Marty

Marty on Day 1. 

 

    Marty is a 7 year old lab mix. He has lived at Horse Creek Wildlife Sanctuary and Animal Refuge since he was 10 weeks old. When they got him from the shelter, he had parvo and was immediately brought to the vet for treatment. Luckily, he survived. He instantly became friends with another rescue who was eventually adopted. This left Marty alone, with no canine partners as therapy.
    Marty is a very fearful dog, whom I immediately worked to gain the trust of. This is the progression of my 7 days at horse creek with Marty.

1. I sat in his kennel for ten minutes and convinced him to smell my hand. 
2. I attempted to leash him up. After almost getting bit, I turned to a slip lead and tried again. We made it out the front door, but no further before Marty began attacking the leash and expressing extreme anxiety. I put him back in his kennel. 
3. An employee has him outside already, so I took the leash without him noticing. We made it to the patch of grass outside the villa. He allowed me to pet him for a bit before going inside. 
4. I leashed up Marty properly for the first time. We made it out the front doors and back to the same patch of grass. I gained enough of his trust that he would east crackers from my mouth. We spent a ten minutes outside, then called it a day. 
5. I leashed up Marty and got him across the yard to the walking path. We only walked for about twenty feet before deciding it was time to go in. 
6. Marty and I made it half way through the walk path before the noise of the fountain became too much for his anxiety.
7. The most successful day. 

    I want to talk about day 7 specifically, because I feel that it was Marty's gift to me. I leashed him up, and brought him outside. I decided to walk the other trail in order to avoid the fountain. Marty made it 1/2 a mile with the assistance of an animal cracker crumb trail before he was confident enough to walk unmotivated. Marty and I a walked an entire mile before going back inside. 

    To most, that doesn't seem like such a success. I, however, notice the behavioral significance of this event. Tears come to my eyes just thinking about it. 

    I remember crying on day 2. I felt defeated the moment he threw himself to the ground. I knew that I was going to keep trying... although I was unsure whether Marty would accept me or not. To go from avoidance to willingness is an amazing improvement for a dog, in less than 1 week. 

Marty and I in the med room. 

    On day 3, one of the employees and I noticed a dark spot on Marty's iris. Day 4, luckily, was the vet visit day. Upon examination, the doctor advised that Marty be taken to an eye specialist to determine what the mass was and he put him on prednisone eye drops to reduce possible inflammation. Hopefully he is alright and won't need any surgery. 

    Marty is another dog I am adding to my canine loves list. This list consists of all the dogs that remind me why I am passionate about animal rescue. I would not be who I am today without the influence these dogs had on me. Every rescue dog/animal I have worked with has inspired me to do more and be better. The list has the ones who broke my heart.... all before bringing me together again and changing my life. 

*Roscoe, Sky, Marty, Rebel, Gizmo*

From the Horse Creek website

Marty arrived at Horse Creek from the animal shelter on July 6, 2004. An adorable little black puppy, we took him directly to the veterinarian's office because he was so sick. We could not leave him at the shelter to suffer.

As a puppy Marty was hospitalized for Parvo virus. But only a couple of days of that and he was ready to come back to Horse Creek. He was stronger than ever.

Marty became friends with one of our rescued dogs who had some pretty tough emotional problems. We left him at Horse Creek to take care of her, rather than taking him to adoption events. He brought her out of her shell, but he also got pretty accustomed to his surroundings. He gets a little nervous still about new things, but he quickly adjusts with a little time and attention. He LOVES people.

This guy obviously has a positive attitude. He deserves a good home. He is now healthy and happy.

Marty is ready for a forever home with a loving family. All he needs is a chance. . . .