Please give a big RAGOM welcome to Miss Marley. She arrived a few days ago and is settling in nicely. As you can see from her picture, she’s quite the hottie! She is very blonde, small (50 lbs), young and quite adorable. She came all the way up from St. Louis, MO. where she was dumped on someone’s property along with her buddy, Rusty. We’re not sure if they’re litter mates or what, but Rusty is doing well in another foster home. It was quite obvious she had never been in a house---doors, stairs and noises indoors scared her. BUT, she is potty trained!! This is 2 foster dogs in a row that have been potty trained when I got them! Yeah! She is seeing a vet for shots and heartworm test on Tuesday and we think she is spayed, but we’ll double check.

The first few days she was shy and a little timid, but quickly came out of that. She is now mostly puppy! I’d guess her age in between 1-2 years old. She is a sponge ready to soak up some training. She actually is fairly calm for a dog this age, but if you “ignore” her too long, she finds mischief to get into. Like grabbing inappropriate items to chew on. But, she loves bones and toys, so it’s easy to re-direct her to them. She is very loving and seeks attention but is not demanding and is able to entertain herself with chew toys and bones. She has been crated during the day while I’m at work and doing fine. I wouldn’t say she goes willingly, but we’re working on that. I definitely would not trust her free roam yet. However, at night we have not crated her and she does pretty well. She needs her exercise and if she doesn’t get it during the day, she’s ready to play with my Winston just about the time we’re all ready for bed. She also seems to wake up at about 3-4 am and is ready to play. This is when it would be handy for her to be in crate. I usually just get up and let her outside, but the last couple mornings when that’s happened, she comes back in and as soon as I get back to sleep she finds something to get into. This morning she dragged my purse down the hallway. She loves taking all the shoes out and she likes to counter surf. She hasn’t chewed the shoes or the things she takes off the counter, but that may be right around the corner ;)

What does Marley need in a forever home? Someone that can spend a lot of time with her and teach her some good manners. She seems like a quick learner and will excel at obedience. If you’re not willing to exercise her everyday and teach her obedience, she would be a frustrating dog to have in your home. She seems to love other dogs, but I don’t think it’s mandatory she lives with one. Again, exercise and obedience training is what she really needs. If you can provide this for her, along with lots of love and attention, let your placement advisor know. She will be meeting potential families this week and I expect her to be placed very quickly.