farewell, sweet Marco

We made the sad, sad decision to send Marco back to his original breeder and we made the trip today. It was gut wrenching, to say the least. My head and my heart just are not on the same page all the time these days.

Here’s a little background on the decision. When we first brought him home, he showed signs of aggressive behavior. We had a few incidents of biting (mostly other dogs, but it’s his first reaction when he feels backed into the corner)–enough that I decided we’d not take him to the beach anymore. Fast forward a few months and it just became clearer and clearer that Evanston and a condo without a yard were not the best circumstances for him.

I cried for the last 30 miles or so and couldn’t believe how fast those miles sped under the tires. When we pulled up, he saw Rosie and when crazy. He clearly recognized her (she was his handler for two years in the show ring), and was really happy to see her. He cried a little as we walked away from the van, but I’m sure Eric and I are crying more than him. We’ll be checking in on his progress as Rosie works with him to get his aggression under control.

Ocho seems to be doing okay, although I think he’s been looking for Marco a couple of times tonight. Right now he is curled up sleeping in his regular, favorite spot, so that’s good.

2009 is turning out to be a year of hard decisions and saying good-bye. This time last year, I’d have never predicted this. All I can say is, buy stock in Kleenex.

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