We got Marley from the local RSPCA pound. He'd been there for many months, people seemed to be put off by his ability to jump up and hit his head on the top of the high cage and his complete inability to walk on lead. He'd been seen by so many people and walked by so many different people that he'd stopped paying any attention to the person on the other end of the lead. He had been taken home by one family but he'd accidentaly flattened their 2yr old daughter on his first run in their back garden. She, understandably, wouldn't go near him after that so they had to take him back. First time I let him off lead was in a big forest away from anyone else, he ran around with a huge smile on his face at top speed, he was so pleased to be able to really stretch his legs for the first time in a long time. Once we had him home he started to settle in. After a few weeks his depression started to lift as he started to realize he had a new home for good and that the home came with decent walks included. He seems to have turned into something of an alpha dog, at least in his own mind, he sometimes meets dogs that don't agree but they usualy come round.

He's cost us a lot in vets bills - he lives too fast to notice the small spikey ( or even big spikey ) things. Seemingly oblivious to anything but major pain he'll turn up on a walk with a slice in his leg to the bone and ask one of us to throw a pine cone.

Marley is an overly complicated and intense dog.  Highly active, very fast, lives for games of fetch, hunting and swimming. Please note - his owners aren't into hunting, we just take him for walks.

He takes fetch very, very seriously and doesn't really understand dogs that bounce around for a ball to be thrown and then trot after it, his derision is clear. He has two speeds - all out and asleep and has been clocked at just under 60kph.

He loves going for long walks, but when he gets home can be very grumpy if he's too tired too move and will spend the evening giving everyone the evil eye from his blanket.

Can be overly protective but is generaly either very friendly to everyone he meets or ignores them completely - boxer friendliness crossed with greyhound aloof. Since our son arrived 18 months ago he has grown up a lot and now tolerates ridiculous behaviour from children ( and adults ) without so much as a grumble, he's become far more patient than I ever thought he could.

Marley is huge fun to live with.

Dreams of: catching a cat.

Other dog owners most likely to say: awww, he has so much energy I just love puppies ( he's almost 6 years old ).

Most likely to say: Throw. The. Ball.

Most embarrassing vet visit: After he caught a possum we returned home. His third eyelid started coming over, he staggered a bit and then settled/collapsed on the floor. Rushed him to the vet only to be told that he'd shaken the possum too hard and given himself a black eye.