It is with great delight that we announce that the Boxer fancy has been awarded its 2nd Honorable Mention winner in AKC’s annual Awards of Canine Excellence (ACE). Seven year old CH Y TWO K MARCUS CASINO CD, TDI, CGC, bred by Mary Jo and Kelly Tucker of Effingham, Illinois, epitomizes the ‘beauty and brains’ that the finest boxers represent. Of the many entries submitted, “Marco” is one of only 5 recipients of the ACE 2006 Honorable Mention distinction in the Search & Rescue category.
Mary Jo picked Marco out of her litter of 7 when he was just a little puppy. She says that she “… really liked his laid back temperament. He would sit and watch you at all times--always aware of what you were doing. The search dog has to be of a very sound temperament so as to withstand all the rigors of training and search and rescue.”
Marco was trained entirely by Mary Jo and is an operational air-scenting human remains/cadaver dog—locating missing persons who have passed away, with a specialty in water detection. He has found several drowning victims, most recently a 6 year old child, thus enabling their families to have some kind of closure in the face of tragedy. Mary Jo continues: “ Marco has that rare ability to make quick decisions in order to "FIND' missing people ..that means he may not follow a command I give, but will use his "dog senses" to sort through problems to find the person ASAP. I guess you call that independent thinking. A search dog has to have a high prey and play drive. He wakes me every AM with a ball in his mouth and wants to play.”
Mary Jo founded the Search & Rescue team at her local sheriff’s dept. in 2001. She has been working in the field for 10 years and says it is her “passion.” At present the team has 20 members and 9 dogs of different breeds in varying levels of training. Marco is her 2nd SAR Boxer, and she is presently training his son, Major, to continue his sire’s good work.
Not only an especially intelligent animal, Marco is also a conformation champion and winner of a specialty BIS at the Greater St. Louis Boxer Specialty in 2002. He completed his CD at the American Boxer Club annual specialty in 2005, and demonstrated Search Dog techniques there in 2004 & 2005.
Although he is totally focused in his work and literally has to be pulled off a scent if he is in need of rest, Marco is also a typical boxer—he thinks he is a lap dog, too. He represents the best characteristics of the breed—intelligence, beauty, and good humor-- and we are so proud that he has won this prestigious honor.
Stephanie Abraham
P. O. Box 346
Scotland, CT 06264
