Well. Where to start. We picked Marley up from Kara and Josie last night. It was obvious to me that Marley had become an integral part of their family in just 3 short weeks. I want Josie, Broghan and Hagen to know that we are honored to help in Marley's Journey and have hopefully brought him one step closer to regaining his sight. I can see why you fell in love with him. He is a great dog and a gentleman.

Marley was wonderful on the way home last night. A couple of times, when we slowed for s traffic light or something like that, he tried to climb in the front seat with me, but most of the time he was laying down in the back taking a nap. I think he sensed something new, but good, was happening.

I sang some Seal songs to him on the way home and when we got close to our house I called my husband and he brought our current weimie, Ghost to the high school parking lot so they could meet. Boy was there a lot of barking. It took a few minutes, but Ghost and Marley started playing a little bit of follow the leader. Once they got a little comfortable with each other, we loaded the cars back up and drove the 1/4 mile home.

We got the boys into the house and we took Marley on a tour around the house and yard, showing him the perimeter. He bumped himself a few times, but he learned quickly where his new water bowl and the back door were.

We arrived at the house late, so the boys were wound up and it was hard to get them to go to sleep. Marley slept on his blanket on the floor next to my bed and Ghost was up and down, up and down. He seemed to want to check Marley out every hour. It was a long night, and they didn't even let me sleep past 7:30....As soon as Izzy got up for work, the boys were at it again. Ghostie moving in to sniff Marley and Marley barking him away.

As the day has gone on, they are getting more and more tolerant of each other. I even took Ghost to Marley's vet appointment this afternoon. I think Ghost was just happy it wasn't him. They both laid down in the back of my little car and kinda snuggled a little. I think it was just the size of the car. I'm not so sure they are ready for snuggling in the house yet.

The vet says that Marley is pretty darn healthy, with the exceptions of the cataracts. We had some blood drawn, so we'll know more when that comes back, but we're thinking he's doing pretty well. His teeth are in very good shape, the vet said.

Marley weighed in at 98 pounds today, so he has lost another 2 pounds...but I think it's important to remember that it could be more if the scales read a little different. The vet said he could stand to lose another 5-10 pounds but that should be all he needs to lose. He'll probably lose it faster than I will ;(

Marley goes to the eye specialist here tomorrow, so keep your fingers crossed for more good news!

I have a picture of Ghost and Marley from my phone that I am going to try to upload with this blog, but I have never done it before, so we'll see how well I do. If it works, that's Marley on the left and Ghostie on the right with their new bones. They each got one, and they ended up switching them back and forth. It was very funny to watch.

We'll keep you posted.

-Pam and Izzy

This morning, was a sad morning for us as we transported Marley late last night to Pam. It was relatively quiet in our house this morning, I think the kids are drained from crying last night.

We saw how much of an impact Mr. Marley made on our family as we packed up his bag to send him on, to continue his journey. Broghan was sobbing at the dinner table for over an hour, and Josie cried the entire trip to Allentown to meet Pam. While at our 'drop off' point, Pam and I sat discussing Marley and explaining to Josie that Marley will see a Vet today for his exam and a Specialist tomorrow....in turn he may be able to see within the next week or so. Josie's saddness was eased a bit. After seeing the kids' reactions to his departure, it only showed yet again what a wonderful dog Marley is.

He was SO excited to get in the car and go on our trip last night. We can only hope he did well on the ride with Pam to their house and did well when they arrived as he met his brother, Ghost! I had a good 'talk' with Marley yesterday, telling him all about his new brother and how much fun he is going to have. Especially once he can see again. We are excited to hear from Pam later today to find out Marley's weight, he has lost quite a bit of weight in the last three weeks, or at least you can see he is slimming. Hopefully, by tomorrow, Pam will be able to blog about his vet appointments and let us all know when his surgery will be. As I have written for the last 3 weeks, I cannot tell you all enough how awesome this guy is! He is a gentle, sweet soul who deserves to have his vision. And once he has his 'forever home' he will truly make a great member of your family and be a best friend to everyone! As he did in his short time here with us. Thank you to those who have been following the first leg of his journey. Pam will continue to let us know how the next round is going!

~Kara, Matt, Josie, Broghan, Hagen & Miss Lucy Lou Who

Marley is such a sweetie! It is amazing when you think of how these dogs go through so much negative in their lives and can be so sweet and gentle. Marley made some good progress this week ~ he walked about a mile with us. He was not too happy along the way and kept trying to turn back, but he did it! He stubbed his paw last night and was limping for a few hours, but this morning he woke up ready to go with no limping whatsoever. The humidity is getting to him today, he's been laying around with Lucy in front of a fan.

Unfortunately, we will be saying goodbye to Marley as he will be heading to a new foster home soon. A conflict with the scheduling of his surgery has left us unable to get him to where he needs to be and when he needs to be there. He will be going to a wonderful family in New Jersey who has a Weim also. Hopefully, they will be able to have his surgery scheduled at another facility and it can take place sooner than what we were able to get. Marley is a great boy! He deserves to be able to see and play and enjoy his life like any other Weim! He wants to run and play...you can tell. Last night, Broghan & I were laying on the floor with him, rubbing his belly and petting him for over an hour, and he loved every minute of it! He even curled up with Lucy as you can see from the pic! We will keep you posted as always on his journey! We will be sad to see him leave, but at the same time happy that he will hopefully be able to have his vision restored sooner!

~Kara

week 2

Our charming man is doing very well at the end of week two! Marley has been off his leash to go outside, and he has learned his boundaries as far as the edge of our yard and the drop off to the stream. We have had so many deer in the yard and he finally caught on that they are in 'his' territory, so he sniffs them out after they leave...he reminds me of that dog on 'Lady and the Tramp' who's eyes aren't too good and his 'sniffer' isn't working too well!

Marley definitely is more at home this week, as he now sleeps on the loveseat regularly. He was sleeping with Lucy on the couch two nights ago which was a first. We even caught them 'kissing' this morning! They were right in each other's faces licking noses (and neither of them seemed to mind the invasion of personal space!)

Marley was a little bummed out earlier this week, we aren't sure if he had a belly ache or what but he was gloomy and whining quite a bit. He seems to be fine now. Although, the humidity was bugging us also, so it could have just been the weather! Although being in a slight funk, Marley did well on his daily walks this week. And enjoyed hanging out on the deck quite a bit too!

I am hoping to get him to our vet this week to check his weight. He looks as though he is slimming quite a bit. My husband thinks he is down at least 15lbs, so curiosity has me wondering! He did have a 'minor' counter-surfing adventure this week ... he was brave enough to sniff out the PB&J and a bowl of cereal on edge of the sink and from the amount of grape jelly on his head, I think he enjoyed his snack! Overall, Marley has been doing great and he is more & more affectionate each day! He still has a favorite friend: Broghan, and even slept with him twice this week. He even rolled onto his back, pawing Matt to rub his belly!

More to come!

~Kara

Week 2 has gotten off to a pretty good start for Marley! He had a great weekend outside playing with the kids and picking up the scent of our wilderness friends. Marley has been getting better and better at navigating the house and yard too. We have been walking him off the leash for a few days and he stays right by our sides. He has even figured out how to slide the back screen door open and go outside by himself! Mr. Marley also surprised us the other night by climbing onto the couch and nestling in, that was his first try at sitting on the furniture. He probably figured out that if Lucy can do it, why can't he? Makes sense, right? He has tried to come up in our bed at night also, but i am thankful he cannot jump up! Not too sure how my husband would like 2 Weims in bed with us! Miss Lucy is a complete bed hog, so Marley sleeps right next to our bed on the floor or on the dog bed ~ half under our bed.

Marley is really enjoying his walks. He even does well when the kids take him up the road without me. Although, he is not too energetic, he would rather just lay on the deck and hang out!

But, his favorite thing to do is chewing bones! He has finished 7 bones so far and currently working on two others! He doesn't care for other toys too much, but he does enjoy tearing apart tennis balls.

He is adjusting well to his 'schedule' as well. He wakes me up at 7:25AM on the dot every morning. He immediately has to go outside. Then he eats. We have him on 1 cup of food in the AM and 1 cup at 5:00pm. In between he gets a few treats, but he is doing really well with less food intake and does look like he is slimming slightly. He is also getting lots of exercise following the kids and Lucy up and down the stairs! I kept track yesterday afternoon and he went up & down 22 times. Which is awesome considering that a week ago he would not go upstairs until bedtime.

From watching him everyday, I know he had to have had a wonderful family early in his life. He is well-mannered and listens very well. He is pleasant and VERY affectionate. He smiles when you rub his belly or his chest, it is so funny!

~kara

Today Marley and I travelled to Whitehall, PA to see a specialist. After testing his eyes, the Veterinarian came back with great news: Marley is a candidate for surgery to remove the cataracts! Dr. Landis reviewed her findings with me and with Julie (via telephone) and explained his condition and what is to follow. They are confident that Marley's vision can be restored in his left eye, however, they will not know about the right eye until he goes in for the surgery, at which time an ERG test will be performed as well. The Vet explained that from what she could see today, Marley developed the cataract on the right eye first and it seems to be a more embedded into the retina than the left. So, I am working on getting him into our vet here for the pre-operation testing and a general exam then we can schedule his surgery soon after. The Dr. also explained that even if Marley can only have surgery on the left eye, he will be able to see 100% better just with one eye corrected. Oh, and his officially weight today is 100.4 lbs...we're going to get that corrected as well! We've already begun to walk AM & PM and he seems to be gaining a little more endurance each time we go out.

Marley did great on our road trip. He was such a good boy the entire trip, so at McDonald's I treated him to a little something special! I shouldn't have, but seeing how well he did at his appointment and was such a good sport during his testing, so I gave him a baby cone! He thoroughly enjoyed his treat! He is doing very well with only eating twice a day. The first day was rough for him, but he is adjusting to his new eating schedule. He and Lucy are doing great together, too. They are not growling at each other as much when one comes near the other and are being very good playmates. They are in total competition though, Lucy does NOT like when I am showing Marley affection and not her. Marley is also doing much better with bedtime. He was uneasy for the first day or so and now he sleeps right next to my side of the bed, but somehow, by morning, he is across the room on the dog bed not even close to where he started out! He is such a good boy...I can't say it enough. He will definitely make a great companion and be a wonderful addition to any family!

More to come, but I wanted to let everyone know about our great news we received today!

~Kara

Marley's First Weekend

Marley completed his trip from NY on Saturday (the 11th) and has been doing extremely well!
He made himself at home almost immediately which sort of surprised us, being that he is not only blind, but in a new environment. He actually did much better than our Lucy did when she came to live with us as a Foster. Marley's first test was when he was greeted by three very excited kids (ages: 10, 7 , 4) and passed with flying colors! My youngest was practically climbing on him and it didn't phase him one bit! My middle son was more apprehensive than his brother & sister. He was scared by Marley's eyes, from the Cataracts, but finally realized that Marley was a nice dog and took to him immediately! I have to admit, I was a bit concerned about his blindness and maneuvering through our home, well, he shocked us by how well he has adapted and found his way around! He has even started going up and down the stairs without us helping him, so he is really figuring out our house well.

I have to say, I am really blown away at how great Marley is doing. He is doing well with our 1 yr old Weim, Lucy and all the kids. He is very loving with all of us, he constantly wants us to pet him and rub his back and belly. He brings the tennis ball to us as if he wants to play 'fetch' but obviously he can't chase after it, due to his blindness. Marley enjoys being outdoors, I have been leaving the back screen open so he can just walk out to the deck...he plops down and basks in the sun! From everything we have been noticing so far, Marley has a good demeanor and has not shown any sort of aggression towards the children or us at all.

I have an appointment scheduled for Wednesday with a Specialist to possibly remove the Cataracts and restore his vision. So far, from we've noticed, despite his blindness, Marley is a great dog and if the surgery can be performed with success, he will be a much more outgoing and confident dog. We can tell he 'wants' to be more playful when the kids are running around, and when he wants to play ball...but he can't. Hopefully we'll get good news on Wednesday and we can get him out for more walks, running and playing and in turn losing a little of that excess weight!

PS. We have also started him on his new diet plan (hahaha) ...we cut him back to being fed twice a day with healthy snacks in between. He REALLY likes carrots! He had pieces of an apple with a dab of peanut butter this afternoon and enjoyed it as well.

~Kara
Marley's Foster Mama

The Journey begins...

Marley is coming into our rescue tomorrow from a private rescue in NY. He is currently completely or partially blind. He will be seeing (no pun intended) a specialist as soon as he gets here so we can determine the cause of his blindness and whether surgery will correct the problem. He's a handsome boy weighing in at 100#. He also has his full tail intact.

We are unsure of his history or how long he has been blind. We hope to give him a brand new view on life. How wonderful it will be for him to be able to see and play like a normal dog. He loves people, is cautious around other dogs as he has a tendency to step on them and was previously attacked by another dog after stepping on it. Despite all that he has been through he is quite the gentlemen. Very happy go lucky, obedient and sweet. Good with children, will probably be okay with cats (considering he can't chase them).

This blog will be used as a way for the foster home to keep everyone up to date on Marleys progress.

Jamielynn Storch
Tri-State Weimaraner Rescue
Foster and Volunteer Coordinator
jamielynn@tristateweimrescue.org