Marlin

submitted by Laura M.

My name is Laura, and though I’ve had three great dogs in my life, my one in a million dog was a sweet, calm yellow lab named Marlin.

It was love at first sight when I met him back in 2002 at Guide Dogs For The Blind out in California, and as we got to know each other, and as we worked together, I fell more and more in love.  He was wound up so tightly in my life that he wasn’t out of my thoughts for a moment.  He was sweet and gentle but could be amazingly stubborn when he set his mind to it.  If there was another dog he wanted to say hi to, the only thing I could use to regain his focus was dried liver.

Marlin saved my life.  Even when I didn’t realize it, he gave me the “Mom’s an idiot look” when I stubbornly refused to follow his signals and ended up running straight into a sign-post.  He cuddled and snuggled with me whenever I was sad or sick.   He was wonderful with children, sitting as still as a tree when a five year old flung his arms around Marlin’s neck and squeezed.  In typical lab fashion, he adored the people he knew, wagging his tail until I thought it would fall off.

July 29, 2005, was a day I’ll never forget.  Marlin suffered acute renal failure and as I lay on a blanket beside him, in a quiet room in the vet’s office, I knew our lives would change forever.  His career, his time as my partner and guide came to an end within a month.

I thank God every day he survived. I am grateful for his still being here for me to snuggle and talk to, but our bond as a team – one so close it was as if I knew his move before he made it – had to be broken, and I had to deliberately break it.  I have never known such grief, but through losing Marlin as my guide, I found that my heart was big enough for him and his successor.

Marlin was my million dollar dog, who opened the world for me in a way I never thought was possible.  I owe him so much, and I will never forget what he has done for me.  He is my Mar-Mar, my sweet boy, and there will always be a place in my heart which only he and I share.

Thank you for letting me share with all of you how wonderful my dog is.

Sincerely,
Laura and the two yellow beasts

Click here to meet Bone