MARLA/MAJERLE OF ARIZONA (SWAT)

Marla Then

Majerle Now

“Marla” was named for the Animal Control Officer, who contacted Sidney Hardie of SWAT. Marla showed up at some guy’s ranch one weekend and he gave her food and water. She disappeared one night and then returned limping. It was obvious that Marla's leg was broken and because of a lack of funds to care for her, the Animal Control Officer was going to be forced to have her euthanized. Marla was such a sweetheart that the animal control officer searched for Airedale Rescue on the internet and called SWAT’s 800 number to see if they would take her. She had no chip, a very old and frayed collar, no tags and from the condition of her coat, it was doubtful that anyone had paid much attention to her for quite a while. She was very, very sweet, wagging her tail the whole time, loved getting petted and wanted to give kisses. It was estimated that she was probably 2 years old or younger based on the teeth. She had a proper docked tail and a very pretty face. AND she was in heat, naturally! She had a broken ankle that needed to be repaired once the swelling had gone down in a couple of weeks. And she also needed to be bathed, clipped and spayed.

The ER visit was $1,000+. The actual ankle surgery was estimated to be between $2,000 and $4,000. It is apparently a complicated surgery because so many little bones in the ankle were shattered and displaced. After Marla’s surgery, Dr. Boulay called to report that the damage was as bad as he feared. In layman’s terms, there are three rows of little bones at the wrist and the bottom row was basically destroyed. He used the bone fragments as a graft, packed it in all the spaces, pinned everything together and put her in a cast. The bone would fuse and she won’t even notice it once she is healed. Luckily, all of the damage was below where the joint moves. She would in a cast for 8 to 10 weeks and he said the hardest part would be as she begins to feel better and wants to run and play. The cast would rub and create sores if she was too active.

 

Poor Marla, the Pinchushion, must have wondered when it would ever end. After she healed, she needed some of her teeth attended to and possibly removed. For whatever reason, maybe chewing on rocks, or a chain, several of her teeth were worn down and some had the pulp exposed. After her dental visit, five of her teeth were damaged so severely they needed to be removed. Others that had been ground down to the gum line were okay for now and maybe for forever. The good news is that her teeth that are not damaged are white and tartar free. Sweet Marla, one more operation to remove the pins.

Marla & Casey in foster care w/Sidney chasing javelinas

Marla update: Marla is now with her new family after living several months at Sidney’s “Airedale Retreat”. They all hit it off immediately. Marla and Nash were chasing each other around the yard, and Nash showed off for the new girl by jumping into the pool when they were investigating that part of the yard. This was something he apparently never does until Marla appeared on the scene. Had had been missing his big sister who died a while ago and was delighted to have a new girl to boss him around. Sidney said they were a really nice family and she felt comfortable about Marla joining them even though she and the other Airedales were going to miss her a lot!

Majerle with her new family - Nash, Mom, Dad, Marjerle

The new family is changing her name slightly to Marley, only spelled Majerle. Her family explained, “We started the sports theme with Jordan because she was the AireJordan, then with Nash we couldn’t help going with Thunder Dan Majerle (pronounced m ah r l ee). The latest update from Majerle’s folks: “She is doing great. She got a pair of my reading glasses off the table and chewed them up, but other than that, she has been a little angel. We got the dog door put in, and Nash is having issues going through but The Majerle is flying in and out.” AND, MOST RECENTLY: Things are going great! They run around crazy all day. Nash has figured out the door and they are in and out constantly. They wrestle and play bitey face before bed every night. They kill a poor toy pretty much daily! We've bought a few that say they are indestructible! They apparently weren't tested on Airedales!

(Ed. note:  Sidney had so many photos of Marjerle that it was hard to just pick a few!)

Nash & Majerle sharing a bed
(one of my favorites)

Majerle in her new bed with a toy

Happy in her new home!

Yum! Frozen Peanut Butter!!

Remember that Early 'Dale Drawing No. 2 ends Saturday, August 9th at 8 PM EDT.  If you make a donation toward the quilt during this time, you are eligible to participate in this Early 'Dale drawing.