Marley Anne Slesnick Kauffman…
She’s the little black dog in this picture taken last Sunday at the blessing of the animals. Joining Miss Marley is her little sister Olivia, her Uncle Don, Aunt Ceci and cousin Maggie Anne.

My sister-in-law, Kathleen adopted Marley as a puppy in Gainesville, FL when she was at the University of Florida getting her masters while Don (a.k.a. Mr. cSd) was an undergrad. The two of them lived together in an off campus apartment and Marley was “theirs” (she was really Kathleen’s). Fast forward 14 years, Marley moved to Ft. Pierce with her mom, saw her mom meet a boy, fall in love and get married…she moved to Tallahassee with the newlyweds and finally made her way home to Miami with the couple who then went on to have two little girls.
Marley could jump higher and run faster than any dog I’d seen. She was well behaved and listened to you, and most of all, she just loved her family.
Yesterday, Marley wasn’t feeling too well…and sadly before we knew it, she was gone. Marley apparently had leukemia and a tumor in her heart. We’re all very sad…but glad that we had Marley in our lives. I know I enjoyed my 9 years with her, and most of all loved to see her playing with her cousin and BFF my Maggie.
The best Marley story hails from a year ago— Kathleen was prego with Julia and coming home from a party on a Thursday night with Lamar (her husband). They mistakenly locked Marley outside when they got home…the next morning Marley was nowhere to be found. They made fliers, Don rode his bike around the neighborhood stopping at every corner calling our Marley’s name at the top of his lungs (mind you Marley was starting to go deaf). A big search party gathered that evening to look for Marley…and nothing. That night—we all prayed for Marley’s safety. The next morning, Don woke up and let Maggie out, much to his surprise, he was greeted at our front door by Marley! She had walked about a mile and across 2 major streets to find her way to our house! Don describes the look on her face as that of relief. She let herself in and went right to the kitchen for food and water. Marley no doubt had caught onto Maggie’s scent and when she got to our house recognized everything, including the balls the two of them had been playing with about a week before when she stayed with us for a few days.
Marley was one of a kind, and now she’s catching balls and flying for frisbees in heaven.
RIP Marley…we loved you and we always will.