Away for two weeks, McDonald Beach again and the groomers
Markus posing on a stump at McDonald Beach Park
Raising Markus is the series where we share stories about our time raising Markus. Said to be aggressive and having gone unadopted for over a year, Raising Markus is the story of a rescued dog from Korea given a second opportunity, now in Vancouver, Canada. This series will include the lessons, joys and struggles of dog owners fumbling our way through our first adoption. The hope is that if you're considering rescuing a dog of your own, our stories are useful to you.
This week, we're catching you up on the past two weeks while we've been away. Since we've been back, we've taken Markus to McDonald Beach and the groomers to get washed up!
Leaving Markus for Two Weeks
Markus meeting a friend we brought back from Hong Kong
For the past two weeks, my wife and I have been in Hong Kong and the Philippines to attend a wedding. We got to see amazing parts of the world that we've never gotten to experience before and it was a lot of fun.
Despite all the fun, having to leave Markus at home for the two weeks is definitely the hardest part about these trips. We wish there were some sort of way to let dogs know how long we'd be away for and that we'd even be back, but there's no such thing (that we know of) and that sucks. The thought of the first night when Markus realizes we're not coming through those doors is't a good one and I don't look forward to those days.
We were lucky enough to have someone stay at our place as a dog-sitter rather than having to relocate Markus to help him with the transition. We're sensitive about this particular thing because of how much Markus has been moved around in his short 4 years. So far, he started off on the streets, was picked up and brought to a city pound where he was for a few months until he was eventually taken in by a rescue shelter. He stayed at the shelter for over a year, until we adopted him and have had him for the past year. He hasn't had very long tenures at each of these locations.
For this reason, we figured that it would be a lot less jarring for him if he stayed at his own home. Since we have the luxury of someone who's willing to stay at our place, this felt like the best approach so at least there was something familiar with him. The last thing we'd want is for him to think that he's being deserted or relocated yet again.
We always can't help but to check up on Markus to see how he's doing even while we're having so much fun on the trip! We were told that he was sad for the first few days and didn't eat well (he hasn't eaten very well to begin with anyways), but eventually he got his energy back and starting eating better after the first few days.
As we were on the way back, part of us wondered if he'd be excited to see us or if he would show any sort of spite. Are dogs spiteful?
Maybe, but Markus isn’t. He greeted us at the door with full excitement and it was so great to come back home to him!
McDonald Beach, Again
Markus hopping around the rocks at McDonald Beach Park
We brought Markus to McDonald Beach to let him explore and roam off-leash without an enclosure for the first time about a month ago. McDonald Beach is a long strip of beach along the Fraser River by the YVR Airport and although it's not enclosed, it's harder for dogs to escape and run away. Markus played well with other dogs while he was there, but he mostly preferred to just explore on his own.
We noted that Markus' recall wasn't great from the previous time we were at McDonald Beach. We find that exploration is more of a treat to him than the actual treats we give him. As a result, we struggle to get his attention at times and when he did come back to check in on us, it was usually on his terms. The positive thing to note is that he did come back to check on us, which is something we can work with.
We wanted to keep training his recall by bringing him to the beach again. After all, it is a great place for him to run and burn off some energy. We brought higher level treats with us in hopes that Markus is more likely to respond this time. We did the same thing - took him to the beach area, gave him some of the treats as a teaser and then let him off-leash.
And nothing. It didn't work. As a natural hunting dog, Markus just loves to explore. He would rather go off and find what’s around the logs than respond to our calls knowing we had good treats. Needless to say, we'll be taking baby steps with Markus to work on his recall. The worst part is that we know he hears us calling. He turns around to acknowledge us, ears perked because he heard his name called and then he chooses not to. You can almost pinpoint the exact moment he decides not to come to us.
Markus exploring off in the distance at McDonald Beach Park
We noticed Markus gained a bit more confidence and was starting to go much further away from us. The first time, he would go out, but he would eventually circle back. This time, he would sniff and explore a bit further before he’d turn to check in on us. He did circle back to us a few times and when he did, we would rain treats on him.
It is great to see Markus play this way. Even though his recall needs work, it's good to see that he's able to get along and run with other dogs on an off-leash park. I imagine for a dog with a hunting background, this type of freedom of being able to explore without constraints must feel very natural for him.
Markus was said to be aggressive or have aggressive tendencies and it's crazy to think that he couldn’t be adopted because of it less than a year ago. To think that he's now running off-leash with other dogs in an open beach is something that even we didn't think we'd get to so quickly. We're proud of the strides that Markus has made and these moments show us that all the work we’re putting in working with him is paying off.
Visiting the Groomers
Playing at the beach makes Markus really chalky. With all the sand and dust that's kicked up, he ends up needing a wash so we figured it was a good time to bring Markus to the groomers. We brought Markus to a new grooming place in Steveston, Richmond a few months ago and liked the result, so we’re bringing him in there again.
One of the reasons why we specifically liked this place is because their service includes the anal gland expression. It's one of those things that Markus (or maybe all dogs) really don't like. When we neared the groomers, he recognized where we were almost immediately.
Markus sat down on the sidewalk as soon as we turned the corner. We were still at the end of the block and the groomers is towards the middle of the block. He was pulling back so much that he nearly slipped out of his harness, so we ended up having to carry him into the groomers and with a few scratch marks on our arms.
Surprisingly (or maybe the groomer was just being nice), they said that Markus did really well. They said he was better than the previous times and had no concerns him except for the anal gland expression, which we already knew would likely be the case. Still, it's good to know that he's getting comfortable with the groomers.
We’re so grateful for your support of The Markus Project. We mostly choose our locations through searching and word of mouth. If you know of a park, trail or location you think we should check out, please share it with us. We’d love to know!
