kept 100% away from my son), but this will not work forever. Marley needs a calm home with no children(he is NEVER to be around kids--I would not even have him around younger kids with the muzzle on--he should be crated if there are young visitors, and he will always need a muzzle when encountering new people) Marley take .3mg of Clonodine three times a day, and 40 mg of Paroxetine 2 times a day. He also takes Apoquel once a day for allergies. Marley is a special pup that has SO much love to give. He loves to lay right next to me with his head leaning on my lap...he is a snuggler. I am reaching out to see if your shelter can help find him a home, or know of another shelter that may be able to help find Marley his perfect home he so deserves! I am willing to drive him anywhere across the US, so please be creative if you have any options! I have attached all of the medical information we have for Marley, and I am happy to answer any questions.

Larimer County
Fort Collins, Colorado 80525