all about murphy

2007-03-20T19:18:00.000-07:00

all about murphy
Yes, it's time again--after a mere half-year-long break!--to put up a few photos from the last six months.

2006-09-04T17:27:00.000-07:00

Murphy walks (but does not speak) softly--and he does indeed carry a BIG stick!

2006-09-04T17:18:00.000-07:00

Murphy got in the woods and collected 23,451 seed-burrs cemented in his hair. They were removed during a half-hour shower with a lot of hard work with a wire brush.

2006-08-27T07:59:00.000-07:00

There's an important part of Murphy's story that has not yet been told in these pages: Shamie the Cat! Shamie Lucky O'Fulton, a barn cat, was dragged half-dead from nearby Fulton Run Road not long after we got Murphy. Here are Shamie's "before" and "after" (now, as King of the Forest) photos; we were surprised when the vet told us that this then-one-pound cat was already about six months old back in January. He has grown from a disease-and-malnutrition-ridden half-corpse into a healthy, fast, crafty cat who generally makes a fool of Murphy when Murph chases Shamie.

2006-08-27T07:40:00.000-07:00

See the little butterfly on top of Murphy's head? He loves playfully "hunting" butterflies.

2006-08-27T07:05:00.000-07:00

This over-his-shoulders shot shows Murphy's view yesterday (right down to the nose-dominated dog's questionnable vision) from our bed yesterday: He began barking vociferously when he saw "another" dog in front of him through the "window" (mirror). This other dog looked amazingly like Murphy but did not bark back (though he moved his silent mouth). Murph wouldn't stop barking until I led him over to say hello to the other dog, and then the other dog dropped from view.

Here's Murphy as King of the Field after his recent haircut:

2006-08-27T06:32:00.000-07:00

2006-08-18T13:17:00.000-07:00

Murphy in the field. Yes, it's been awhile since the last post--but we were in Australia (home of the dingo and the first-bred Labradoodles) and New Zealand for three weeks, observing in both countries the many good dogs, always obedient!

2006-06-15T13:01:00.000-07:00

Summer With Murphy

"Let's go!"

Faster than a speeding bullet

Murphy takes Teddy Roosevelt's sentiments to heart (well, maybe not the "speak softly" part).

Dog at Sea

A minute before I took this picture, Murphy was running happily through the wheatfield when a HUGE turkey exploded out of the field, squawking and flapping wildly. It wasn't very happy about being practically run over by a frenzied 50-lb goldendoodle, but Murphy enjoyed chasing it off into the woods nonetheless.

Always ready for more!

(As I type this, he's passed out under the computer table.)

2006-05-24T17:19:00.000-07:00

2006-05-21T06:09:00.000-07:00

Murph with favorite blanket

2006-05-06T12:16:00.000-07:00

2006-04-11T15:14:00.000-07:00

2006-03-16T07:53:00.000-08:00

2006-03-10T19:06:00.000-08:00

Murphy is almost 4 months old and living life to the fullest!

2006-02-24T14:33:00.000-08:00

Murphy had his last vet check-up today, getting his last two shots. He's 25 pounds and 13 weeks old. So I guess that means we've had him for about six weeks. It seems like so much longer! In terms of behavior and training, he's doing pretty well. He rarely has accidents in the house and is doing great. Just today we walked for about an hour with no leash-pulling, biting or jumping at all. Here are some pictures from the past week.

(As you can see, his color varies widely depending on the light).

Murphy falls asleep pretty much instantly any time he gets up on the couch.

2006-02-17T16:47:00.000-08:00

Things that Murphy Loves

The Kitty

Icicles

Running

Riding in the car

Playing in the snow

this dog..if only he would play with me!

2006-02-10T11:22:00.000-08:00

Murphy will be three months old on the 18th.

Being studious..

..and going wild over a bone.

2006-02-06T06:52:00.000-08:00

Two of Murphy's favorite things in life are swings and snow (behind eating and belly rubs).

2006-01-30T17:04:00.000-08:00

2006-01-25T16:49:00.000-08:00

Murphy is almost 9 weeks old now. It's really unbelievable how fast he is growing. The top picture was taken 15 days ago, and the bottom one was taken today.

No wonder he eats so much!
This one is from today too (before the bath...he smelled soooo bad).

Murphy knows "sit," "down," and "leave it" now, but he only does them when he feels like it. (You can see him thinking, "Which would be more fun, continuing to eat these leaves and gag on them or stopping and getting a treat? Hm..definitely the leaves.")

2006-01-20T16:14:00.000-08:00

2006-01-19T15:47:00.000-08:00

"A daunting task looms before me, but still I am prepared to conquer it. Lo, I shall tackle this beast, the stairs."

"Man, they are fricking huge..I quake with fear, yet I must press on."

"One small step for puppy, one large step for puppykind."

"Must....reach...mousey.."

"I did it! Now I get to play in the laundry room. I love laundry--especially eating it."

2006-01-18T17:30:00.000-08:00

After a few weeks of unseasonably warm weather, it's now returned to typical January weather--freezing/windy/snowy/just plain crappy out. Murphy likes playing in the snow once he gets going, but he is very reluctant to leave his warm, comfy crate to go outside in the cold...hm, I think I can relate. He's chosen the pile of leaves closest to the door for his bathroom spot, since this requires the shortest trip outside. Because of the weather (and school and homework) I haven't taken any pictures today, but I think these are from yesterday.

2006-01-17T17:54:00.000-08:00

Today Murphy did his duty many times, whether it was dry or pouring rain outside. It's his bedtime now. Good night, Murphy!

2006-01-16T16:34:00.000-08:00

Murphy is such a good boy! He loves to please us. He is also very determined so he fits right in the family! He knows how to climb steps now and heads right for the front door with the hopes of going into the living room, a treat he rarely gets at this point because he digs at the carpet sometimes. I do believe he has doubled in size since we got him just eight days ago. Amazing!

2006-01-16T16:29:00.000-08:00

As mentioned in an earlier post by Rose, Murphy never pees or defecates in his inner "den": his large crate. But when he wakes up, he was immediately peeing outside the crate. So we've adopted Rose's strategy, effective as long as one can remain near to the area (easily enough done here as nearby we have two computers and a TV): when he's tired, we lock him in the cage. When he wakes up and whines, we take him right outside where he generally then pees and gets rewarded.

2006-01-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

Day 9

Murphy is still doing great. He wants to chew and bite everything though. Hopefully he can go to puppy school soon.
Pictures from yesterday..

2006-01-14T17:35:00.000-08:00

Rose has been very busy all day today and is now out at a play, so in fear that she might not get to this today, and given that we've sworn to post every day, I'll at least stand in for her with a quick update: Today it snowed and blew after it was sunny and 64 degrees yesterday. Murphy liked the cold and snow less than the sun and warmth, though once he got out there, he ran around and enjoyed trying to eat snowflakes. He appears much larger than he was just one week ago when we picked him up. This evening he was visited by another dog-lover (and Beagle-owner), Rose's friend Caroline, and Murphy was super-excited to race around the room expressing his affection for five different people! Now he's sound asleep.

2006-01-13T18:40:00.000-08:00

The name "Murphy" is from the Gaelic Ó Murchadha, which means "descendent of Murchadh". The name Murchadh means "sea warrior" in Gaelic. Perhaps our Murphy will be a great swimmer, starting at Man's Best Friend kennel in Homer City, PA, which offers swimming for their guest dogs.

In terms of Murphy's current potty training, the well known Murphy's Law applies: If something can go wrong, it will!

2006-01-13T17:38:00.000-08:00

Day 6

"Argghghghggrrr"

"Die, mouse, die!"

"I'm sorry mouse, let's be friends again."

2006-01-12T18:32:00.000-08:00

Day 5
Murphy seems to have entered a stage (let's hope it's a stage) of always wanting to chew everything and everyone--lots of nipping and even a few little bites if he doesn't get want he wants ("Murphy! No humping! Playtime is over, we're going inside.") Outside, he wants to stop to chew/eat every single leaf, acorn, and log. We are also having trouble establishing a clear schedule of mealtimes and going outside to do his duty. Because he is still so small, Murphy has to go after he eats, after he drinks, after he plays, and immediately after he wakes up from naps (this one is the hardest, because you don't know when he's going to wake up). This adds up to a lot of trips outside. Hopefully this will get easier with time as he grows stronger and we get on a schedule.

He sleeps so sweetly...

Then he wakes up and attempts to kill his froggy!

2006-01-11T16:02:00.000-08:00

Day 4

Murphy has really made a lot of progress with housetraining today. He knows now what "do your duty" and "hurry up" mean, and that he gets praise and a treat afterwards if he goes outside. There really have been fewer accidents inside, although he still can't go the whole night without peeing.
He is also getting more "mouthy" and wanting to chew everything, including us. It's so funny when he chews on one of his stuffed animals and just whips it around.

Looking up from chewing on his mouse. It looks like they're friends here, but a minute earlier mousy was being tossed around by his head.

Getting sleepy from playing so hard..

Zzzz.. Sometimes Murphy barks in his sleep. It's really cute and actually the only time he ever really barks. I wonder what he dreams about..

2006-01-10T14:03:00.000-08:00

Today is Day Three with Murphy. Last night, Mom and I went to the Tractor Supply store (that was an experience) and Walmart and bought food, a baby gate, and other puppy essentials. We got a bitter "no chew" spray designed to keep him from chewing on his leash, but it has had absolutely no effect. In fact, he almost seems to find it tasty! Oh well, we'll just have to keep working on ignoring him and ending the play session when he chews (and when he humps me, sigh). We also got him a new toy, a stuffed frog, which he loves--this morning when I woke up and came down to check on him, he was sleeping in his crate with his paw around the frog like it was a littermate. He romped outside a LOT and has done his duty outside twice today, not once in his room. He got a little dirty and smelly playing outside though, so we gave him a bath, which he loved. I bet he'll enjoy swimming when he's older.

I think the big coal-button nose is his cutest feature. Or maybe his curly fur? Screw it, he's cute all around:

After his bath Murphy went for his vet checkup. He weighs ten pounds! The vet said he will probably get pretty big. He got his first immunization and goes back in three weeks for another one. After that, he can go to public places, parks, and play with other dogs (hopefully at a puppy class). The vet also held Murphy in his arms like a baby, with his belly exposed, and he didn't whimper or struggle. This, according to Dr. Frazer, means he will be easy to train, because he is so trusting.

2006-01-09T17:19:00.000-08:00

Sunday--our first day with Murphy--we drove home. A long drive, 7 or 8 hours. We had read that he might get carsick or cry a lot, but he was just great. At first he cried a little, right after he went in his crate, but soon settled down and slept, slept, slept. We stopped at McDonalds' several times and took him out to play. At first, he was a little cautious and unsure about the leash:

But soon he started romping and playing excitedly.

He still wasn't sure about that crate...

But now, he likes the crate--it's his den. He sleeps in it sometimes, and though he pees on the newspaper on the floor, he never pees in the crate. He seems to have gotten the idea that pooping should take place outside, but peeing will take a little longer.
Here are some pictures from today, Day 2.

"I didn't do that, really! Now play with me!"

He really loves to chew on his rope.

Chewing on his bone, but falling asleep at the same time. He plays vigorously for short periods, than sleeps deeply for a while. He's a baby. Tomorrow is Day Three.

9 p.m. update: Murphy "did his duty" (this is the phrase we have chosen) almost immediately when I took him outside just a little while ago. Of course, I gave him a treat and lavishly praised him afterwards. I can't believe how smart this dog is--it's only the first day at home, and he already knows to poop outside. Next challenge is the peeing, and he also goes to the vet tomorrow. Right now, he's sleepily playing with his stuffed animal frog in his "room"--the section of the basement that we have blocked off with a baby gate for him. Goodnight, Murph!

2006-01-09T16:57:00.000-08:00

Murphy is a goldendoodle. He was born November 18th, 2005, at Diane Lutz's in Brookville, Ohio, one of 12 puppies in his litter. His mom, Paige, is a standard poodle:

And his dad, Shilo, who died, was a golden retriever:

We chose a goldendoodle because they have hybrid vigor (less inbred than a pure breed), don't shed at all, and have gentle and smart personalities (this is very true of Murphy so far). They are also extremely cute! When Murphy is older, his hair will be long and shaggy, kind of like this:

The poodle is the second smartest breed and the golden is high on the list, too. Before we got Murphy, we visited Reuben, a goldendoodle in the area. Apparently, goldendoodles are popular and a "fad" right now--this is what Reuben's owner told us. She even said they were on the Today Show. But I didn't know that at all. Anyway, Reuben was big and very energetic. We loved him, but he was, in Pop's words, "too much dog." After that, we were leaning towards a "mini" goldendoodle or at least a smaller one, and a few of the dogs we visited in Ohio were supposed to be smaller than Murphy will be as an adult. But Murphy charmed us by climbing up and sitting in my lap, so I guess we're in for a large dog--they say 40-50 lbs. but he may well end up bigger.
These pictures were taken at Diane's house before we took him home.

He is seven weeks old and unbearably cute. When we chose him Saturday, he only had one brother left--he was darker red, but had a wildler personality than calm little Murphy. Diane told us that many of Murphy's siblings were going to homes all across the country--Utah, New York City, California.