More on Murphy

Murphy a.k.a. Sir Ian Murphy, Big Wubba, is a love bug. He is motivated by play and loves a good belly scratch. Food has little appeal for him. We spent the first 10 days trying to find a combination of food that he would eat. He now eats the same kibble as Sophie made into a stew with water and 2 Tablespoons of canned food. Salmon is his preference. He is eating like a champ now; after getting used to a feeding schedule of twice a day vs. grazing all day and a little cat food to snack on too.

Initially there was some resistance to his crate. We had to de-sensitize him and remind him that his crate is a safe place. He does well if he has a chuck it ball in the crate with him. It serves as a pacifier for him and calms him. He usually has a ball in his mouth as you see in the pictures that follow. He loves to retrieve the chuck it balls. He gets so excited that his teeth actually chatter, as if he was cold. He is learning to trust that we will throw for him if he "drops" the ball he is holding and sits down. That is very hard for him. He left his previous home with nothing and I often think he probably left behind some favorite toys.

He likes the ocean and bites the water as it comes in close to his feet. He loves to smell the shells and is always interested in seeing what people are collecting.

He is a night owl. He loved letting us know the paper had been delivered with a loud bark at 4 am. We had to barricade our bedroom entrance to keep him contained. He remains a restless sleeper and he "talks" in his sleep, but he is beginning to sleep for longer periods at night now and is not wandering around as much.

Murphy has interesting toileting habits. He prefers to poop in bushes. Finding bushes tall enough for him on our walks is a challenge for him; gathering the poops up for disposal is a bigger challenge for his humans. There is not a shrub in our back yard that he has not run into, over or through. He has pooped in almost all of them and has a few select favorites. He is learning to potty on command and will go for us about 60% of the time with more than one reminder. He is easily distracted from the mission by numerous smells that have to be processed and investigated!

It is obvious that he was cared for by his previous family. We so appreciate that and that they cared enough to send him to rescue and then to be with us. We are sure that his crazy antics will continue to brighten our days!



Look at that magnificent tail! I forgot to mention that his tail is not docked! It is quite the conversation starter!

Murphy and The Boy, one of Murphy's  favorite people

Sweet dreams, Murphy Man!!

Happy tales to you!