A Big, Black Dog Named Marshmallow!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I have been in Indiana this week two timing Fudge and Vern with a dog named Marshmallow.  I was staying at my sister’s house and she was watching her daughter’s dog.  Marshmallow has grown into a wonderful and mellow dog and I know that for a fact because I have known him since he was young.  Mar, because really, who can keep saying Marshmallow everyday, was a pound dog that started out life with my nephew, his wife, and their three young children.  In the beginning, when you would stop at their house, he was rambunctious and liked to grab your attention and especially liked when you would play with him.  He also was a bit of a licker.  Mar lived with them for about five years and then the wife said she and a daughter were allergic to him and needed to find him a home.  Even though I lived two states away and Mar and I were barely on a first name basis, this news bothered me and made me hurt for what was about to happen to Mar.  I tried to imagine if I could handle three big dogs, because really a dog with the name of Marshmallow would be perfect with two dogs named Fudge and Vernors, but in my heart, I did not think I could. I even called our very own Karen and Jackdoodle for suggestions and help and she was informative and wonderful.  By the time I got some information to the wife, she had changed her mind and was going to try and keep Mar.

 

Time passed and my nephew and wife filed for divorce and as often happens, Mar became a casualty of divorce.  Thankfully, my niece (sister to said nephew} and husband stepped in and wanted him.  I was so relieved and worried all at the same time.  My niece is my sister’s daughter and the only dog she had growing up was an outside dog and I didn’t want Mar to go from being an indoor dog to an outside dog.  My niece was not really a dog person either, and it was her husband who really wanted a dog.  Of course, I had to stick my big nose into it and offer as much unwanted and unasked for advice I could and they were extremely gracious about humoring me and not telling me to shut up and mind my own business.  It is hard when you know everything to deal with people that don’t know that you know everything.  Just ask my kids. Anyways, Mar moved to his new home and I worried about his transition, his heartbreak, and the confusion he must have felt. 

 

But, here is where my story turns happy and eventually has a very happy ending. As dogs often do, Mar worked his magic on my niece and she fell in love with a big, black dog.  I kid her and tell her she is now a dog person and she will answer back that she is a Mar person.  Her husband was great with Mar from day one. They walk and run together and Mar follows him around and it is evident that Mar has found two new people to love and is loved back in return.  He has full run of the house and is an inside dog. The husband posts cute pictures of him on Facebook and they got him into doggie daycare one day a week because they worried about him being home alone when they worked.  They said Mar knows when it is Wednesday (daycare day) and even reminded them one day when they forgot.   They know his rubber ducky is his outside toy, and his stuffed blue bone toy is the one toy that he wants to carry around inside and so far has survived a de-stuffing.  Mar is also funny about flooring and will back out of certain areas and tiptoe around others.   He has a favorite bed that they brought to my sister’s house and a harness for walking that my sister continually put on wrong.  Mar tried to help her by lifting his legs when she should have been putting the straps under them and even bit at the harness when it was completely topsy turvy, but she still managed to walk him one day with the thing on upside down.  I sure he was thinking, “When are my smart people coming to get me?” but he was gracious and humored her and just walked along. 

 

I was excited to play with him one day and thought I could finally get some pictures of a black dog.  Mar let me know rather quickly that wasn’t going to happen.  I threw rubber ducky exactly two times, not even long enough to get my camera settings down and the shot metered correctly, and Mar was done.

No amount of cajoling could get him to try again for me. I chalked it up to lack of energy since my sister keeps her house at about 98 degrees.  I had a permanent hot flash while home and finally turned on the ceiling fan in the living room when she was out walking.  I guess the complaining worked because she did turn the A/C down a bit from her Death Valley setting and then we had to listen that she was freezing in her own house while she walked around bundled up in a bathrobe.  Even Hayley didn’t bother to get under the covers at night and slept right on top of the bedspread, so it wasn’t only me who thought it was hot in that house.  Coincidentally, Mar perked right up the cooler it got and became more active as the temperature dropped.  I told my sister that he had put himself into a self induced coma to get through the week and it was the fan and the movement of air that revived him.

 

John told me Fudge and Vern were out of sorts all week and I think between the needy cat and those two dogs, John needs his own vacation. He said Fudge just stared down our driveway looking for my car and did not want to come into the house and Vern was up half the night.  Mar was very well behaved, but it was obvious he missed his people, too.  Every now and then he would make a crying noise and none of us knew what he wanted.  I bet my niece and her husband would have known.  Fudge and Vern went right to bed when I got home last night around 8 pm and were still sleeping twelve hours later. Mar got to go back home yesterday, too.  Back to where he belongs and feels safe again and loved and isn’t that what every dog deserves?  I am so glad Marshmallow got his happy ending.

[Adrianne Matzkin]

I, too, am a sucker for big black dogs and their Happy Tail stories!! Thanks for sharing Mar's!

[Bonnie and Kona]

Laurie, This story brought tears to my eyes. What a lovely ending to a hard story. I'm so happy for Mar and for his new family.

Was John surprised Vern gets up in the night? Since you are the one to let him out when you are home, I'm just wondering if he never noticed before.

[Pat and Traveler]

Sweet story, Laurie!  Mar looks like a big dog, and smart too.  He was willing to get the rubber ducky a couple of times for you, but if you weren't able to hang on to it, why should he keep bringing it back?

I'm sure Fudge and Vern are delighted to have their mom home.  I can just see Fudge staring down the driveway, waiting.  Trav would do that too.

[F, Calla & Luca]

This is a lovely story and Marshmallow is one handsome dog. Great pictures! Do you mean to say Vern didn't get up in the night?

[Cathy, Fozzie & Shaggy]

What a FANTASTIC story and even better ending!!  He surely must be a good part lab with that look, he has my heart, of course!!

[Lonnie & Libby Lu]

This is a great story Laurie and sooo sweet too!  Mar sounds like a wonderful dog, especially having to deal with the "furnance" atmosphere!  LOL  He is a beautiful dog and glad there was a happy ending to his story. I'm sure Fudge and Vern were very happy to have their Mom back and waiting for the camera to start clicking again:) Love you blogs Laurie! 

[Janie, Jackson and Jilly]

What a sweet story! Mar is a happy camper after all! I'm glad Fudge and Vern are settled once again with their Momma home now too!

[Carol and Banjo]

So wonderful to hear this Happy Ending story Laurie.   I love your pics of Big Mar.....he sounds like a Big LOVE!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Thanks for starting my day off with a smile, Laurie. I'm so glad Marshmallow got his happy ending! 

(Although I still wonder....Marshmallow? For a black dog? WTD?) 

[Gail and Bailey]

What a happy story to start my day with!  Marshmallow is such a handsome boy!  He looks mellow and content!   What is it with some folks and how hot they keep their house?  My daughter is always freezing when she comes to visit me and is always putting on a sweater.......when I am at her place I secretly turn the thermostat down so I can stop sweating!  Come visit me...I guarantee you will be cool enough!!!