Tell us a little about yourself Marco.
I am originally from Northern Vermont; I'm not sure exactly what town though. I am a 3 year old Pit bull and I currently live in Dighton, Massachusetts with my sister Fuzzy (a 15 years old a retired racing Greyhound) and my very special owners Kerri Lopes and Mark Ready. I did have a brother, Yardman, also a retired racing greyhound, but he passed away this year. He was 14.
We noticed that you get around with a set of wheels – how did that come about?
My foster mom, Jen, is the one who set me up in my wheels. I met her on February 17, 2011 after an unfortunate incident. Being a young pup, I decided to wander off on my own. I crossed a street without looking both ways and got hit by a car. The people who hit me got me help and brought me to the vet (where my soon-to-be foster mom worked) and it was found that I had a broken back. She cared for me and did some research and found out about Eddie's Wheels http://eddieswheels.com/ the makers of my wheel chair (a very kind person donated my wheels). I am able to get around without my wheels quite well. I have been doing physical therapy now for over a year. It helps keep the muscle tone in my back legs. Because of that, I can stand on my own and actually take quite a few steps! When I am in the house, I am out of my wheels. I will stand and take steps or sometimes just scoot around.
Those wheels must make you pretty fast? When I am in my wheels, I am super-fast! I like to think that I can run faster than a Greyhound when I am in my wheels.
Was the Reindog Parade your first competition?
The Reindog parade was the first parade competition that I have been in. I was in an obedience competition at the American Cancer Society, Bark for Life event and I won an award for doing the best "roll over". I was out of my wheels for that.
What did you do with your winnings?My prize was the best ever! I played with the squeaky toys as soon as I got home and I let my sister play with them too. I am sharing the rawhide chewies with my sister they are lasting a long time and we still have them. My mom put our picture in the photo frame and has it out with the Christmas decorations. I haven't worn the bandana yet, but mom has it in the closet for me. Mom says it will look really good with my candy cane bowtie.
We understand that you’re a “working dog”. What sort of work do you do?
I am a registered Therapy dog and Reading Dog. I don't read, as I am just a dog; but I visit a classroom of kids who each take a turn reading books to me. I love having kids read to me, it's so much fun to hear the different stories. Sometimes, I will even get a treat from them after I've listened to them read. For Therapy, I visit nursing homes and rehabilitation centers. I haven't been into a hospital to visit yet, but hopefully I will sometime in the future.
What’s next for Marco?The world is my oyster! Currently, I am learning to scent, meaning, I am learning to search for odors. This is a very long training and it's a lot of fun. I also want to train to become a Disaster Stress Relief dog. This is a long training for both my mom and I, but we hope to tackle that within a couple of years. Right now, while there's no snow on the ground, so I plan to take a good long roll in the grass! If you want to know what I’m up to you can follow me on Facebook.
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Thanks Marco. We think you’re a pretty special dog! Let us know if you have a four-legged family member that has a story to tell. Maybe they will be featured in our next newsletter!
