1,000 new eyes… and the one I couldn’t walk past

There is a moment each night when the den quiets down.

The last paws shift into place. Bodies press together for warmth.

A few soft sighs drift through the bedding as the puppies give in to sleep.

The air beneath the trees grows still, the puppies tucked in together, warm and settled.

That is when I step outside to tuck the dogs and puppies in for the night.

The ground was cool beneath my boots.

The pines stood quiet overhead.

I paused for a moment, listening, letting my eyes adjust to the dim light.

And then I saw him.

Marmaduke.

He wasn’t tucked into the pile like the others. He lay just outside the group, chin resting on his front paws.

He watched me without moving, a low, lingering discomfort sitting behind his eyes, as if he already knew I would come to him.

I went straight to him and knelt down beside him in the bedding.

The first thing you do in that moment is check their temperature.

Even with two rounds of puppy shots behind him, your mind moves quickly through the possibilities.

There is no room to assume.

You simply must verify.

Luckily, his temperature was normal.

And that brought me a huge relief.

I looked closer.

I didn’t see diarrhea or vomiting.

I watched him take a few slow laps of water, steady enough to keep himself hydrated.

But when I slipped my hands beneath him and lifted him into my arms, he gave a soft, low moan.

That told me what I needed to know.

His stomach wasn’t right.

I held him close and stayed there with him.

At first, his body carried a bit of unsettled tension.

Then slowly, it began to release.

His breathing deepened.

His weight settled into me.

In fact, he leaned into me completely.

That kind of trust is already there in our puppies very early in their development.

And moments like this simply reveal it.

I stayed with him until his eyes closed.

Only then did I lower him back down, placing him carefully into the warmth of his siblings so he could sleep through it surrounded by the pack.

The next morning, I stepped out early to check on him.

The light was just beginning to break through the trees.

The puppies were stirring, stretching, shifting into the new day.

And there he was.

Up and moving about.

Not at full strength yet, but much brighter.

By midday, he was fully back with the others, steady and engaged, with no sign of the discomfort from the night before.

What a relief.

But this little bout of tummy trouble told me exactly who Marmaduke is.

He didn’t panic when something felt wrong.

He stayed calm and present.

He looked to me instead of isolating.

And when I picked him up, he settled into me without resistance.

By the next day, he was fully back with the others, steady and engaged, with no sign of the discomfort from the night before.

That kind of response isn’t trained in a moment like that.

It’s already there.

Marmaduke is a sensitive, thinking dog.

He feels what is happening around him, and when something is off, he looks outward for steadiness.

When he finds it, he settles into it fully.

That creates a dog who bonds deeply and stays close, one who watches you and moves with you instead of apart from you.

While all of this was happening here at home, something else was unfolding beyond the fence line.

Over the last week, more than 1,000 new people have found our Facebook page.

in fact, we have now reached 18,000 followers!

Facebook has taken notice of our growth, too.

They have flagged the page for upcoming influencer status, and with that has come access to monetization features we did not have before.

What a meaningful shift.

More people are seeing the work and beginning to understand what the American Dirus™ dog truly is.

But none of that changes what this is built on.

• Walking out into the night.
• Tucking each dog and every puppy into the den.
• Noticing the one who isn’t quite right.
  Staying with him until you know he is okay.

That is where all of this begins.

Marmaduke is feeling much better now.

If you have been watching and waiting, I would take a closer look at him.

You can see him, along with the rest of the available puppies, here:

https://direwolfdogs.com/dogs-for-sale/puppies/

Take your time when you look.

Watch how they carry themselves.

Notice which one holds your attention without effort.

If it is him, you will know.

And when you do, reply to this email.

I will be here.

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Jennifer Stoeckl is the co-founder of the Dire Wolf Project, founder of the DireWolf Guardians American Dirus Dog Training Program, and owner/operator of DireWolf Dogs of Vallecito. She lives in the beautiful inland northwest among the Ponderosa pine forests with her pack of American Dirus dogs.