What's New With Murphy?

I'm sure that's a question you've all been dying to ask. The answer is not too much. He's still 80 pounds of pure action. However, he is now probably a bit lighter since he got neutered this morning. I think he was surprised since Jim had the great idea to tell him that he was only going to the vet to get "tutored" (sorry to subject you to an old joke). Let me tell you - I'm perfectly OK with a bit less testosterone around here. I just hope his recent modification will make him a bit less inclined to "practice" his love with everyone and everything. Apparently he has a lot of love to give and he's not shy or gentle about it. We used to call Bowser the "Love Sponge" because he would snuggle up beside you and soak up all the attention he could. I don't even know what to call Murphy. His philosophy is entirely different in that he thinks it's perfectly acceptable to force his love upon you while insisting that you return it completely. It can be exhausting....

But just look at that face. He's a boy who will get by with his looks and his infectious zest for life rather than brains or charm. As I've said before he's hard to resist. Even our former obedience instructor is taken with him. We have every intention of repeating our class but decided not to join again in April because of everything going on with the house. Instead we'll go in September once we've moved and Murphy's testosterone levels have dropped a bit. The obedience instructor called to inquire after Murphy - not once but twice! She also put him in her day planner to call again in September. It must have been that spectacular kiss he gave her the first night.

Today a young woman who lives a couple houses down from us was walking her 7 month old female Golden Retriever. We were chatting and she commented how jealous she was that Murphy was such a great walker - in fact her exact words were "he's so nice and calm walking beside the stroller - my dog is crazy". I quickly reassured her that what she witnessed was a complete aberration - or perhaps (I gently suggested) she was hallucinating. Then we both tried to reassure each other that the theory that Golden's don't mentally mature until they're three is entirely false.

Yeah right.....

The pictures above were taken after Murphy got home from the vet. He looks so pathetic it's enough to break your heart. He made a brave effort to steal Jim's shoe but promptly fell asleep with his head jammed inside.