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Dec 19, 2000 Hello Everyone! I know the green is kind of annoying, but I figured it is Christmas, and red would be even more annoying, so I'm going with green! And watch out, this is a long one! Well it's been almost 2 months since the last update, mainly because Allie is back from Europe, and she's was the initial reason why I had these updates going. But I've been asked for an update (mostly from my Dad who, yes, lives with Murphy) and I've had another roll of film developed, so I guess I'm going to have to accept that I'm one of those freaks who has a permanent web page for their dog. So here's what's been happening over the last couple of months. Going back to early fall... The landscaping crew that does all the gardening for the complex we live in gathered up all the leaves from ALL our trees and created a gigantic pile just across the street from our house. This picture shows maybe a third of the pile. Murphy LOVES leaves. I can't overemphasise his fixation on them. So to see a monstrous pile of them is pure heaven for him.
The pile is still there, after nearly 3 months, and Murphy still tries to run in it. They're kind of gross. Unfortunately, that doesn't bother Murphy all that much, and he doesn't get why he can't run in them any more. I'm such a party pooper.
Murphy's favourite things about Allie are: her ever present excitement over seeing him, her desire to be kissed, and her bedroom which is a treasure trove for a dog who is fixated on picking up garbage off the floor and eating it. Allie is now starting to insist that Murph is her boyfriend. That's a little much, even for me, but she won't be dissuaded. |
Murphy's Newsletter
He
particularly likes running in a big circle around one edge of
one side of the pile, and actually diving through the pile while
he runs, as the diagram to the left shows. Yes, you're right,
that diagram does officially prove that I'm a total loser.
Allie
arrived home at the end of November and took an immediate liking
to Murphy. As you can see, the admiration is mutual. Allie loves
to pick him up like a baby and submit to the multitude of kisses
that Murphy doles out for anyone who comes within licking range.
Oh, and on that note, if you're not within kissing range Murphy
simply licks at the air until you get closer. It's easiest to
just submit and accept that you're going to get slobbered all
over.|
We are counting down the days til Murphy gets fixed (come on February 22nd!). Murphy also has a new octopus which is similar to Ethel: squeakers in every leg. He also had a dragon, but destroyed it within a week.
Notice that he still looks straight at the camera. And check out his flying ear. That's my mom's favourite.
Murphy managed to squeeze in a few kindergarten
classes in November. We missed 3/4 of them because he hadn't
had all his vaccinations yet, so we only made the last 2 classes.
We already knew all the basic commands, so we weren't behind
on that. We were behind on socialisation, which is the real point
of kindergarten. But there were 2 other newcomers who were in
the same boat as us: the standard poodle in the back left and
the yellow lab in the front right of the photo below. All the
older dogs were at least one month older than Murph, and were
twice his size. That made Murphy a bit of a focal point, since
he still looked very much like a baby compared to everyone else.
Though it was nice that everyone liked him, it was kind of stressful
because it felt like all eyes were on us at all times.
We both had a fun time, and Murphy even got praised during his first class on how well he had learned "heel", "sit" and "stay" since our home visit with Ann Jackson. And by the second class Murph was much friendlier and bolder with the other dogs. For our second class (the last class) Ann had set up a makeshift agility course for us to try: jumps, tunnels and weave cones. She picked Murphy to demonstrate and he learned the obstacles very quickly. Ann returned him to me with a "You have a brilliant dog!". Allie later pointed out that she might have chosen Murph because he was the smallest, and thus the easiest to manhandle on the course. But I've chosen to ignore her insight. At our last class we also met Millie, a Shepherd, Akita, Terrier cross. Millie is like Murphy in that she's extremely outgoing with people, but extremely shy with dogs. They seemed to hit it off, and at Ann's suggestion Millie's owner (Kate) and I exchanged numbers. We had a play date about a week later. We took the dogs for a 45 minute walk and us owners talked about our puppies. We start obedience in January. |
This
is who Murphy seems to consider his REAL girlfriend. Her name
is Ethel, and she's a big stuffed dog with 6 different squeakers
all over her body. Murphy loves to chew on her, throw her in
circles, and, as of last weekend, hump her.
Here's
Murphy in mid air with Ethel. He looks like he's standing on
the carpet, but he's actually jumping up and twisting in the
air. He grabs Ethel by the ear and swings her around and around
while shaking her. He does this every day, several times a day.
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A couple of weeks later Allie and I took him to try Rice Lake, but when we got there there was a "No Dogs" sign, so we ended up hiking home from Lynn Headwaters. In this photo Allie is holding Murphy on the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge. The hike lasted 2 1/2 hours and, again, Murphy loved it. We had to slow him down at some points.
Note his soaking wet ears: they get into everything, and when he hikes his nose is stuck to the trail a lot of the time, checking out everything. So his ears need constant grooming. Also note his curly hair on the top of his head. It's uncontrollable. You can see another example in the photo next to the title of this page above. I took him for a grooming in November and the groomer somehow managed to create cowlicks where there were none before. Now that's talent. By the way, I'm looking for a new groomer.
Adam's job has him out here every few weeks
for the time being, which both Murphy and I are very happy about.
I honestly believe that Murphy Adam and his mom have been really helpful with tips on dealing with Murph. Here we have Adam helping Murph pose for the camera. I believe this is just after we got back from Murph's first hike.
In mid December Allie and I took Murphy to a puppy party held by our vet. Murphy hung out with a 6 month old Rottweiler, a 8 week old lab mix and Dr. Moe's 7 year old Golden Retriever. Us people got a chance to ask the vet all sorts of questions, then we all (dogs included) got a tour of the entire hospital. We all got treats, and the puppies each got a goody bag at the end of the night. Now Murphy is hooked on the treats from the goody bag (I'm doling them out slowly over time).
On a good note though, yesterday was the first day that Murphy didn't have to be crated for biting! And it only took 2 1/2 months! On another good note, a few moments after this photo was taken Murphy settled down and we got on with business. Last thing: Murphy has learned how to fetch. I think that running after the ball, picking it up and bringing it back are innately part of him, but giving the ball up was a bit of a hurdle. So I think that's it for now. I have to run home, feed and walk Murph, and then get to my respirologist to find out what we're going to do with my lungs (update: I'm going to wean myself off my daily asthma drugs!). You'll be happy to know that I didn't actually include all the photos I scanned in for this update, though they may show up at a later date. Oh, I forgot. Murphy has his own stocking, and seems to be fascinated by our Christmas tree. You'll be thrilled to find out that I didn't take Murph to pose with Santa, or write a letter to Santa in his name. I'm not quite that crazy. Yet. Here's the link to the next update: Jan 29, 2001 Meghan. Home | Latest news | From the beginning | Origins | What kind of dog is that? | Colours of cockers | Cocker links |
Here
we have Murphy checking out the scenery, as seen from the bridge.
remembers Adam from when we picked him up from
the breeder.
Murphy's
biting is much improved, but it still happens a couple of times
a day at least. Here we were trying to get Murphy to pose, which
usually isn't a problem. But when he's up on the couch he's convinced
he's become the king of the house, and he resists whatever you're
trying to get him to do. Notice Allie's mouth is saying "No...."
as in "No bite!". That's a constant refrain around
the house.