Posted by Roxanne Hawn | Posted in Brag for a Friend, Dog Book Review, Dog Life, Dog Musings, Dogs on Drugs | Posted on 25-06-2010
Tags: behavior modification, dog behavior, dog book, Dog Training, fearful dog, Justine van der Leun, Marcus of Umbria, positive reinforcement
Justine van der Leun‘s new book Marcus of Umbria: What an Italian Dog Taught an American Girl about Love essentially ends with Justine and Marcus getting on a plane in Italy to return to a non-existent home stateside. As I mentioned in yesterday’s book review, while I liked the book a lot, what intrigued me more was what happened next. So, Justine and I spent a good hour or more on the phone Monday, talking about Marcus and how she learned to live in a modern, urban world.
The Rehabilitation of Marcus
Having been in one place for the longest since the two returned from Italy, Marcus recently turned 5 years old. She lives not entirely without fears, but comfortably with Justine and Justine’s new boyfriend in Brooklyn, New York. She gets to run and chase birds in a local park in the early mornings and late evenings. She has made friends with a local dog walker and other people, so Justine is no longer a prisoner to Marcus’ many needs.
Their road together wasn’t easy, including being populated (I, as a well-rooted girl, would even say fraught) with a vagabond existence that required numerous moves, a whole cast of characters breezing through Marcus’ life … and, thankfully, a dog trainer who offered her talents and services PRO BONO when Justine could barely afford to house and feed herself and Marcus.
From Here to There
Justine and Marcus stayed with friends in Massachusetts for about a week, when they first returned to the U.S. Then, some family friends housed them in Connecticut for about six weeks. “I knew that she couldn’t come back to the city [NYC],” Justine says. “I didn’t know what I would do with her. I didn’t know what I was going to do with myself. I was taking one step at a time.”
She figured out that she could get a cheap rental in the Hamptons, especially in the off season. The location gave her both access to the city and a place she and Marcus could regroup. “I thought we’d just go there for the winter,” Justine says, “and figure out what the hell to do because she was non-functional.”
What started as a make-do solution turned into two years of intensive behavior modification.
Justine made phone calls to trainers in the area, but no one really wanted to talk to her. Everyone wanted to see Marcus in person. Everyone wanted to start charging her right away. Then, Justine found Nikki Wood (Hamptons Dog Training), who not only spent more than an hour on the phone but who also gave Justine a crash course in keeping Marcus under her fear threshold until the two moved into their first house in the Hamptons and could begin working with Nikki in person.
Nikki’s advice? Stop putting Marcus in situations that she could not handle. Period. No contact with strangers, especially men. No crowded places.
Because Justine literally had no money and was living entirely via credit, Nikki agreed to help them for free for as long as it took. “What she did for me was, I would say, possibly the best thing anyone has ever done for me,” Justine says.
Nikki’s only demand was that Justine do the WORK required to teach Marcus to relax, and that meant nearly non-stop training, counter-conditioning, and lots and lots of exercise. (They did not tackle the Relaxation Protocol Lilly and I use, but otherwise their efforts mirror our own.)
Back in Italy, Marcus ran free, sometimes as much as 20 miles a day. Keeping her cooped up wasn’t helping matters, so they spent a lot of time at the beach so that Marcus could run.
When Justine and Nikki finally met in person, both cried. “I was, at this point, at wit’s end,” Justine says. “I had this little dog I was in love with, who couldn’t live with me, who couldn’t handle anything. I brought her all the way from Italy, but I couldn’t handle her.”
Justine suggested Marcus might be better off with someone else, even though the thought killed her. Nikki told her, “I really believe this is a special dog, and I really believe that the two of you are meant to be together.”
So, that was that.
They spent a solid year in intense training on Marcus’ fears. They spent the next six months continuing with regular training, and they spent another six months maintaining her progress.
Overtime, Marcus got to meet some of Justine’s friends, including men who were sworn to follow the fearful-dog-interaction rules — like not looking at her, not trying to engage her, handing her treats if she approached, but not making a big deal out of it.
“I looked like a lunatic,” Justine says. “My friends were like, ‘You’re being crazy. Your dog will be fine.’ People who don’t understand would say, ‘Your dog will be fine. Don’t worry about her. She’s a dog. She’ll be fine,’ but I was like … ‘Well, she won’t be fine.’”
“I didn’t know anything about dogs,” Justine says. “I mean, I grew up with dogs, but until now, unless you’re really INTO dogs, people don’t know about dogs … I didn’t know anything really about dogs, and I didn’t even know what there was to know, but I did know that I had a dog that was non-functional.”
Flophouse Breakthrough
Justine and Marcus moved several times during their time in the Hamptons, as budgets and seasons dictated. At one point, they moved into a communal house that Justine describes as a sort of “flophouse,” full of strange people. Oddly enough, Marcus thrived there because the people and the dogs who came and went were all very nice to her.
One night before heading out to dinner, Justine found Marcus hanging out in the communal TV room with a couple of guys and a girl who lived there. She asked if she should put Marcus in the bedroom while she was gone, but they said it was no problem. Two hours later, when Justine returned, Marcus was still just hanging out with everyone watching TV.
“She blossomed in this weird flophouse,” Justine says, laughing. “…I started to see that she was sort of sassy. She was almost bratty, in a good way. She loved being the center of attention, and we saw this personality emerge from her, and that was, for me, the best thing.”
A Little Med Help
To take the edge off Marcus’ fears, Justine and Nikki did put her on buspirone for about six months. Like so many of us, Justine didn’t want to use drugs on Marcus, didn’t want to be that girl who gives her dog xanax, but she says, “It didn’t change her personality. It didn’t change her energy level. It didn’t change anything. It DID take the edge off.”
Girls on the Road
Before they made the grand leap back into the city after two years on the shore, Justine took Marcus on a cross-country road trip. They crashed with friends all over the country for several months. Despite the ever-changing venues, Marcus coped. She was nervous. She lost weight. She even got bit by some dog, Justine calls “screwed up.”
Even now, things scare her, but she recovers. “She is now the kind of dog that we’ve built up enough resilience that she can bounce back,” Justine says.
Recall & Bird-Obsessed Dog
Justine proves braver than I am when it comes to trusting her fearful dog off-leash in public. She admits that Marcus’ recall isn’t as good when she’s off stalking a bird, but she’d rather allow Marcus the freedom to run. “A part of me is always worried,” she says, “but the other part of me believes that for her to have a good life she has to be able to run free, so I have to trust and hope. I don’t want to keep her leashed 100% of the time because I’m scared something will happen. It’s her happiest time.”
So, within the bubble Justine creates for Marcus in their urban landscape, Marcus is doing just fine. Oh, she still displays a dramatic tail that tucks whenever she feels uncomfortable, but she can walk down busy streets. She can ride the elevator. She can go out with a dog walker. She can run around with other dogs at the local park.
“I think, even though she doesn’t have access to nature that she craves, she does now have something that she can sense is very constant,” Justine says.
Marcus often attracts a crowd when she stalks and points at birds the in local park. People are amazed at her focus, her athleticism.
A New Guy, A New Life
These days, Justine and Marcus live with Justine’s new boyfriend in Brooklyn. His ease and compassion for Marcus and the role she plays in Justine’s life helped solidify the romance.
It’s a lesson, among many, that Marcus brought into Justine’s life.
Lessons for and from Marcus
Justine taught Marcus to love and to trust, which didn’t come naturally to a dog bred solely to hunt, not be a pet. And, since Marcus spent her tender socialization time as a pup penned up, sick, and summarily ignored, it wasn’t easy. “It sounds really cheesy,” Justine says, “but Marcus didn’t know how to love. She didn’t know how to accept that or enjoy it, so she couldn’t really understand when someone was trying to be friendly to her.”
In turn, Marcus taught Justine many, many things:
She says, “Marcus has brought to me, at the very least, some of the best experiences of my life. I don’t know. She certainly taught me patience. I mean working with her for two years. I’m just not patient at all, and to see her come through was such an optimistic thing.”
“I’m sort of a pessimist and sort of cynical, but you cannot be cynical with this little earnest dog. She loves to have fun, but she is not a goofy, funny dog. She is just very earnest and ardent and serious. I feel like through all this training and effort we put into it we’ve reached a new level in our relationship, which I’m sure you can relate to.”
“You get so close to this animal, and you are able to go out of yourself and feel her experience, and I think — not to be too happy ending, fairy tale — but I really do think that does translate into your other relationships. My devotion to her and her devotion to me has also helped me find a guy who really loves her and is really good for her, and I think that quality in somebody is something to look for, and I think she helped me look for that.”
“…She taught me how to be kinder I think, and softer, because how can you not be when this little spotted thing is depending on you and working her hardest to do what you want, even if she doesn’t really fully understand it.”
Give Away!
Based on a random drawing of those who comment on this post before midnight, Sunday, June 27, 2010, I’ll give away my review copy of Marcus of Umbria: What an Italian Dog Taught an American Girl about Love.
I’ll contact the winner on Monday, June 28, 2010, to arrange for shipping of the book.
***
FTC Disclosure: I received a free, review copy of the book from Meghan Walker from Tandem Literary Publicity & Marketing … as did many dog bloggers. Amid all the publicity, for which Justine and her team should seriously be commended, I hope did something a little different with the opportunity. The book came out June 8 and recently got a plug from People magazine as a hot summer read for 2010. Congrats!
Photo credits: Justine van der Leun
[...] know me, based on past book reviews … I wanted to know MUCH more. I wanted to know all about Rhodes and how he was trained. I [...]
I have read Justine’s book and really enjoyed it, perfect mix of travel and dog story. And since I have a “Marcus,” type bird dog, I found this blog very interesting…Thanks for sharing!
[...] thanks for playing along to Laura, Lance, and Vito from The Dogs are Really in Charge. They won our Marcus of Umbria giveaway. On their blog, they tell all sorts of stories about their mixed family that includes a corgi [...]
Sounds like a fascinating book. There’s not only what Marcus learned from Justine, but all the things Justine learned, in turn, from this very special dog.
I hope I’m not too late. I want this book! Pick me!! It’s not yet midnight my time but I’m on the West Coast!!
Marcus is so lucky to have found her way to Justine. It makes me see red to think of all the dogs (and cats!) in the world that have such miserable beginnings. Honestly, it’s unforgivable.
Thanks for following up on Marcus once back in the USA.
Admittedly, I’m more of a cat person than a dog lover, but this book sounds fascinating. I’d love to read it!
I would LOVE to read this memoir! I’ve heard some great things about it…… Hopefully Justine will continue to write more!
Really great interview! I too wish she would write a book on her experiences!
Nice interview, Roxanne. This and your previous post about the book makes me keen on wanting to read it.
Oh, sounds like a great book. I had a very fearful dog, and in the end, never succeeded in rehabilitating him fully. We had to watch for his triggers and keep him apart from people he might feel frightened of. I relate to Justine’s feelings so much and feel glad she and Marcus had a happier ending!
@Roxanne, I was so excited because although I read the last post, I initially thought that this, too, was part of the book, but even just reading the backstory here is intriguing. Still makes me want to get my hands on a copy..
And yes, a rental in the Hamptons would be awesome. Any part of Long Island, really. (Louie lives out there, actually, so I get just a tad bit jealous of the fact that he doesn’t have to deal with fireworks and screaming children and things that plague Miz Marge.)
I wonder how she deals with living in Brooklyn. I have enough complaints about scary environmental stimuli across the bridge in Staten Island, so Brooklyn must be a whole different monster (it’s a bit more urban than my home).
Great post on the what-happened-next story. Thank you so much! That’s a book I’d like to read.
Sounds like a cool book… I’m glad you got the follow up, too!
Wow, I this is the first I’ve heard of Justine and Marcus — can’t wait to read the book.
Thanks for this amazing post! Reading of the devotion of this woman to this dog has restored (some of) my faith in the human race with regard to respect for our animal companions.
What a great story! I agree, a sequel would be right on target. Great review Roxanne. Now I just need to be rescued by some great guy that loves me and my dogs.
Well, considering your last year, Betsy … I might recommend a fling or too first.
) Big hugs to all three of you.
What a beautiful story! Thanks so much for sharing!
Wow, great report, thanks so much for filling in the rest of the story!!
The other book reviews I scanned didn’t hold a candle to what you wrote. The “story” isn’t about what happened in Italy – it’s about the incredible devotion of one human to a dog when they came to the US. Seriously, how many people put that much effort into raising a child, much less “a dog” (oh, he’ll be fine?!).
Anyway, great writing. If your “time on site” stat goes up this week, it’s because of this post!
*And reading the last post, too!
After reading this post, I think this is going on my list of summer reading books (which, admittedly, does not exist right now). Sounds like its right up my alley.
I knew this would strike a chord with you, especially the parts about their time on the beach. I also started wishing you and Marge could get an inexpensive rental in the Hamptons so that you could have your own space for a while.
)
Did you convince Justine to write the follow up book with all of that information? A novel about rehabilitating a fearful dog would be a very good thing!
Trust me, Barrie. I asked about it, but right now … Justine has other books planned, but they won’t be “dog” books.