Marcus is the Italian English pointer of Marcus of Umbria: What an Italian Dog Taught An 
American Girl about Love fame (read my review of the book here), and a very fearful dog. It’s no wonder considering how deprived she was as a puppy, cooped up in a small pen with barely adequate food and water and little human contact until Justine bucked Italian rural village culture and rescued her. Justine left Italy and brought Marcus home to the United States in the fall of 2007. That’s the end of the book, but it’s not the end of the story. I was dying to know–WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? So last week Justine and I spent about an hour talking about life with Marcus stateside.
Where’s Marcus?
She’s sleeping on the couch.
What was it like for you and Marcus when you first arrived in the United States?
I never planned on a dog. I had no money. I was not in a situation to have a dog. I couldn’t stay in Italy, but I couldn’t leave Marcus in Italy either, and (because of her fear issues) I knew she couldn’t live in urban Brooklyn.
We bounced around the east coast from Boston, to Connecticut, to the Hamptons where I finally found a winter rental. It’s where I wrote the proposal for the book. Marcus was terrified of men. She was afraid of everything. I was hysterical for 8 weeks. I thought I’d have to give her up.
In the acknowledgments at the end of the book you give Niki Wood, an animal behaviorist of Hamptons Dog Training credit for the happy ending to this story. How did you find her?
I Googled “dog trainers Hamptons.” Niki and I talked for an hour. She came over to see Marcus and me. I had no house, a car I couldn’t afford, and a dog flipping out.
I told Niki my story and both of our eyes welled up. She said, “You have to do the work. I’ll take you on.” Niki thought Marcus was a special dog and that we were meant to be together. She worked with us without compensation.
I was totally devoted to the dog.
Were you aware then of the controversies surrounding dog training?
No. But, luckily Niki is a progressive behaviorist; I guess you would call it. No punishment. Only encouragement. But she was stern, like a British nanny.
The Dog world is the most controversial ever! People are committed. It’s sorta ideological. I’m afraid to say something wrong!
What kind of work did you and Marcus do with Niki?
Mostly we did basic training to increase Marcus’ confidence. Not only is Marcus fearful, she’s small. She’s only 35
Justine & Marcus
pounds and pointers are usually 45-55 pounds.
Training was challenging because Marcus isn’t that interested in food. She’s not motivated by food. If I could pull a bird out of my pocket? THAT would motivate her. I’d have all the power in the world!
What’s the most important thing you learned?
Getting an understanding of my dog’s brain. I needed to learn how to think from Marcus’ point of view. When I did, I could more easily empathize with her. We can’t take the assumptions we make about ‘normal’ dogs and map them onto fearful dogs. It doesn’t work.
You know we (people and dogs) are on two totally different planes. It’s our responsibility since we have the greater cognitive capacity to understand our dogs. I see so many people who are disconnected from their dogs.
Justine & Marcus
How are you working with Marcus now?
Now mostly I look out for what might scare her. I look ahead, say, for man carrying a guitar—a Marcus killing device. I’ll cross the street rather than walk into a crowds.
I stay away from (strange) men.
Marcus is afraid of waving flags and pinwheels outside a children’s store. Those things might seem like nothing to us, but from Marcus point of view I can see how they could be scary.
I wouldn’t take her to Times Square.
What tells you that Marcus’ confidence has improved?
We go into places like the Deli where she doesn’t really like it but she does okay.
Marcus likes the doorman who gives her treats, but she hates the lobby. She’ll just always hate the lobby. People are polishing the floor, and stuff like that.
Marcus is not as afraid of men anymore, but she will never love the car. She goes to ground (lies down), but no longer shakes.
Marcus likes to play ball and she’s confident in the full, busy park we go to a lot.
She used to listen to me but now if she gets hold of something she’ll hold on and not let go. She used to drop it immediately.
Friends come over and you wouldn’t know she’s a fearful dog—that’s a huge change!
But, Marcus is never going to be a totally calm animal.
When is Marcus the happiest?
Click on image to see Marcus run
When she’s outside off-leash her brain goes into hunting gear—she shakes off her fear and is very confident.
How does your boyfriend get along with Marcus?
You know the four stages grief? Well my boyfriend is in the first stage of love with Marcus. He’s totally obsessed with her. He’s crazy about her.
Is there anything else?
There are advantages to having a fearful dog—I know we can walk through the park with people picnicking and Marcus won’t run over and steal hamburgers off the grill.
She avoids everyone.
I took a Lab and Marcus to the beach. Marcus was running after a bird and for a moment I couldn’t find the Lab. Then I saw her sitting in the middle of a party of people. Marcus would never do that.
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The Giveaway: One copy of Marcus of Umbria
To enter a drawing for a free copy of Marcus of Umbria: What an Italian Dog Taught an American Girl about Love, compliments of the publisher, leave a comment to this post by Thursday, August 12, 2010, 12pm MDT. I will use a random number generator to select the winner from the first 20 comments!
Sorry, only United States residents are eligible. 🙁
Tags: Book review, Fearful dogs, Giveaway, Justine van der Leun, Marcus, Marcus of Umbria, Marcus of Umbria:What an Italian Dog Taught an American Girl about Love
literary agent agreeing to review 
Justine and Marcus, an English pointer, posing on a beach. There are no beaches in Umbria. This looks like a New England beach. I concluded the book was safe to read.
