In our development with Markus, we’re constantly pushing for the next thing. We’re always trying new things to train and work with him - so much so that when something doesn’t go the way we expect it to, we can become discouraged or even frustrated.

Taking the time to reflect where things began helps us to appreciate where we are today and it gives us the boost for another day. Putting in perspective that Markus was a rescued dog who had difficulty being adopted because he was labeled as aggressive helps us to appreciate how far he’s come in his time with us.

The Paws & Reflect series is our way of pausing to appreciate all the progress Markus has made from his days as an aggressive dog at the rescue shelter. We revisit his past to help us put into focus all the great things he’s already accomplished with us.

It's been six months since we rescued Markus from Korea and it felt like a good time to do another short check-in. It'd be cliché to say that adopting Markus felt like yesterday, but that'd still be the best way to describe it. While the time has been a lot of fun, it has also be challenging in its own ways. The most challenging of all have been the time and patience required to train Markus out of the habits that he had developed, but the progress we've seen so far makes it all worth it.

Markus has been going to a dog training class at My Fluffy Friend in Vancouver for the past two months and while it takes up our weekends, it's also something that we said we were committed to doing since the beginning. When we adopted Markus, we were told that he was going to require more work than other dogs. Instead of adopting another dog, we committed to working with him and going to these classes have been incredibly helpful. We're also quick to realize that these classes weren't just for training Markus, but training us on things to look out for as well. 

We're so glad to have done the class and even though the certificate is made up to simulate a human graduation, I still felt like a proud parent. In that moment, I was proud of Markus for coming all the way here to Vancouver from Korea and defeating the odds of coming out of a rescue shelter and being identified as an aggressive dog. The certificate and the picture of Markus wearing the graduation hat was validation that all the training and time spent into working with him has been worth it.

As part of his training, we've also been taking Markus to off-leash parks. Something that terrified us in the beginning, it's become such a joy now to see Markus running freely and playing with other dogs (when he wants to). At these parks, we've also met new friends and have started to meet up with them more regularly. This makes it easier for us to take Markus out, knowing there are dogs that he's familiar with. These are things that we didn't expect to happen, but having a dog (and an Instagram account) opened us up to this new reality.

Looking back, our lives have definitely changed, but certainly for the better. Our weekends used to be filled with catching up on things like Netflix as a way to relax from the busy work week. Nowadays our weekends look more like going for walks or doing hikes where we can, which is relaxing in its own way, but is better for all of us. Markus hasn't just fit into our routine seamlessly, he's improved it for the better.

Six months ago, we came into this adoption prepared to change a dog's life. Now looking back six months later, it feels like our lives have been changed instead.

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!