Murphy

MURPHY

           I would like to tell you the tale of Murphy, who is 120-pound half |Great Pyrenees and half Labrador Retriever. One of the best dogs that could ever have been called man’s, or young girl’s, best friends.

           Our family- Mark, my husband, me, Jackson, and Alana –acquired Murphy from an acquaintance, who himself could no longer keep Murphy; Murphy was a big dog … he took up a lot of room, he ate a lot of food, and he required a lot of attention. Mark and Jackson drove nearly 30 miles to get Murphy, and though Murphy already had a name, because Mark and Jackson got Murphy at a Murphy’s gas station, it was decided that as Murphy got a new home, so did he get a new name … Murphy.

           Murphy was big, to say the least! He did eat a lot of food. He did take up a lot of room. And he did require a lot of attention. But, with each passing day, Murphy also because a big part of our home and family. Murphy was a gentle giant, never growling or snarling, barely barking, though he did learn quickly who was a welcomed family member to our home and who was just a passerby.

           Alana is autistic, and Murphy could sense this in Alana, and Murphy became a huge part of Alana’s daily routine. Murphy slept with Alana more than he did not, Murphy walked next to Alana when we took family walks. Murphy usually laid at Alana’s feet when we watched television in the living room. And, Alana took great care to de-tick Murphy as often as she could. Murphy relished his “spa” treatments, and no matter how many times Alana flipped Murphy’s body around, and no matter how many ticks Alana pulled off Murphy’s skin with a pair of tweezers, Murphy just went with it, relishing in the lavish attention being paid to him.

           It was hard to contain Murphy in our yard; our yard does not have a fence. And, sometimes Murphy would wander off for a day or two (2), always returning with a wagging tail and his tongue hanging from the side of his mouth. It was soon discovered that Murphy had a “girlfriend” about a mile up the road from our home, and if ever we could not find Murphy, we would drive up the road and collect him from his “girlfriend’s” house.

           The funniest thing about Murphy is that he was scared of thunderstorms (this is not the funny part), and when it would storm, Murphy would clamor up Mark’s lap and nuzzle into Mark as hard as he could for as long as he could (this is the funny part). Murphy seemed to think he was a lap dog who needed to be kept safe from the pounding rain, the shining lightning strikes, and the thundering booms.

           Murphy was so loyal to us. When we had to leave the house, for whatever reason, he would whine because we would not take him with us. Upon our return, Murphy could be found lying on the porch, as though he were awaiting our return. As we drove up our driveway, we could see him rising from his sleeping position to take a position at the top of the steps, wagging his tail. When the car stopped and we all filed out, one of us would call his name and Murphy would come loping down the steps, happy that his family was home again.

           One time, we took a trip to Abilene, Texas, and we could not take Murphy with us, so we asked our neighbor to keep an eye on Murphy … make sure fresh food was set out for him every day and make sure that he had fresh water daily as well. The neighbor promised he would bring Murphy in if it rained and would always check to make sure Murphy was home every night. Murphy liked our neighbor and went willingly with the neighbor on the day we left for our vacation. On the day we returned home, we asked the neighbor how Murphy had done in our absence. The neighbor assured was that Murphy was a perfect house guest. The neighbor fed him daily, watered him daily, let him out every morning, and every evening, Murphy would return to the neighbor’s house, the neighbor would let him in, and Murphy would curl up at the foot of his bed every night to sleep. We waited for Murphy to come home that evening. And we waited. And we waited.

           Murphy never came home that night. The next morning, Mark and Jackson drove up to Murphy’s “girlfriend’s” house, but they had not seen Murphy in some days. Murphy never came home that night either.

           Every evening that Murphy still did not come home, Mark and Jackson would drive for miles the next morning to search for him, with no luck. During the time Mark and Jackson were gone looking for Murphy, Alana would walk the perimeter of our property, calling Murphy’s name, and crying because Murphy was gone, and she feared he would be lost forever.

           For ten long days, Murphy made no appearance. Then, on the tenth morning, Murphy came prancing up the driveway, as though being gone for ten days was no big deal. He was no worse for wear, and we can only assume he had gone exploring, maybe got lost, and had to figure out how to backtrack to find his home again. Or, maybe he just needed a vacation himself.

           On one particular day, we let Murphy out for the morning. He came home a couple of hours later, and took a long enough nap. Then, Murphy wanted out again. A couple of hours later, we heard Murphy bark his arrival back at the house, but he did not want to come inside. We put some fresh water out on the porch for him, next to a bowl of fresh dog food. About an hour later, I went outside to check if Murphy was still in the yard, only to find him dead under the car. It was one of the saddest days ever.

           We never knew what killed him. A snake bite? Old age; he was ten years old? We never could figure it out. We gave him a beautiful funeral, and cried our hearts out for the passing of the best friend ever for our family. We mourn him to this day. He stays fondly in our thoughts and memories and will forever live in our hearts.