Happy ‘Murph’Day, Buddy!

Today, February 4th is an important day.  For it was 1 year ago today that our own Murphy was issued into this world.

Hey, give us a break.  We don’t have kids yet, this is what we spend our time on.

Early on, it was touch and go.  He wouldn’t sleep at night, consequently, we didn’t sleep at night.  Slowly but surely, he got things figured out.  So did we.  He’s gone all the way from looking like a gerbil to being 57 lbs of goofball.  All things being equal, he’s a pretty good boy.

In honor of this momentous day, let’s look back at where we’ve been with this set of photos.

Just 3 Weeks Old
3 Weeks Old

2 Months Old
2 Months Old

6 Months Old
6 Months Old

9 Months Old – Obedience Graduation
Graduation Day

10 Months Old – Christmas
Christmas Time

And a few pictures taken from his birthday today…
With the New Toy

Happy Birthday Boy

Birthday Boy

If you just can’t get enough Murphy (lord knows we can’t) you can see a couple other sets of him in the following places:

Happy Birthday Murph!

“… then there are dogs that walk perfectly…”

That was a bystander’s quote about Murphy I overheard as we were walking by today during Boise’s annual See Spot Walk fund-raising event.  Basically, a couple of thousand dogs and their owners take over the streets of downtown Boise for an hour or two to raise money for the Idaho Humane Society.

Needless to say, this was Murphy’s first attempt at this.  Actually, it was my first go-round too.  I was nervous he was going to be a total ass.  Some days at training he’s such a shit that I don’t want to walk him any more.

When we first got down to the park, he was barking and lunging, wanting to play/attack every dog he saw.  Um, and there were a lot of them.  However, I got his mind engaged with the training routine that the fine folks at Scotch Pines Training have told us.  After a few early struggles, he calmed down and we actually walked through a gigantic sea of dogs completely without incident.

We also got to meet up with one of his litter-mates, a sister that looks exactly like him.  Named Sammie.  It was funny to talk to her owners and hear the same sort of stories about their dog as Murphy.  Eating grass, check.  Loves socks, check.  Very amusing.

Once the walk started, Murphy couldn’t have been better.  Heeling right at my side for the most part.  I was even able to put the leash over my shoulder, which is something the dog trainer says we should be able to do.  He was awesome.

It was actually a LOT of fun.  Seeing all the different dogs was a blast.  Murphy seemed to have a grand time as well.

Below you can see some pics taken from the event.  You can also go to the Flickr.com set.

Enjoy!

On the way down to the park.
Murph on the way

Practicing “Sit”
Murphy Practicing "Sit"

Murphy and Dad
Murphy and Dad

Murphy (right) and his sister Sammie
Murphy and his Sister

Here is your See Spot Walk Mascot shot!
Murphy in the Crowd

Here’s the Scotch Pines Training results
Scotch Pines Training Results

Murph with his Gem Doodle’s family
We're Walking

“Hey dad, what are you doing… huh?… Huh?”
Nosy

Murphy Comes Home

MurphyWell, we did it.  After just 8 short weeks, “the puppy” has come home.  Here is where I describe the ins and outs of bringing home a new puppy to two people who seemingly weren’t fully prepared for what was in store.

See, we had settled on the fact that we would reserve a puppy from Gem Doodle’s (next litter later summer/early fall ’09 if you’re interested) most recent litter.  One of the offspring of Tula the poodle and Bruno the golden retriever would be ours.  All we had to do was wait.

Continue reading “Murphy Comes Home”