Marco

Pertinent Information
16 week old Male Boxer
27 lb. Owner Surrender
Natural Ears and Docked Tail
Being Fostered near Troy, NY
Adoption Donation $300

Marco in his Xmas hat wishes you all Season's Greeting.

10/17/05 - I have never seen a dog so interested in the making of Apple Pie. He literally stood there the entire time and watched. If Thumper came near the table where the apples were being cut he would start to do this low growl. Marco has never been motivated by food this way. He really must know how good Swedish Apple Pie is!

9/13/05 - So this is a new one for me filling out the adopted dog form I figured everyone would love to know how Marco is doing... The answer is fabulous of course. Marco has been here so long that I forget he was not really officially ours till recently. What can I say about Marco that I haven't said about him already. He is great we love him. He fits in perfectly with us. Soccer season has started and I am going to attempt to take him to a game. I fear his love of the sport may get the better of all of us though. I'll let you know how it goes. Thank you so much all of you. We are going to cherish whatever time we have with Marco.

8/24/05 - Marco's foster family has decided to adopt him and give a loving home.

8/19/05 - So now you have all heard about my babies condition the thing is no one would know that Marco had any problems unless you're told. He is a perfectly happy dog and really has no idea that these things are wrong with his body. People that see Marco on the street and in the vets office remark how cute he is and can't believe he is in rescue to begin with.
We of course adore Marco and it will be a really sad time for my whole family when he leaves. We have had Marco since he was 16 weeks old and he turns one next month.
Marco continues to be an outstanding dog with our Maddie who is 6 and of course the kids and any other dog he meets. He loved having the company of Newport who's energy was a great match for Marco and Marco was always surprisingly gentle with him it's like he knew he was a baby.
Tonight my daughter who is 3 fed the dog's dinner and Marco was in her way and she so bluntly told him and he backed right up for her so she could get the food. When she went to dump it in his bowl she told him to sit and stay he did. Now this is a dog that is very well behaved in my book if he takes commands from a 3 year old. He never has accidents in the house and actually when I was at work today and David was sleeping he knocked down the baby gate so he could get upstairs to ask to go out. So in my book that also means he is very smart normally I don't work on days when David has gone to work the night before but I had a babysitter and it is the last week of school so I went in.
Marco is good for about 4 hours then he needs to go out he sleeps in a crate all night and keeps it relatively dry. Since he has started leaking a little. This leaking started about a month ago.
Marco really is a wonderful dog please don't pass him up for his problems. He really doesn't know he has them and he is a great companion.

8/18/05 - Marco has been leaking urine and was brought into the vet. A urinalysis was done and no infection was noted. However, the vet realized that the urine was not concentrated enough and did a renal ultrasound to rule out any kidney problems. Unfortunately tests results showed that Marco's kidneys were not of normal shape or size. He was diagnosed with congenital renal dysphasia. There is no cure for this disease. Medication can control any leaking, but if Marco is let out often, he does not leak.
His kidney function at this time is normal, as blood work was done to confirm that.
Eventually his kidneys will not function. The vet said it was hard to say when it will happen, but guessed that is could happen within months or years.
This poor little guy has no idea that he has this. He plays non-stop and is full of energy.
A special person is needed for our Marco. Ideally someone that is home so Marco could be let out frequently and who has lots of love to give. If any Angel is out there who is interested, please fill out an application

8/7/05 - So I know everyone is wondering why Marco is back up on the available dogs list :( Sadly we are finding ourselves in a position that we are not able to adopt Marco. This truly breaks my heart as I feel as if he is our dog. He has been with us for nearly 8 months and surprisingly turns a year old next month. Sept 29th to be exact. My husband is due to go away for the next year leaving me home with our kids, running the house and unable to work, seeing him only on weekends as long as the weather permits.
Please don't think this is any reflection on Marco we couldn't ask for a better dog and neither could you. He is extremely well behaved. For example yesterday the gate to the back yard was open and Marco didn't even think about leaving he stood in the back yard till we came back and closed the gate. He knows all of his basic commands and is so gentle. He gets very excited when company comes but rarely jumps and is easily corrected. He turns his boxer butt inside out at the sight of company. He continues to sleep in the crate at night but has free run of the house during the day with Maddie.
Marco would love a companion someone who can keep up with him or an older dog who is young at heart and willing to play. Marco gets along with everyone. I am sure he would love some human kids to play with as well as he is marvelous with our kids ages 7 and 3. He is super gentle and careful not to knock anyone over not to say that doesn't happen if he is running full speed for something. Of course his favorite past time is still playing ball. Honest and truly I can't even believe that Marco has to move on but we foster for a reason. He is
part of our family and whomever is lucky enough to adopt him wont regret it. His colitis is under control at the moment and the vet says it looks really good. There is a chance that he will have flare ups but they can be treated. Please consider adopting my sweet baby boy.

7/2/05 - Wow sure time flies when your having fun. Marco is doing really well on his meds after being diagnosed with colitis. He continues to be an amazing dog and faithful companion.

He was very good after my jaw surgery he really knew I was down and out and he was very caring and also took care to leave me alone and not ask me to play. The other day I said ouch about something and he came up and started licking me as if to say "hey it's OK" He also does this cute little thing as a sign of affection were he nibbles on you. He not only does this to us but to Maddie as well. He is so stinkin cute.

I cant believe how big he is. Marco has gained 10 pounds since his last vet visit which was June 1st. So ten pounds in a month not to shabby. He is still only eating twice a day but I think he must be digesting better and keeping more nutrients in his body. With this update I am sending new pictures so everyone can see how big he is getting.

6/14/05 - Thought I'd send in an update to let you all know that Marco is doing well. He is being treated with an antibiotic for his colitis and seems to be doing really well. We should really start seeing a difference by the end of the week or the beginning of next week according to his Dr's.
Marco continues to be an excellent family dog. He loves the kids and our queen Maddie. Of course his favorite thing to do to her still is nibble her neck.
Marco still loves to play ball by far his favorite game. He has taken to chewing sticks and always manages to sneak one in to chew on. I am assuming he does this when the kids let him in.
Marco loves other animals and his mission in life is to play with every single one. This has started walking a little more difficult as he cannot just pass by he would like to stop and say hi. A quick reminder to keep walking and a tug on the leash and he comes.
I truly am glad I have watched him grow and he is going to be with us for awhile longer till he finishes his antibiotics.

6/3/05 - I wanted to let everyone know Marco is doing well. On Wednesday he went in for his nueter as well as his colonoscopy. If you ask him though it was like he was never there. He came out of the vets office like who's here to play! We will know his results next week and I am very excited to find out what is going on with our little man who is not so little anymore. I was on the phone with a moving company and they heard Marco barking and they stopped the conversation to say wow that sounds like a big dog you have there. If only they could see this goofy boy on the other end. He is also so smart and well behaved. He follows us outside in the am when we walk to school and stands at the gate. I tell him to go wait in the corner because you can see us walking home from that part of the yard and he automatically goes to the corner to wait. As I cross the street I say there's my baby and he heads over to meet at the gate. Another great thing about Marco is he wont leave out the front door unless he has permission. He waits till you tell him its OK. It's going to be a very sad day for us when Marco leaves. We have had him for such a long time and he was only a baby when he came now he is almost as tall as Maddie.

4/21/05 -Hey Everybody just wanted to give a little update on Marco since he is still here with us. We are still trying to figure out what is going on with his bowels it's been a long process but sometimes these things are.
I really want to talk about how great Marco is. I know he has a family patiently waiting for him but I figured other people might want to read about our little man. First of all Spring has really Sprung here in upstate NY the weather has been great and Marco loves to be outside. He doesn't even care if he is back there by himself he will stand at the fence and just watch everything that is going on. We can leave our back door open and Marco will push the porch door open to let himself out. Marco is also very good about not taking off when the kids open the front door. He does not try to escape.
Marco went to the vet yesterday and met a lot of dogs big and small. The first dog he met was on the dog walk he was a young but big male black lab. The second dog he met was the labs sister who was a Great Prynese. Marco stood perfectly still and let this giant dog sniff him all over she even lifted him up when she sniffed under his belly. When all was said and down and she was done sniffing Marco proceeded to jump onto her back. I really think he thought it was play time because he was a good boy and let the dog do what she wanted. Marco has no dog aggression at all he really just wants to play play play. He doesn't seem to realize that everyone he meets doesn't want to play with him. He was also perfect for the tech who drew his blood. David (my husband and Marco's foster Dad) was holding him on the table and the tech was standing in front of Marco drawing his blood from his front leg and he was licking her face. She was so impressed at how good he was she went to find him some special treats.
Marco is a great dog and I just wanted to let everyone know how lucky we feel to have him despite the potty training which is just something we haven't done in a long time. Marco is a perfect companion for grownups and kids. When things get figured out and it is time for him to go he will truly be missed. Marco has been with us for nearly 4 months and we have watched him grow and continue to blossom. In my opinion Marco is an outstanding representation of the Boxer Breed.

3/31/05 - We just wanted to let everyone know that Marco is doing great. When he first came I wasn't sure I was going to get through the whole potty training thing as it has been a long time since we trained a dog. For the life of me I couldn't figure out why he would go outside and then 10 minutes later go in the house. Thankfully those days are over. I can officially say Marco is 100% house trained. However he did go pee when I closed the dogs off in the front part of the house so a man who was working on our house could come in to go the bathroom. I wasn't worried about Marco but Maddie does not like strange people in the house so I thought it would be easier to just close the door. I guess Marco didn't like that. He also hates the rain and getting him to go out was a project and he did have an accident that day as well.

Let me tell you though he is one super little guy. He is so well behaved. So much so that we stopped crating him when we go out. He has been left for 4 hours max with free run of the house(except the upstairs). He has been an absolute gentlemen not getting into a thing and not going potty in the house. Personally I think he and Maddie just veg out on the couch. Icant say for sure I would trust him if he didn't have a companion to hang out with but he has been great here.

Marco loves those big playground balls and they keep him entertained for long periods of time. He pushes them around the yard with his head and rolls over top of them. He even got Maddie to join in the action yesterday and she is not really a ball kind of gal. She much prefers a good squeaky toy. As for squeaky toys the dont stand a chance with Marco he rips them apart till he gets the squeaker out.

We love Marco he is an excellent dog. My daughter adores him and wants him to do everything with her. When it is time to do something like get dressed or do her hair she always wants Marco to sit with her. If he happens to sit where she isn't she gets right up and goes to where he is. It is going to be sad for all of us when Marco leaves but I know some family is going to enjoy him as much
as we do. And hopefully he will bring as many smiles to another littles face as he does to my daughters.

Unfortunately Marco is still not ready to go to his forever home as his poop issues aren't cleared up yet. Believe me when I say he is worth the wait :)

3/11/05 - Hi everyone I know that I don't technically have to update Marco since he is pending adoption and
all :) but we wanted to let everyone know how fabulous he is doing with his potty training. We
actually went a few days with only one accident in the house the other days we had none. I decided to
take the big plunge today and let Marco stay out of the crate. I knew I wasn't going to be gone
long. I also thought to myself what is the worst that is going to happen that he pees somewhere.
It's not like it would be something new or unexpected. I was gone 45 minutes and to my pleasure Marco
was a perfect little gentleman when I was gone. I was extremely proud of my little baby. Just
wanted to share our happy news.

2/27/05 - Marco continues to do very well here with us. We are very impressed at how smart he is (would we expect anything less of a boxer) and how quickly he is learning.

The accidents in the house are far and few between on average he has about 2 a day but now they come in streams as he is running for the back door. As soon as we open the back door he runs to the porch door and pushes it open.

He continues to do well with the resident animals and has also played with my cousins dog who lives across the street. My cousins dog is a very strong dominant dog with a lot of herding instincts due to his breed type but they played really well together which I have to say surprised me not because of Marco even though his puppy antics are not for every dog.

Marco is an absolute joy to have around. I really found out this week after only being gone for 2 days how much I really love this little guy and how I truly missed him and couldn't wait to see he and Maddie both. My Mom came to stay with the queen and the little prince so my family and I could take a mini vacation. My Mom just adores Marco and since she lives right down the street she sees him just about every day.

Marco continues to bark when people come to the door and at 18 weeks old it is a very menacing bark. I wonder what it will be like when he gets older as it sounds so grown up now. He is also getting more vocal in his play which we are trying to curb.

He still adores my little girl and I could send you a thousand pictures of the 2 of them together. The only time he gets slightly annoyed with her is if she is squeezing him a little to much for his liking. We speak to them both firmly after that him for getting snappy even though it is just his way of telling her to stop and to her about how she is making Marco feel when she does that. However you can always find the 2 of them together.

Maddie is also starting to instigate a lot more play sessions which I find amusing. She seems to do this with our younger fosters when they have been he awhile. Marco will be trying to relax and Maddie will come over and punch him usually in the head and then she will start whining at him to get up and play. Of course he is more then willing to oblige.

Marco is a beautiful dog I think he is going to be rather large when he is full grown. We love our baby Marco Polo but just like all the other dogs he deserves a home to call his own. Marco is waiting :)

2/22/05 - What a joy having a puppy brings into the house! Despite having to clean up after him here and there Marco is such a good baby. He is very gentle and is learning all his good puppy manners. Yesterday we went for a ride in the car which he loves and he stayed in the back with Maddie. He was so funny chasing the windshield wiper on the back window. Marco plays very well with Maddie and she truly is loving and accepting of him as well. He doesn't bother with the cat. He goes into his crate with no problems and sleeps perfectly through the night. Marco thoroughly enjoys playing ball sometimes he is so funny because his and eye coordination isn't the greatest and he looses the ball so then we send one of the kids to retrieve it. Speaking of kids I know I have mentioned it before but Marco adores my little girl who will be 3 in April. The 2 of them are like peas in pod and always together. This makes my son a little jealous because he tries so hard to get Marco to sit with him. I envision a home for Marco one much like my own. With adult humans who are home more often then not and kids and another dog to play with. He would thrive in a home where he got lots of attention and a family who will continue working on all his good puppy skills. We are giving Marco another round of antibiotics so say a prayer for us that this round finally clears things up for him. How can you resist this little guy. He is a beautiful boy who is going to be even more beautiful as he grows. I will love to follow his updates and see his pictures as he grows. Having Marco here is like having another baby to love and nurture and help grow into a perfect companion.

2/17/05 - We have had Marco for some time now with secret hopes of being able to adopt him ourselves (who can resist a puppy) after lengthy discussions we decided to let someone else have the pleasure. This is in no part to do with Marco as a dog because he is great. He is working really hard on his house training and we have discovered if we only give him water with his meals and of course after a serious playtime he does much better. He only had one accident in the house yesterday and has not had any yet today. Marco continues to get along great with Maddie and he leaves the cat alone. He seems to be interested but rather not test those waters and if he starts to run after her to follow where she is going we just tell him "no Kitty" and he stops. Marco is great with the kids ages 6 and almost 3. He loves my youngest and follows her everywhere. By far his favorite thing to do is play ball he will play forever if you will. He is also very calm for a puppy a lot of times he is perfectly content to find a sunny spot on the rug and sun himself. He keeps his crate dry at night and doesn't mind going in there. The other day when we went out though I put him in his crate and he peed and mind you this was after he just went out. He went out went to the bathroom came in got a treat went in the crate and got another treat ate it then peed. He does bark when someone comes to the door a behavior I am sure he learned from our Maddie. He does not dig and really hasn't destroyed anything either. He is very easily redirected when he does take something that doesn't belong to him. Another one of his favorite things to do is dump out the toy buckets. I am forever picking those things up. Marco walks great on the leash and stays in the yard when told. Marco cam into rescue being treated for packed anal glands and bloody stool. He has seen the vet here and has had 2 more rounds of antibiotics for what they believed to be bacterial colitis however the antibiotics did not clear up this problem. Marco will require further testing to see what is going on there. Unfortunately we see stuff like this all to often when puppies are purchased from pet stores or backyard breeders. People who are out for money and not for the health and temperament of the dog. Marco is a sweet dog and we all love him dearly he is a very handsome little guy. I have taken tons and tons of pictures of him. We really love having him her and will continue to feel blessed by his presence for as long as he is here. Please consider Marco as your forever boxer baby.

2/11/05 - I am going a little crazy with Marco and the potty training. We let him out constantly as we are both home more often then not. He goes when let out and we praise him and even give him treats. He can go for a long time without going to the bathroom as he can hold it all night and does because his crate his always dry. He drinks a lot and it is like it goes right through him you can hear him drinking in the kitchen and then you hear him peeing. Literally as soon as he steps away from the water bowl he pees even if he was just outside. I am really happy he is not going on my carpets anymore but we have been going through paper towels like mad. He looks at you like he knows he is wrong and we just show him the pee and tell him no outside and then send him out and as soon as he comes back in he sits for a treat and I tell him no because he went pee in the house. He is still a baby only 16 weeks old and I did realize I would be doing a lot of cleaning and I have no problem with that I guess I just don't understand why he can hold it all night and not during the day. Not that I am expecting him to hold it all day but as I said before he can go out and do his business and 20 minutes later he is peeing in the house.
But we absolutely adore Marco and he is very smart. He is doing extremely well honestly. He loves to play ball and he and Maddie are great friends. He even started sleeping on her couch with her. When I walk him to school people are surprised how he has grown in the 2 weeks he has been here. It has been a long time since we had a puppy as Maddie will be 6 in April. He is just very inconsistent with his potty habits. It seems like he will go all day without going in the house and then by evening he is going all the time. I wonder if it is because our house gets busier once the school day is over. We will just keep working on it and pray this last round of antibiotics clears up any other issues.

2/4/05 - Hi everyone just wanted to let you all know Marco is doing well and is continuing to get better with his antibiotics. He is a cool little dog and so smart. He is also very well behaved. Last night after Marco at his dinner he went right into the other room to lay down without even being told. He didn't want to go in the crate like the night before I think. He is super in the crate and keeps it dry all night and also if we have to go out. We are still working on the house breaking sometimes he is really good and other times not. It is like potty training which we are going through with our daughter. All in all Marco is a great dog he has the cutest little under bite and you can see all his perfect puppy teeth straight as can be. We will continue with the antibiotics for a while longer so hopefully he will be 100%. Till next time.

2/1/05 - Just wanted to do a little write up about Marco. Marco or "baby Marco Polo" as we call him is doing great. He has been here a week and is learning so much for instance it makes Mommy less upset if I pee in the kitchen instead of on her carpet. He is also starting to scratch at the back door when he wants out or in. My sister thinks I should teach him how to ring a bell that hangs from the door knob. He walks great on a leash for such a young pup and since he is so young and we live on a quite dead end street we are teaching him how to stay in the yard. He is a master at sit and he sits for everything. He sits for his treats, he sits and waits for you to put down his food and water. Marco is also very good about going in the crate. Although he probably rather not I really don't want him peeing on my new carpets upstairs of course I don't expect such a young guy to be potty trained and he gets a stern no and then told to go outside but if using the crate means saving my carpets from pee. Then the crate I will use. He is very good about it though I tell him to crate up and he goes in. He whines for maybe 5 seconds but I just say shhhhh it's time for night night and he stops. He gets along great with Maddie and plays with her a lot differently then he did with Sabrina he is a lot more gentle. He has realized the cat is a force to be reckoned with and even though he is interested he usually doesn't go near her. Tasha however will come to him when he is calm she doesn't view him as a threat. He absolutely adores my little girl and follows her everywhere. She calls him baby. He is a great little guy and so handsome. I love having him here and I would love to keep him. We were going to wait till Maddie got a little older but have started thinking about it more seriously since someone is home all the time and in a couple of years I will go back to work full time. Also for a puppy he is not destructive I don't know if he hasn't reached that stage yet but even when he picks up one of the kids toys he is easily redirected. Of course right now he is sliding one of my daughters plastic plates around the house. He is a super little guy.

1/24/05 - The Mayor's Alliance van dropped off 3 Boxers here to me for a brief visit. Good as gold all three. China is a girl who likes to give me a hug. My son and his friend named the big boy with the Spike (later renamed Jack by his foster home, and of course the baby Marco who were are going to foster.