Community Corner

Neglected Dog Finds Home, Stricken Boy Finds Love

The Oxford Animal Shelter adopts a dog, found deaf after years of neglect, to a hearing impaired boy who has cancer. The family is relocating to Ledyard soon.



This heartwarming story involves a Groton family that is planning to move to Ledyard. It was written by Oxford Patch editor Paul Singley.


Dog has long been described as man’s best friend, but in this case it seems more appropriate to call it a little boy’s soul mate. You see, 10-year-old Marik Tucker, was born with bilateral severe hearing impairment. Since day one, he’s struggled with speech, learning and in social settings.

His setbacks became far more severe in August, when the happy-go-lucky kid was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, an aggressive form of cancer that begins in the bones. Since then, Marik has had his right leg amputated from above the knee and has spent three weeks of every month receiving inpatient chemotherapy at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

So his family believes it was fate when Marik was introduced last week to an old German Shepherd who is deaf and has seen his share of heartache, according to Oxford Animal Control officials. Last month, state and local animal control officials seized the dog, which they believe to be at least 8 years old, from a woman accused of severely neglecting the animal and several others on her Oxford property.

The dog is no longer neglected; it is receiving an abundance of attention and care from his new owner, Marik Tucker, who proudly proclaimed to this reporter recently that he “loves him,” that new dog he has named “Zero the Hero,” or just “Zero” for short.

“The dog is a new friend coming along in his life; Marik realizes he isn’t the only one,” said his father, George Tucker, who works on submarine communications systems for the U.S. Navy and was transferred to Groton, Conn., from Louisiana, in June.

The Tuckers currently live in Groton and are soon moving to Ledyard. “Marik’s been around other hearing impaired children during school time, and now he’s seeing it’s not just people, it’s animals, too,” George Tucker said.

“He knows how to put a smile on Marik’s face, he’s like, ‘Oh, that’s my dog” and he starts smiling. …When we found him for adoption, it was kind of like it was meant to be.”

Animals are known to have a positive effect on the lives of their owners. "It only takes a few minutes with a dog or cat, or watching fish swim, to feel less anxious and less stressed," according to a recent article called 27 Ways Pets Can Improve Your Health on WebMD. "Your body actually goes through physical changes in that time that make a difference in your mood."  

Marik’s mother, Kelli Tucker, knew a dog would help Marik and has been overwhelmingly pleased with the results since adopting the dog on April 5. She said the family fell in love with the "Zero" the minute they met him. Kelli Tucker knew they had to have him, especially since German Shepherds are Marik's favorite breed of dogs, even though she expected to pay an adoption fee for the animal.

Times have been tough financially for the Tucker family – Kelli Tucker had to quit her job as an ophthalmology technician to spend dozens of hours a week at Yale-New Haven and the Tuckers have two other children. But they thought it was important enough to help Marik. 

"As soon as I pulled out my checkbook, the people at Oxford Animal Shelter told me to put it away,” she said. “They gave us the dog, they gave us the leash, they gave us a bag of good dog food. All they said was ‘give him a good home.’ They were amazing, and we're so appreciative.

“We knew we wanted to get Marik a dog to motivate him to move when he didn’t really feel like moving and putting his leg on,” she said. “We knew we didn’t want a puppy and when this situation came along, it really was the perfect fit. …It was meant for all of us to find our way together and work through the rest of this.”

Marik, whose name means “warlike,” is courageously battling a crippling disease. “Zero” will be by his side through it all, and the two will forever be the other’s “hero.” 

Marik, who
 loves football and soccer, drums and guitars, is currently a student at the American School for the Deaf. If you want to read more about him, go to www.facebook.com/miracles for marik. Anyone who would like to donate to Marik may do so via the Facebook page or by sending checks to George or Kelli Tucker, P.O. Box 488 Gales Ferry, CT, 06335.


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