MARCO

Hope sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible. -- Anonymous

Marco has been adopted by his foster parents Lorraine & Dave Ayres. Now he never has to leave the only true home and family he has ever known!

7/3/04 On July 18th, Marco will have been in foster care for exactly one year! How truly sad that he has been overlooked by a forever home all this time. Yes, Marco is both blind and deaf, but if you could only meet him...you would see the wonderful, silly boy that he is, and just how well he "lives" in his dark, silent world. When Marco first arrived, he stayed with Cyndi and Dave and found his way around by bumping into things for a few days. By the third day, he was racing from the yard, onto the patio and right through the doggie door. His favorite thing to do was "cool his butt" in the little swimming pool.

Shortly after that, Marco was adopted to a nice home in California, but was brought back for fear that he would be attacked by Coyotes in the area. Not being able to see or hear, he would not be aware of the danger and that left him defenseless. When he came back, he stayed with Lorraine, who worked through some of the stress he was experiencing due to going to yet another new home. Lorraine worked hard through any difficulties he was having. Yes, it is stressful, even for a pup, to have to adjust to a new environment, especially for a blind and deaf pup. Soon, Marco was settled in, learning the ropes and spending his days playing with Lorraine's crew.

Time seemed to just slip by! We had families interested in adopting Marco, but none that would work. Maybe we were a little overprotective of him, but he deserved the very best...because he is the very best! We actually got a call from the Phoenix Zoo, wanting to know if they could adopt Marco. They wanted him to live at the zoo and be available to "fetch" for the kids that came to visit. We loved that one...a blind a deaf dog, living at the zoo, and his main "job" would be to fetch whatever toy the kids threw. I can tell you, that even if Marco could see and hear, he would NOT be living at the zoo!

We all love Marco and he has been happy and well taken care of during this past year. But he deserves a family of his own where he can be special and get the attention he deserves. Right now, he is one of many, but truly deserves so much more. Marco loves kids...and people...and other dogs! His sense of smell is extraordinary and he uses it to it's fullest potential. When he smells a new person, he gets so excited and doesn't stop until he gets loving and attention from that new "smell". At 65 pounds, that's a lot of excitement. :-) Marco has attended all of our events (his favorite ones are at the schools demonstrating how to overcome disabilities to the kids) and does an outstanding job of representing both Aussielads and the Lethals.

Marco deserves a forever home and living with a blind and deaf dog can certainly be challenging...but oh, so rewarding! Marco is neutered, up-to-date on all vaccinations, including rabies and requires daily eye drops. He's a pro at getting the eye drops and is featured in our training video demos of How to "eye medications", so that part would be easy.

10/25/03 Marco was with us at our October Pets911 event. Here are some new pics for you to enjoy!

10/03/03 Marco is fast becoming a "little man". He is so gentle, happy and sweet and just wants to be friends and give kisses to everyone. For this reason, he needs a very tolerant and gentle playmate who doesn't mind the surprise happy kisses to loves to give. He can play rough and takes a "bowling over" in stride. He can also be vocal and will speak his mind when upset about something :-)

Marco is housebroken and will awaken you in the morning for his potty break with short, sharp barks. He will also let you know when he's done and wants back in by sitting at the door using the same bark. While Marco doesn't really care for the swimming pool, he LOVES his water bucket. He will sit in there and soak up all the smells around him. He enjoys playing with the water from the hose when you are filling up the bucket. When through with his little "soak in the tub", he runs around doing his cute Aussie Wiggle Butt! Marco also enjoys being dried off with his towel before going back in the house.

Marco's sense of smell is becoming much keener. He sits in the yard, with his nose straight up in the air, just "listening" to everything around him. He can tell when company's coming, as well as when you're in the kitchen cooking up something good to eat!

Marco and Lyla get along great and would do well, if adopted together. They will go their own separate ways to play or explore, and then you will find them curled into one another, sound asleep.

9/12/03 Marco was originally taken to the eye clinic on 8/19/03 because his precious little blue eye had turned brown, due to Uveitis. His exam consisted of Fluorescein Stain and a Schirmer Tear Test. Marco was given neo ply dex ointment to treat the ailment. Marco was rechecked on 9/11/03, again having a Fluorescein Stain and a Schirmer Tear Test and again sent home with with neo ply dex ointment because his condition has not clear up to the satisfaction of the eye clinic vet. We will keep you posted.

While this news is not great, enjoy the pics of Marco at the eye clinic!

Check out Marco, Sage and Scrappy waiting their turn :-)

and getting their exams!

We were able to get a few new pics of Mr. Blue (he loves being in water). Mr. Blue (Marco) is currently in foster care at Lorraine's, but here are some pics when he stayed with the aussielads.

07/21/03

Marco (we named him for Marco Polo because he is a GREAT, curious explorer) is an absolute sweetheart. He appears to have no vision, but immediately recognizes light. In a dark room, when a lamp is turned on, he will immediately sit up and look towards the light. He is quite the curious little boy and enjoys venturing out in the yard. We have nicknamed him "Bumper" because he's like a little bumper car...once he hits something, he just gently bounces off and goes in another direction. He absolutely LOVES water! He can't take a drink unless his front paws are in the bowl :-) He loves playing with toys and of course, chewing on everything...especially things he's not supposed to (Jen was right on the money with her description). Marco loves to give kisses when you hold him and enjoys biting your legs when he's on the floor. He is so typical puppy with much determination and no idea that he is impaired! Marco has been neutered and is up-to-date on shots.

07/26/03 Mr. Blue is a terrific puppy with lots of personality and determination! He came to stay with us on July 20, 2003 and has learned many things very quickly. We watched in amazement as he discovered his surrounding. We nicknamed him "Bumper" because he reminded us of a bumper car...hit something head on, back up and go in a new direction. At first we were concerned, but soon realized that once he "bumped" something, he knew where it was and soon he was no longer bumping into it.

He makes his way from one part of the yard (after going potty) directly to the water bowl for a drink and a "front paws dip" then heads right through the doggie door back into the house. Sometimes, depending what his mood is, he will head into the outside kennel run for a dip in the kiddie pool. Then he comes in the house to get towel dried. Inside the house, he can now go from the kitchen directly into the living room and is confident enough to run straight through.

If we want him to follow us, we simply tap him under the chin. He's doing really well with that and comes without a problem. We then follow with a slight scratch on the chest to let him know he's a good boy. He's actually teaching us a lot more than we're teaching him :-)

Mr. Blue (now known as Marco) a.k.a. cutie boy (pronounced blue merle - with dark patch on ear and over right eye) Even though it seems like he should be able to see out of the right eye - it appears that he cannot. He also can't hear. BUT - he uses his nose like no other puppy on earth! When he's looking for me, he'll walk a bit - stick his nose in the air - then move forward in the correct direction - and he continues until he bumps into my leg. VERY smart puppy, but not super active. Likes to chew whatever he can find - especially if it's not for chewing! :-)