On New Year’s Eve, we were pulling a euth listed dog from the Animal Friends of the Valleys shelter when we found out that another dog, Marcus, was getting put down due to overcrowding. We had heard he had a rescue coming for him, but that fell through and he was now scheduled to be put down in about an hour.

Marcus was in the kids reading program, where children come and sit outside the runs to read to shelter dogs. He was dog friendly and loved people, but the shelter in which he landed is being overwhelmed with strays and owner surrenders, which puts every single dog on a timeline- the shelter can’t house 10,000 dogs at once.

We scrambled and, with the help of some amazing shelter employees and volunteers, we were able to save Marcus. This gentle giant is just so personable, it’s like he’s winking at you when the tips of his ears rub together. He’s a love and we’re so glad everything worked out for him.

Marcus was underweight when he landed at the shelter, but is now a healthy 95 pounds. We scheduled a vet appointment for him and discovered that he has several broken teeth, a few broken under the gum line, so he had a dental (with extractions) when he went in for his neuter. He was so thin, they think he might have started eating rocks because he was so hungry.

Of course, we know that we can’t save them all, but Marcus is the kind of dog who makes you want to continue busting your butt for every single dog in need. He’s the sweetest boy and we couldn’t be more thankful that everything happened the way it did. If anyone deserved to be saved, it’s him. 💙

He has had a DNA test and he is 100% GSD. Marcus can be timid when meeting new people and does best with calm energy around him. While younger kids wouldn’t be a good match, he’d be fine with older children who are respectful and calm around dogs.