Marlon: So I'm headed back to Martha's Vineyard to see my mom.
To really go back to the roots.
I'm looking forward to seeing my mom,
I'm not looking forward to y'all talking to my mom.
My mom is a character. We'll put it like that.
So many memories go through my head, you know, from being with my mom,
you know, from the hard things that I've been through in my life,
you know is a lot of heavy ****.
Going to visit where it all began.
Now this, this is, this is a spot.
So we're about to head down to the house where I got my first dog.
I haven't been back here in years.
So I wonder what it looks like?
They’re into plants here, I figured that out.
My mom used to lock me out of the house.
She will be like be home at like 10 o'clock,
and like if I wasn't home at that time, she would just,
she would just lock all the doors.
I was like a little hippie skateboarder kid back in the day. I
definitely had no clue.
You know that I was going to be where I'm at now.
You know, I figured I'd be a professional skateboarder and that would have been that.
I barely ever saw my mom actually she worked like three jobs
she was just gone.
So my mom was like supermom back in the day.
We didn't have **** she made it look like we did.
How I get so motivated where I get this hustle from? My mom.
Man so... my mom. I was never allowed to have a dog,
and then my mum finally just folded.
His name was Thunder he was a black German Shepherd,
I got him on he was like eight weeks old.
And I remember being like, God, this is my responsibility.
I got to take care of this guy.
I didn't get my, my first pitbull until a while after that.
Thunder was like three, four years old by the time I got Damon,
that's more for the next part.
[Music]
Martha's Vineyard is significant to me because it's really,
back to the roots you know back to really where this all started.
So you know, we had a day to, you know, show the world some of the places where
I really began for all the glory came to my life
to see, see the true story. See how it really began you know the struggle.
You know, work hard on anything life is possible.
So that’s what we're going to do, we’re going to visit where it all began.
Damon that was the first pit bull that I ever had.
one of my first like just real, real bonds with the dog.
And I'm talking that was before General, before Cash before any of them.
I used to just have the my two dogs,
my dog Damon and my dog Thunder
that is when like I ended up having to leave the house that I was in.
And I had nowhere to go for the first time.
How I ended up homeless like it wasn't like I was like a bum.
I made a choice to be homeless, you know it was
give up your dogs or be homeless wasn't even an option.
which is every day I was just searching for housing and trying to find
you know, somebody that would allow me to bring my dogs into a house.
Normally find like, you know, couple janky landlords.
By the time I settled down, you know, I started getting into the mindset of like,
now you’ve got two dogs, so it’s three that was stacking these dogs.
I was just putting myself in more of a position to be homeless again.
My mom’s general perception of what I was doing in the beginning.
I don't think she was very fond of what I was doing.
You know, your mom sees you like, choosing to be homeless to live around to her
like, just a bunch of dogs.
She didn’t believe in me in the beginning, nobody did but who would?
I used to just come out here, hang out.
You know just be here for the day.
I mean, work on a little dog training thing with some of them
throw the ball for them, just exercise them.
That was life for me, you know it was just dogs, like it still is.
So **** changed.
Do I know now that my mom is proud of me and everything that I've achieved?
I mean, we've never really had that like direct conversation.
This was one of the last houses that I found.
I didn't live in this. I had nothing to do with this.
The house that I lived in, burned down.
I was by myself at this point too Lisa wasn't around,
no kids, nothing. It was just me and the ***** ton of dogs.
I was in a situation where I was finally comfortable.
And somebody didn't really mind that I had all these dogs.
So you know, I could keep kind of accumulating dogs.
So that's what I kind of started doing there.
I have like a lot of memories from that house;
bringing General home I got him in this house.
I just kind of became known as like, the dog guy.
Know what I mean, which is ironic.
That's still what I'm doing today.
I had a lot of summers here, I probably lived here for about four years,
I think, cue the house burning down.
This is the last house that I lived on Martha’s vineyard.
I went to Atlanta, and that whole scene happened.
And then I ended up back in Wareham,
and that's actually where Lisa came into the fold.
It's actually kind of how we met, we met online.
So I'm about to head to Falmouth i'm about to go to Goodwill Park
and meet up with my really good friend Matt.
Lisa: We met Matt back around i think like nine years ago now.
And we started training together and everybody hit it off right away.
Our families are super close. It's actually Jordan’s godparents.
They'll always be very, very close friends of ours.
Matt: I remember Marlon man, I mean he had eight, nine dogs.
Marlon: I think I had at that point yeah, maybe like 10 or so.
Matt: That's crazy. I know sh**. Like, no matter where he went,
those dogs went with him no matter what.
Marlon: We were out there, whatever. Oh that slide’s still there though.
That's the slide I taught General to climb in like three and a half minutes.
Matt: General was just like, like Yoda.
Marlon: I'd climb up the slide and that's all it really took.
And he's going to come up.
And then once he saw me do it once. He would, he would do it himself.
I thought that that slide was gone.
It was, it was a pleasant surprise to see it there.
So he jumped all these signs.
I used to have him jumping these signs and stuff.
And he was just a big dog. So for him to be able to jump like that.
I remember that. You know, I think they still want
to tell people no alcoholic beverages allowed.
Oh man brother.
Good to see my guy, absolutely bro.
So we're going to go up the cape now.
We're going to go up to Brewster.
You know, it’s one of the you know, pretty pivotal houses in my life.
In this house like I literally remember having $72 in my bank account,
and being realizing that I had a child on the way.
I literally put every last ounce of my energy
into taking the business to the next level.
This is the house where Dog Dynasty Canines was born.
The first time Lisa ever handled General,
was right in the backyard over here.
Lisa: That's where I really got into training with Marlon.
And he started training me and I did a lot of work with General at that point.
Marlon: The two of us kind of came together.
And that that right there is what helped me go to the next level.
So I'm headed back to Martha's Vineyard to see my mom
and just to kind to get some time with my mom.
So we're going to head off to Aqquinah there's this little spot where
you can go to it really feels like you know the edge of the earth.
I'm going to go out there, just enjoy ourselves, just relax.
I'm looking forward to seeing my mom,
I'm not looking forward to y'all talking to my mom though.
My mom is a character we’ll put it like that.
So but I'm excited to see my mom.
Look at that. Boom.
Trevor: Good to see you. Megan: Good to see you too.
Trevor: I was like …
Marlon: Man this was a kid that I used to hang out with all the time.
Trevor: Yeah, man I’m good man good. Marlon: We was out here filming
the show you know? It's crazy how you been?
Megan: These guys were playing together when they were that size.
Trevor: You cooking for us too. Marlon: Yeah. real tough yeah
Lisa: Marlon is just so busy all the time and so focused on work that
he doesn't get to talk to his mom all the time really see her all the time.
But when they do, they're, they're very close.
Megan: He's always been into animals.
Marlon: Oh man I had a lot of them back then.
Megan: And he was good though. He always takes good care of his pets.
Marlon: Yeah. Megan: He does.
The first day we moved to Martha's Vineyard, he went to school,
he comes back he goes, Mom, don't tell anyone. I don't have a snake yet
because everyone thinks I have a Python. I said okay.
Because it's going to take you a little while.
Marlon: Yeah I was never allowed to have a dog.
Megan: We didn't have a lot of money; I had two kids single mom
working three jobs. So
the last thing I needed was a dog to add to it.
Marlon was 13 years old when his dad got lung cancer.
I decided maybe it'd be a good idea to get Marlon that dog
and we just deal with it. However it was.
Marlon: I was too old to be comforted, you know by other things,
so it was kind of like a comfort thing for me.
I was never allowed to have a dog and then my mum finally
just folded at that point and got me a dog.
Megan: The fact that we got the first dog and I saw how good he was with him.
I mean, he really was good, you know and, and we got him right in time.
You know, like we got him and literally was it one week
or two weeks after we got that brought Thunder home, dad died.
That dog was what he poured all this love and energy into.
He was always looking around you know, like I need,
I need someone to lead me who's going to lead my way? He’s tough.
He needed his real dad because his is real dad was as tough as he is
but he didn't have that.
And he was always looking and finally I looked at him and I said Marlon,
you're a born leader. Look how everybody follows you around.
Look how people are watching you just go forward.
Make your way and look behind you and notice that people are following you
and be a good leader. That's all, do the right thing.
Marlon: I’ll remember that for life. Megan: Do the right thing.
Marlon: That stuck with me for a long time.
Megan: That's because it's the truth. That's why it stuck with you.
I got to tell you, Lisa's some kind of angel.
The fact that she takes care of the kids and then wakes up every day
and cleans up dog poop. But she grew up that way.
She's a tomboy and she grew up she grew up with snakes and snails
and puppy dog tails too. So you picked the right wife
that’s what I could say. Marlon: I still pick up poop that's .
Megan: I know. I know. I know. Marlon: Nothing's changed in life
Megan: I know. Marlon: I maybe worth a lot of money
and I still… Megan: I know.
Marlon: Still pick up poop. It don’t mean nothing.
Megan: Not many girls though. Marlon: I'm always show that.
Megan: Yeah, don't give up. Marlon: I mean I learned to not give up.
Yeah, don't give up. Megan: It's like kind of who he is
you know, it's who Marlon is.
Marlon: So every year to end off the summer, right,
Martha’s Vineyard has a really incredible fireworks show.
So I think we're going to try to get the family out, get the dog out
and see if we can experience that.
[Fireworks]
Woman: I got it. I got it. I love you guys.
Marlon: Thank you. and I love your dog. He’s cute.
Megan: It's the same as it's been since the day he was born.
He’s been like that when he used to go to kindergarten,
as a little boy and we'd walk and the kids will take the bus,
and we'd be sitting down waiting for the bus to come.
And as soon as the bus would pull up all the girls,
all the kids would stick their heads out the window and start yelling
it’s Marlon,it’s Marlon. He always was the entertainer.
I don't know what it was.
[Fireworks]
Marlon: So many memories go through my head,
you know from being with my mom,
you know from the hard things that I've been through in my life.
You know people passing away and it was really nice to see her.
You know on the island just experienced some things with her together.
it was kind of fun to let her experience the mob scene in my life.
[Music]
Interviewer: Are you proud of Marlon?
Megan: Are you kidding me? Yes.
As a matter of fact when I send them a text I always say love you
and what do I say at the end of that?
Marlon: Something I always say Megan: I love you proud,
love you proud. How can I not be proud of this guy?
Look what he did, look what he made.
Yeah, I mean of course.
Marlon: Everything that I am is what I learned from her.
Megan: Love you. Marlon: I love you mom.
Megan: Very proud of you. Marlon: Thank you for everything.
I love my mom. I appreciate you more than I could ever put into words.
Megan: Remember what I said, I trust you.
Cameraman: Guys can we just get one of you just standing next to each other as well.