More: Marley is the sweetest dog who has overcome a sad start to life. He did not have a great life for his first 7 years - he lived outdoors with very little human attention, he suffered some abusive treatment and was very lonely. When we first met him, he covered us with kisses and just couldn’t stop wagging his tail and jumping all over us, he was so excited for attention and kind touch. Our son, who is on the autism spectrum, begged us to take him home. Since coming to live with our family he has immediately settled into a mellow and happy life. He is very loyal and is a “gentle giant” at 105 lbs. He loves every minute of snuggles with us, as well as romps in the forest and streams, and playing with his new dog “brother” (our 3 yr old Aussie-doodle). He sleeps in my son’s bed at night while my son falls asleep, and has been a wonderful calming companion to our son and our whole family. He is a true water-loving Labrador, and getting near any body of water almost magnetically draws him in for a quick swim. We have a small creek and he loves to swim while we work on clearing invasive vegetation and planting native plants to restore the native salmon and trout habitat. He loves to go for walks and hikes with us, and is the best dog. We hope to give him a wonderful second half of his life.