It is with great sadness that we have to let you know that our best friend and companion, Murphy, crossed over to the Rainbow Bridge on 12/22/09, at the very young age of five. He came to us a little bit less than two years ago, but he fit into our family so well that it seems like he has always been here. He was skittish when we initially adopted him, as he had been raised and kept in a garage. Little sister, Belle (let’s call her golden retriever Alpha-dog), taught him the ropes, even though she was still a puppy herself. Of course, older sister, Lucky (let’s call her 12-year old Crabby Yorkie), assisted as only an older sister can.

Murphy was what many call a Velcro-dog, hanging right next to his mom at all times. This included laundry, cooking, baking, cleaning, and even wanting to follow her into the bathroom. He had his identified snooze locations in different areas of the house, always near mom so he could get pet by hand or foot constantly. He enjoyed greeting his mom every morning with her shoe in his mouth – in fact, he liked to sleep on his mom’s shoe. He actually would have liked to have had some stuffed toys, but Belle didn’t permit those to survive for very long.

He had the sweetest disposition of any dog we have ever had, (and there have been many, most of them goldens). All he wanted was love, and all he gave was love. If he wanted to be pet, he had a habit of gently pawing you. He taught this trick to Belle, but nothing about Belle is particularly gentle. Still, it is a little reminder he left us with so we can remember him every day.

He was also very goofy. He loved playing with Belle, and when he wasn’t right next to mom, it was because they were playing. And that was a lot of dog playing – Murphy was 105# and Belle is 80#. He did the “full-body-wiggle” when it was time for his daily walks with mom. But he really went nuts on Saturdays and Sundays when dad was home to take him on 5-mile walks. He loved the snow, and was very fond of doing snow angels, being nice enough to bring in lots of snow for us to enjoy in the house.

Murphy was diagnosed with lymphoma in August. He gave us 4 months of extra enjoyment after that, and he did very well until this past week. In fact, he was doing so well that we held out hope that he had somehow defeated the disease. We want to thank Dr. D. and the entire staff at East Valley Animal Clinic for their expert and loving care of Murphy (and us).

Unfortunately, Murphy’s condition took a sudden turn for the worse last week. We were distraught, but there was nothing that could be done this time. Murphy left us quietly and with great dignity on the 22nd, after a delicious steak dinner, and still eating peanut butter cookies as he received his bridging injection. His mom and dad were with him and look forward to the day when we are reunited with him. He was given his final instruction right at the end – he is to be first in line at the reunion.

The house has been empty without him. We can still see him in all of his favorite places. We still reach out our feet automatically to pet him next to us, but he is not there. The recent snow in the yard has no snow angels. Our hearts are broken – how can so much life and love be taken so early?

Good-bye, Murphy. We were lucky to have you for the short time we did. We love you and miss you and will never forget you.