Murphy
Age 7
State NH
Weight 72
Good with kids over 4 yes
Under 4 Yes
Housebroken Yes
Cratetrained Yes
Cats NO NO NO
Dogs: Yes
UTD Yes
Neutered Yes
Microchipped Yes
Adoption Donation $170
UPDATED 6/9/04 - Murphy has been with us about two months now. Murphy continues
to have his issues but has accepted us as his family and seems quite content to be with us.
He has to be crated if we are out for a little while as he will "mark" doorways or items in
the house. He does not do this when we are home. Murphy is accepting of new people
in our house, friends or relatives that come and go, but if he is on the porch with us or
confined to the fenced backyard and someone "new" arrives he snarls and becomes quite
upset, trying to bite. Our neighbor is very gentle and kind and always has dogs of his
own, and yet when he entered our yard through the fence Murphy ran up to him and tried
to bite the mans hand. Fortunately Dan was standing right there and caught Murphy by
the collar and brought him inside.
Another issue we are having with Murphy is his strange behavior with anything that moves.
So far, he has attacked the riding mower's tires, the push mower's tires, the wheel barrow
tire, several bicycle tires and the weed whacker. He becomes obsessed with biting and
attacking these items so we now must crate him in the house when these tools are being
used. He absolutely freaks out if anyone comes to the front door and has gone through
the glass storm door three times. We now have to keep it locked at all times for fear he
will break it and injure himself on broken glass and bite the person on the other side of the
door.
He can be as calm as a sleeping baby puppy sometimes, and others he goes balistic if he
thinks his home or people are being invaded. He goes nuts when the trash and recycling
trucks come, or the UPS truck. He seems to hate other dogs he has not yet met and we
therefore have had to curtail the walks. He now has to go alone with Dan late in the
evening when there are few other people out walking their dogs. We do not know what
his past experiences have been to make him so unpredictable, but his love and devotion to
us we don't question. He has made like to "nip" Dan on several occasions and we are
hard pressed as to why. He does not like sudden movements and Dan practices his Tae
Kwon Do forms with Danny. Murphy must feel that these moves are a threat so we now
make sure that the karate is practiced somewhere where Murphy will not see this activity.
We are doing the very best we can to ensure that Murphy lives out the rest of his natural
life in a safe and steady environment. We are learning what measures we must take to
keep him calm and not get upset. He is fine with Axle and Balou and loves to play with
them and run to exhaustion in our back yard. He loves to play ball but we there again
have to not get him worked up too much. He can become obsessive about the ball and
snap if he doesn't want to give it up.
I am still not sure what to do about obedience lessons. He minds us very well here in our
home, and since we have to limit his exposure to "the outside" I fear we would have to go
the route of private lessons. This is not a dog that I will take to group lessons with other
dogs and people present given his disposition towards strangers. My hand is still healing
and the large scar on my hand and the daily pain are reminders of just how sharp his teeth
really are. We cannot budget private obed. lessons right now, so I am aware of our
obligation to fulfill this part of his adoption process, I just can't put a time limit on when it
will happen right now. I feel it is more important to make Murphy feel we are his "pack"
and Dan and I are his leaders first and foremost. He still likes to be with us most of the
time and doesn't like to be left alone at all. For now we will continue to help him adjust as
he was moved around so much in the past and just needs to know he is loved and we
aren't going to up and leave him.
UPDATED 5/3/04 - Murphy has settled right in here with us. He is much calmer and
quieter than when he first came in. His injured back leg has healed pretty well, but he will
have a permanent scar at that sight. He, Axle and Balou continue to get along and play
well together. Murphy is a great face washer and can be often found washing either Balou
or Axle's faces. They love to run as a pack around the back yard since we got it fenced.
It's a pretty good sized area and gives them good excercise. They all three like to go on
walks. Murphy likes to grab his leash and bring it to one of us as a hint that it is high time
for his walk! He will find a leash somewhere (there are leashes all over the place) and
bring it. He also likes to walk the other dogs on their leashes. It is a fun game to snap a
leash on Balou and watch Murph "walk" Balou around the house. I am in the process of
trying to get registered for an obedience class. My hand is still not working real well and I
am waiting until the vet gives Murph the all clear and we can then take classes. At any
rate, I will at least get us registered so that SCBR has that information on file.
UPDATED 4/3/04 - Murphy has been adopted!
2/15/04 Murphy has returned to us. Murphy is doing quite well, He loves his walks and
runs in the park
every day. With some of the good weather lately, we have taken him to the shore so we
all can benefit from the exercise and fresh air. Murph likes to say hi to all the dogs we
meet. Yesterday two of my grandchildren went with us. Murph likes it when they come
along. He likes to lay his head on their lap when he rides.He is hoping some family will like
him, too.
After Murphy was adopted, his new parents had to move in with an ill grandmother who
had three cats. They knew Murphy came with a tag that said 'no cats' for Murphy. So
with all due respect, they decided to keep Grandma and return Murphy to his original
foster parents. Murphy got along fine with their 4 yr.old, 8 month old, and the other dog in
the family. He liked his temporary home and is adjusting very well back in the foster
home. Murph is a pretty nice, understanding guy.
12/18/03 - Murphy has been doing quite well. We find him to be a very attentive and
bright friend. Recently took him to my son's house to meet his terrier in the yard. Afer a
few sniffs and
barks he was invited inside where they made friends and had a quiet visit. So another day
we had him
visit another son and his Lab. They got right to the chase and had a blast playing. On our
frequent walks
he has been polite to dogs and people. We both love to go to the beach where everyone
can run and none of us have on leashes. This is a great time for Murph. He runs, plays
with other dogs,returns when I call and doesn't mind being leashded again for a walk back
to the car. Murph is great on commands. He walks down the stairs behind us, gets his
leash for a walk(if he feels like it), and loves a little treat after. When my 4 yr old
grandaughter was here today Murphy stayed right beside her while she ate but did not
touch anything.He sat next to her while they looked out the window, and kept running
back to her when we were on our walk in the park. He must have come from someplace
nice as he is a nice dog.
11/4/03 This is the end of day 5. Everyday we find out more about him.He is a very
smart dog, has obviously had some training. Walks well on the gentle lead,
prefers to sleep on the floor beside our bed and sometimes thinks he is a
lap dog. He wants us to play with him and his toy and we are not quite sure
of the extent of the play.
Our only concern rihgt now is his behavior to anyone on the other side of
the glass foor to the deck. He goes absoultely wild if anyone appears there.
Does the same thing if anyone passes the car. We are hoping this is an
adjustment behavior. but intend to socialize him as much as possible.
Meeting people or other dogs as we walk is not a problem.
Murphy. is a beautiful dog.
10/31/03 Murphy has been here for almost a week now. He is a super sweet boy.
Murphy obviously had a family that loved him and is not quite sure what is going on. He is
now completely cratetrained, he is housebroken and well mannered on a leash. Murphy
loves nothing more than to have someone pat him. He loves the kids and gets very excited
to see them. Murphy went to see Dr. Matt today. He is brought up to date on all his shots,
microchipped and had a much needed neuter. Murphy is now ready for a home of his
own. He needs a warm bed and a lap to put his head on. Do you have these qualifications
for a special older guy?
Murphy was a owner surrender. He is a beautiful flashy fawn boy. He has cropped ears
and a docked tail. Murphy is doing really well with cratetraining and appears to be
housebroken. Murphy is scheduled to be neutered on Friday. We will let you know as we
get to know him better.