Marley’s Best Life And Bucket List

10/02/2022

12/23/2021

Still missing you so much, my golden child, especially at Christmas time not having you here.

RIP baby boy

To purchase WITHOUT WORDS, please visit https://spectra2014singers.bandcamp.com/track/without-wordsLYRICSSo hard to come home nowI fumble with the keyJust se...

08/24/2021

Our boy got chosen for tonight’s “Sweet Pittie Dreams”
Every night a new dog is chosen and tonight was Marley’s night!

I love and miss you every day my golden child ❤️🐾💔

04/26/2021

Marley you are so missed and you definitely left a huge void!! 😥😥😥😥😥

04/07/2021

Or a sloth...
Marley’s favorite toy the last several weeks of his life was his stuffed sloth.
You don’t see a lot of dog sloth toys but I went to the store the other day and walked down the pet isle and there was a dog sloth toy.
I burst out crying 😭
My Golden child was telling me he was right there with me.

I will forever miss and love you my big baby boy ❤️

03/09/2021

03/07/2021

💔💔💔

02/15/2021

It’s been awhile but Marley is still hanging on but definitely getting weaker.
Every day with this brute is an absolute blessing

We are very bonded and Marley is my Golden child (promise not to tell my boys but Marley is my favorite son 🤣)

Marley hopes everyone had a fun Valentine’s Day and sends his love to all of you ❤️

01/22/2021

I love this dog so incredibly much!!
Today Marley went in for a vet check as I had some concerns.
Our vet did X-rays and bloodwork. While we found out Marley ate something with metal pieces (he is a horrible trash digger and has mastered opening the lid on the trash can 🤦‍♀️) we are hoping it passes, his bloodwork showed that his thyroid was so low it did not even register.
So Marley is now adding a thyroid medication to his ever growing list of pharmaceuticals.
Thanks to his appetite stimulant he is still eating. His thyroid is probably what is contributing to his lethargy.
Here’s hoping he will be bouncing back soon!

Thank you to Melinda Ellis and her awesome hubby for picking Marley up from the vet and getting him back home as I was out of town again today.
We appreciate you guys so much!! ♥️

01/02/2021

So today was Marley’s first pack walk and we had his cart with us that was backed by two generous donors.
The walk is about 3 miles and we knew it would probably be too much for Marley to do.
Marley surprised us by doing 3/4 of the walk.
When he started dragging his feet and I was afraid he was going to fall, I made him get in his cart.
At first he was ok with it but when he realized he couldn’t greet other people and dogs he started to howl and whine like he was being abused 🤣
This is a short video of his dramatics

12/31/2020

For awhile there it looked like Marley was not going to make it to Christmas but then he made a comeback!!
Not only did he make it to Christmas morning but it now looks like we will be ringing in the New Years with Marley snuggled up at our side ❤️

Saturday is our pack walk and it will be Marley’s first one. Because it is a 3 mile hike and we know that Marley cannot do all of that, we had a couple of generous donators help us with purchasing a cart for Marley so he can go on the pack walk but when he gets tired he could climb in his cart!

Pictures of that will come once we do our pack walk!
Also, on another note, Marley had been losing weight pretty rapidly and had gotten down to 71lbs. We did a complete overhaul of his diet and medications and it was all money well spent!
Not only is Marley no longer losing weight but we, in fact, have been able to get him to gain 3 pounds!!

12/22/2020

Marley and Soul 2 Soul Animal Rescue has 3 women to thank immensely!!
Deborah, Azmina and Sandoval Renee thank you for making this cart possible for Marley!!!
Nothing lifts Marley’s spirits like getting out and meeting new people and new dogs.
While we are starting to participate in a pack walk on Saturdays, Marley cannot do the 3 miles walking the whole distance and would not be able to come along (and even with all of his weight loss there is no way I could carry this guy even 10ft 🤣) so now Marley can participate with us and when he gets tired he can climb in his cart and be pushed like the Golden Child that he is! ❤️

12/18/2020

Earlier this week I had to go to Portland overnight.
Of course I HATE leaving Marley for these quick overnight stays but I do have a rescue to run and a lot of our dogs do get adopted out on our way to or in or near the Portland area.

I came home and got to work on starting the dogs dinners. Of course Marley is always fed first.
This is the first time he really wanted his dinner (thanks to an appetite stimulant) but just couldn’t find the strength to get his back legs up.

I was so upset and depressed but then the next morning I woke up to a completely different dog! Marley got to go on a car ride to a fosters home, which he has not been up to in a long time, and when we got there he was behaving like a normal healthy dog. He was even running a bit!

My life with this guy battling cancer makes me feel very bipolar. I never know when my days are going to be extreme highs or extreme lows.
Today I expect Marley to pay the price of yesterday’s high energy fun so today I know my boy will occasionally look for me but will sleep most of the day away.

12/09/2020

I think it’s getting close to the time when Marley needs to be released from the ball and chain of his body but I’m just not sure how I will do it and stay strong for him.
This guy has become my heart and soul and he definitely deserves Heaven. My life will lose so much of its bright sun when this boy leaves me 💔💔

11/27/2020

Happy Thanksgiving from Marley (AKA “The Golden Child”!

Nothing like a good day with cool weather so mom and I can cuddle up on the couch for a nap.

11/25/2020

We ended up taking a dog out to the coast last weekend and Marley felt well enough to go on the trip, so we were off.

Not only did Marley fall hard for this female GSD but he got to visit a covered bridge, smell a bunch of interesting things and get his picture taken.

Marley is getting weaker but he really perked up when we made this stop. He got a pep to his step and his nose was constantly being led to new exciting smells.

Although he sleeps more, stumbles more and is not gaining any weight (in spite of all of the calories we are giving him), Marley still very much has a good quality to his life. He is very happy to pull himself up to come over to demand a kiss and we will take each day that we get!!

10/27/2020

10/25/2020

A week ago Marley went with my mom and I to drop some puppies off at the Reedsport K9 shelter. Once we finished there we drove him over to Wi******er Bay for a short jaunt on the beach.
Coming from Southern California you might not be surprised to know we found out he loves the beach!

Now if I could only get Marley to stop trying to eat the dead crab legs off the beach 🤢

10/16/2020

Marley had a bad day today. It breaks our heart to see him like this.

We would give anything to heal him but it is not meant to be. Pray tomorrow is a good day ❤️

10/15/2020

Friends, this is Marley.
Marley is a 10-11 yo Male Pit/Great Dane that our rescue took on as a sanctuary hospice dog.
We took Marley on knowing that he is dying from hemangiosarcoma (cancer).

In just over a month of having Marley he has wormed his way deeply into my heart. Marley LOVES everybody and does not understand why some people are afraid of him due to his size or a breed that he is mixed with.

Marley has been steadily declining. We have him seeing a specialist but this is only to help Marley maintain quality of life for as long as possible. We got Marley into our rescue too late to ever even have the chance to try to save him from his cancer.

Every day is a roller coaster ride. When Marley has a good day, I have a good day. When he has a bad day, I do all that I can to be his strength and his light.

All I’m asking is for you to pray for this guy to have more good days then bad; to let us have more time together and, when it’s time, for me to let him go that I can do so with the strength to help one more Angel earn his wings with dignity.

I will continue to fight for Marley until there is nothing left to fight for. Then I will fall apart but eventually, I will find the strength to pull myself up and to continue on until the day God calls me home to rejoin all of those that I have loved and lost.

10/14/2020

Sorry for the late update!
Last Sunday we took Marley to have an Ultrasound of his abdomen. Most of you know that Marley has hemangiosarcoma (cancer).

The specialist told us that Marley has no new masses anywhere in his abdomen 🎊
This does not mean that it has not metastasized somewhere else. Our regular vet did a chest X-ray and we know that his lungs are also clear of any masses. Although she said she is not a cardiologist she did run the ultrasound over his heart and did not see anything obvious to her.
This still leaves our big question unanswered: Has this metastasized to his brain?

In order to answer that, Marley would need an MRI done at one of the teaching universities and that would be a large sum to try and raise.

For now, Marley has started supportive care. He is now on a steroid for inflammation, Gabapentin for pain, a medicine to stimulate his appetite and a Chinese herb known for helping dogs with hemangiosarcoma.

The video below was taken after two doses of the new medications. The old, demanding attention Marley was back ❤️

This is definitely going to be a journey filled with ups and downs. Thank you for everyone who has donated to Marley’s care and please keep praying for Marley. We have so much of life to live in such a short time!!

10/10/2020

As some of you are aware, since arriving Marley has gone through a decline.
Between our rescue animals, vet appts (including specialists) we have been on the go nonstop and when we do get home we spend all of our time with Marley.

Tomorrow Marley goes back to the specialist to get an abdominal ultrasound. Please keep him in your prayers.

We have only had this boy about a month but we love him so much and he has become quite attached to us.

While we sit and watch Marley’s body start failing him, we could not love him any less because he is not perfectly healthy. Even as a sick dog he is total perfection in our eyes!

One day we will have to let him go but I thank God that day is not today! We promise not to fail him in whatever time he has left with us and we will fight up until there is nothing left to fight for.

When Marley leaves us, he will immediately join my boy, Beau, running in sunshiny fields. I know I am no where ready for that day but when he tells me it’s time, I will find the strength to let him go.
Hang tough for as long as you can, Marley. ❤️

09/27/2020

Marley went into his vet visit on the 24th. We are now able to change up his diet. Here are some things that are Marley approved. If you would like to pick out something and send it to him. Please click the link below.

We appreciate every one of you following and sharing his days. More to come!

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/TNXVPLT01ZVL?ref_=wl_share

09/17/2020

Marley is an 11 yo Pit Bull/Great Dane mix that came to Soul 2 Soul Animal Rescue after we were told that his owner was about to be homeless.
We were told Marley has Hemangiosarcoma by his previous owner and that he was told in December of 2019 that Marley had anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 yrs to live.
His previous owner knew that Marley would not be able to make it on the streets with his diagnosis so he wanted to find a rescue for Marley. We were contacted by a mutual friend and Marley made his way to Oregon.
On October 24th, Marley will see our rescue’s vet and will undergo all needed testing to verify what we were told.
This page will tell Marley’s tale and allow everyone who wants to follow along on Marley’s journey.
Should we verify Marley does have Hemangiosarcoma, this page will share our (hopefully many) adventures on Marley’s bucket list.

Anyone wanting to send anything special to Marley may do so to:
Soul 2 Soul Animal Rescue
PO Box 781
Winston, OR 97496