It's been six months since we rescued Markus from South Korea and while it's cliché to say that it felt like yesterday, it really has felt that way. While the time has been fun and we've seen lots of progress in the training, we've also had challenges.

Since the last check-in, we got to bring Markus into the office for a full day of work, we won an Instagram contest, we gave Markus the Kong Bear (and then had to quickly take it away) and we zone in on Markus' inability to catch.

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The Garden City Dogs Off-Leash Area was a temporary dog park, but it has since undergone major upgrades to become one of the more-frequented dog parks in Richmond, British Columbia. Between grass, large rocks and logs, there's a lot to love at this park.

A few months ago, we gave Markus a BeneBone for his Christmas gift. It is a hard chew toy that's made out of nylon and a good alternative for dog owners to not have to use real bones.

Since the last check-in, we brought Markus to the vet and discovered one of the worst smells we've ever encountered in our lives, we got our first shipment from BarkBox and we met some new friends at the Shiba Meetup!

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The South Arm Dog Off Leash Area is an enclosed dog park located inside South Arm Park in Richmond, British Columbia. The park is medium-sized with a good mix of grass and crushed rock with plenty of space for dogs to run around and play.

We've had a string of rainy days in Vancouver and when Markus gets wet, he takes hours to dry off. In search of a rain jacket, we picked out the Packable Dog Rain Poncho by RC Pets. Find out how this dog jacket did against the Vancouver rain!

Since the last update, Markus concluded his doggy training classes with a test. How did he do? He also got to meet toddlers for the first time, and it is the beginning of our most dreaded Vancouver season: rain.

In the early days when we were starting to leave Markus at home alone, the Kong Wobbler played a big role in our training. The Kong Wobbler has allowed us to stimulate Markus mentally and create a distraction for him.

Since the last check-in, we want to give you some updates from our doggy training classes. We also provide an update on the Valens food, bringing Markus into the office and teaching him to how to shake paws.

Since the last update, we've taken Markus to more parks as part of his socialization training, there's been some major news on Acana dog food and the lawsuit they’re facing and we purchased a long 50-foot leash for Markus and tried him on it.

In the early days of adopting Markus, we were introduced to Grannick's Bitter Apple Spray as a tool for us to distinguish bad behaviour. The reviews on Bitter Apple Spray have been up and down, so we share our experience using it with Markus.

Since the last check-in, it snowed in Vancouver and we got to see Markus play in the snow for the first time! We also started attending our doggy training classes so wanted to provide some of those updates with you. Plus derp.

This is the first of our Paws & Reflect series where we reflect on how things have gone. It's only been three months and the trip to the Sea-Tac Airport is so vivid, but here are some of our initial thoughts on our first few months with Markus.

Since the last check-in, we've learned that not all dogs get excited when their owners come home, so we caught Markus on video as we came home. We also noticed his orderliness and we discuss how we pick out his toys as a slightly destructive dog.

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David Gray Park is an off-leash dog park located in Burnaby, British Columbia. The park is mostly dirt and sandy with areas of grass towards the end. It is a very spacious park, which is great for reactive dogs like Markus.

During our first shedding season with Markus, we picked up a couple of FURminator brushes - one for taking off surface level debris and loose fur and a deshedder to complement the first brush. In this update, we review the effectiveness of these brushes.

Since the last check-in, we went through our first shedding season with Markus and it was something else. Markus is starting to become territorial in the neighbourhood and he's been shaking his head a bit, so we tell you what that means.