Marlie – DOB January 13, 2020 (Rainger x Bella)
Everywhere we go, we are complimented on how well behaved and level-headed Marlie is, many believe she is a low energy dog, trust me she is not. Marlie simply tries her best to follow all that we taught her right from the time she got home. She makes the hours spent training worth it. Marlie will try her best to understand what you are trying to get her to do, so much so we even say she has a ‘thinking face’ she puts on when she is really trying to understand what is being asked of her.
She is truly an amazing dog to have around, she has plenty enough energy to keep up with us while ice fishing and sledding in the winter, and hiking in the summer, but also loves to sleep on the boat, calmly stand in the lake with her annual flock of ducks/ducklings or nap under her favourite tree that sits in our front yard. Marlie also loves joining us for barn chores, she loves coming to let the horses out in the morning, clean stalls, fill troughs and occasionally joins in for a ride around the field. Again, this energy can easily be calmed when asked, she will calmy lay in the barn while the veterinarian or farrier is out, whether in an emergency or not.
We will often say that even though she is a mutt, she is 100% retriever. She loves to hunt, gets so excited at the sight or sound of a gun, occasionally thinking the backfiring lawn mower or fireworks are a gun and will run around, nose on the ground trying to find something to receive. Marlie loves hunting both waterfowl and small game, like partridge. Again, back to the training, she knows when it is time to hunt or not, she hangs out with her ducks at the lake, and has come to work with me banding songbirds. Not once has she threatened them or tried to go after them. She even has a crow at home that follows her around, sitting at the tops of the trees laughing at her. Eventually it will take off low over the field, and Marlie will run after it. They play this game at least once most days.
Marlie has gained experience as a salesman and mechanic, spending many hours helping customers at the local Arctic Cat dealership, and within both the sled/boat shop and the big truck shop. Although never exposed to children and babies when young, she is amazing with them, walking over to them when they are upset and lying next to them, licking their faces to cheer them up. Marlie also has many dog friends, ranging anywhere from 5-100lbs. she respects each dogs’ boundaries, and only plays as hard as they would like.
Marlie is not a destructive dog at all, she loves to chew sticks outside, which the neighbour dog and her best friend, Bella, taught her the day she came home. If given a bone, she will carry it around crying until she is able to hide it in her blankets or outside in the dirt/snow, and she absolutely loves her soft toys, she treats them as her babies. The only time Marlie has been destructive was when she was trying to communicate something to us, she was still going in her crate when we left the house and would chew her beds. We thought maybe she was getting too warm, so we switched the bed for a baby blanket and that issue stopped right away. That blanket is now one of her babies, and she will follow you around, very concerned, if you’re carrying it, she will then check up on it when you put it down again.
Marlie strives off routine, she has made 9:30 her bedtime, and will stand next to you, giving you the side eye until you finally cave and go to bed with her. She also knows to lie down on her bed each time someone grabs their bag and puts their shoes on, this behaviour was never taught to her, she simply picked it up on her own.
Thinking back on Marlie as a puppy, so much about her has changed, while so much has also stayed the same. Marlie used to be so sure she was the boss, and the more you pushed her away, the stronger she would come back at you. It did take a long time to break this habit and without the training I feel she could have been labeled a ‘bad dog’. Since the day we got her home, Marlie has always had the ‘zoomies’ from about 8-9 at night, this is still very true to this day, although she is more capable of entertaining herself now, digging in the snow or flailing her toys in the air.
Every country family should own a dog like Marlie, truly such a versatile dog that is ready to join you on every adventure. She truly has so much drive and personality. Many people have even asked where we got Marlie from, and say they’ll be getting a Candyville goldador when the time is right. I could go on and on about this wonderful dog and all her quirks.
Marlie also has an Instagram! @marlie.the.marvellous
~Aleisha (Englehart, ON)
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