Murphy's 14 Years

I waited a long time to post this--but last month we said goodbye to our sweet corgi dog, Murphy. As Anna said, he was "sassy till the end."

When the phone rings, no one's barking at us to hurry up and answer it. As we're going out the door, no doggie nips at our heels to move us along. If Jeff accidentally drops goldfish crackers on the floor while he's making his lunch, no one rushes over to gobble up the crumbs. And most of all, no velvety Murphy ears to scratch...they were the softest ears around!

Love you, Murphy. Since we had you in our lives, I'm forever a corgi fan.

Murphy Monday -- Hiking at Whipple Creek

Yesterday was so gorgeous, I told Jeff we needed to get out and hike. At first, I wanted to go to the Columbia Gorge, but we ended up closer to home after googling various parks in the Vancouver area.


Murphy thoroughly loved the trail, especially with the abundance of horse smells and muck. Several horseback riders passed us at different points and our dog behaved himself. One horse reared back when he saw Murphy, but finally walked past after much persuasion.

Hard to believe much of the US is still under a blanket of snow--another reason to spend spring in the Northwest!

Triple Murphy Monday

Well, I know it's been forever since I posted, so here's a triple bonus.

Believe it or not, I'm still unpacking boxes. This morning, going through an old box of my children's dress-up clothes, I came across this pink feather boa and couldn't resist.

Murphy Chicken-Legs

One of the family nicknames for our dog is "Murphy Chicken-Legs." If you look even briefly at his photo, you'll see why. Murphy has such cute drumsticks!


Don't know if he's double-jointed or what--but it makes me chuckle when Murphy spreads out on the floor like this. Our tabby cat, Seashell (God rest his soul), used to do it all the time, but I didn't know dogs were as flexible.

Maybe he should take up yoga. And just because I think it's funny, a bonus link for you--found it when I googled chicken legs: Gummy Chicken Legs Candy. I quote their ad: "Nothing hits the spot more than a hearty candy chicken leg!" Uh-huh.

OK. That's enough.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day to you -- from Murphy and his household.

Since he wasn't allowed to sample the chocolate, we treated Murphy to a few extra bites of his doggie kibbles.

Did you do anything special for Valentine's? I got together with my extended family in Newberg, Oregon. So nice to drive an hour to see them, instead of taking a long Lufthansa flight and all the other hassle!

I do miss Danielle and David, our 2 oldest children, off in Germany and Michigan respectively. See you both in May and I love you guys.

Christmas Eve Murphy

Murphy and his household wish you all a very merry Christmas Eve. May your holidays be full of joy and candy canes. And furry beasties in Santa Claus hats.


*picture taken by Anna

None Of That Fake Eyeliner (Murphy Monday)

You can see why we sometimes tease Murphy about wearing Cleopatra eyeliner. Except that his eye decor is the natural-born kind. Lucky dog.

SÜSS ODER SAUER?

The Murphster wishes you a very Happy and Haunted Halloween. He's feeling rather grave, as his neck is festooned with garish black and green skeletons, and he'd rather be chewing a milkbone or chasing the neighborhood black cat.

Murphy Monday

An after-school hug.

Not Too Picky

I thought I'd tell you an old story about Murphy.

A few years ago, Anna was in our bathroom flossing her teeth. The floss stuck in a tight spot, and Anna tugged hard, only to feel her entire filling give way. It popped out of her mouth and onto the bathroom floor.

Before Anna could react, Murphy dashed in and grabbed her filling off the floor. Then he swallowed it.

It all took place too fast for me to process. When Anna told me what'd happened, I could only say "Yuck. Disgusting."

Our dog is not a picky eater. I hate to think what would happen with an entire set of dentures.

Murphy Around Town

It's not Murphy Monday yet, but Murphy's been on a photo shoot around our little village and can't wait to show you pictures of his home.

Here's the church at the center of town. To get Murphy to pose in one spot, we bribed him with part of a gelato cone from the eis cafe across the street. Hey, if it works!

Rabbit Ears Murphy

It's Murphy Monday again, and I'd intended to post some photos of Murphy as the dog-around-town. But that will have to wait until next week, or whenever our weather improves. Don't think you want to see a matted, wet bundle of dog hair posing in the rain.

So, ta-da, here's Murphy in one of his cutest impersonations: Dog with rabbit ears.


We do insist on having our twisted version of fun once and awhile, so if people ask "Is that a dog?" we sometimes say that he's a giant guinea pig or rabbit. Which is feasible, given that Murphy has no tail, and is approximately the shape of an overgrown guinea pig...

Murphy Monday

Here's the Murphster...in his favorite location, sniffing after mice and other creatures out in the farm fields around us.

Lately, Murphy's been getting carried away with his herding instincts--barking whenever the phone rings, until I go answer it--problem is, he also tries to nip at my heels on the way to the phone. Any ideas for breaking him of these bad habits? I plan to check out "The Dog Whisperer" book for additional insights.

Why do I feel as if I'm raising a toddler all over again??

Crouching Murphy, Hidden Chew Toy

This is one of Murphy's favorite positions when he's gnawing on his chew toy. Still cracks me up. The canine yoga stance.

Murphy Monday -- For Judy

Judy in Indiana always makes lots of comments about Murphy's pictures, so this one's for her.

Murphy sniffing the tulips that Danielle brought back from Amsterdam a few years ago. He reminds me of Ferdinand the bull in "The Story of Ferdinand," by Munro Leaf, illustrated by Robert Lawson -- a bull who likes to sit just quietly and smell the flowers.
P.S. Although, we shouldn't forget that this sweet-faced canine enjoys chasing cats. And anything else that runs.

A Dog of Sensitive Stomach

I'm posting another picture for Murphy Monday, since it's been so long between photos.


He's been a "Dog of Sensitive Stomach" this week. While Jeff and I were out of town, Murphy caught some type of bug and is just beginning to return to normal. In the meantime, we've all endured his black clouds of odiferousness...if you catch my drift. Poor dog. But I feel sorry for us too--our rooms need several cans of orange spray and a good airing out!

Thankfully, Murphy's starting to eat again. I figured the BRAT diet (banana,rice, applesauce,toast) worked for our toddlers long ago, and it might work for him too--except I substituted oatmeal for rice.

My Dog Is A Noodlehead

I'm sorry to say, but sometimes I wonder about Murphy.

It started when we moved to Germany three and a half years ago. Before, we trekked to the end of our Oregon cul-de-sac and grabbed mail from the mail box. Now, envelopes and magazines are shoved daily through a little swinging mail slot in our front door. Sounds great, you say?

Well, think again. Murphy takes it as a personal affront that SOME HORRIBLE MONSTER IS TRYING TO SNEAK INTO OUR HOME! MUST ATTACK! So each time, he charges the mail slot, hoping to dismember an evil sneaker--who's obviously entering to rape and pillage.

He's actually torn the mail slot off the front door...and I'm afraid for the day when Murphy gets hold of a thumb or set of fingers.

We've tried positive reinforcement--one of us restrains the dog while another family member flips the mail slot back and forth--then we reward Murphy for not attacking. But this dog has incredibly short-term memory. Maybe if we spent twelve hours of intensive training, then he'd learn?

He's usually a sweetie. Just not when mail slots are involved.

P.S. In the photo, Murphy's sitting in front of a massive mound of sugar beets, a crop that's harvested in this part of Germany during late fall.

Bunny Ears Murphy

We spoil this animal so much. He gets to lick out all the yogurt and sour cream containers when we're done with them. He sleeps in the recliner at night. He holds his leash in his mouth and tries to take us for a walk. He moans at the door if we accidentally shut him out of the bedroom.
But he sure is cute, isn't he? Anna calls him her "little brother."

Murphy's Chin-Rest

Our dog loves to rest his jowls on the bottom rung of our wooden dinner chair. Also, on the rockers of our rocking chair. I guess he just needs a little extra support now and then. Doesn't it make him look thoughtful?

In the Lap of Luxury

Who has the cushiest place to sleep in our house? Couldn't be this four-legged beast...