Doggie Spotlight for Murphy

Welcome to Dogs on Thursday!! Hope everyone is having a great week. We are feeling better this week and things seem to be going well.

I hope everyone is enjoying getting their packages together.

This week we have a Spotlight for Michelle from Insaknitty's Murphy. He is such a cute boy. If you haven't seen the new Knitty please go check out Michelle's design for the Paw Cozy. She had our poor dog lover's hands in mind when she designed it.

And here's Murphy.

Murphy was the 'all men suck' dog... Not that they all really DO suck... at the time though for me.. .that was exactly the case. I got him because I was sick of the dating scene, sick of feeling like I didn't rate, and sick of not being loved the way I felt I deserved... I made a joke one day to my housemate that the only man who would truly love me would be a dog! And she then suggested I should get one! So off I went to get Murph.. and wouldn't you know it.. one month later I met my husband! :-)

I say now that for me, it was about filling the void I had for love that allowed me to meet and fall in love with my hubby at that time... Murphy filled it so quickly and so completely that the rest of me was ready for the right guy to come along!

Murphy was adopted from the Bangor branch of the ASPCA Humane Society, in Bangor Maine on December 2, 1994, at 8 weeks old, and was one of two pups left from his litter. His sister cowered in the back of the kennel but Murphy ran right up to me licking and jumping on me…

he chose me… :-) I couldn't have asked for a better dog...

The folks there had very little information on him, but thought that he was a Springer Spaniel and Lab mix… but my gut screamed no.. he's got Border Collie in him… the way he looks now, you can't help but see the chunky adult lab in him.. but he still looks remark ably like a short haired Border… Murphy was smart at skills I've seen other dogs NEVER accomplish, like, deliberately walking around poles, sign posts, mailboxes etc, so that his leash wouldn't tangle… meanwhile Chewy would wrap herself around it so many times I'd want to just hit my head against the ground! Murph would never dream of pottying anywhere but a grassy or leaf strewn area.. while Chewy wo uld go right in the middle of the road if that's where she so desired… just silly things that I don't believe are 'trained' things… now… his intelligence stopped there… the poor thing gets himself into all sorts of ridiculous predicaments… and the word COME is not part of his vocabulary… he's been all MALE and selectively deaf since I can recall!

At the time when I got Murphy, I rented a room in a co-worker's home. Beth was one of the staff scientists at the Jackson Laboratory where I worked in research. She had a 13 year old dog, named Toby, and Toby became a surrogate Mom to my Murphy…

So often I found the two snuggled together on Toby's big bed!

They were adorable together. She taught him right from wrong and always kept him in line.. I have a very large stack of photos where Toby's so obviously telling Murphy who's the boss!

When he was really small, he could easily escape from Toby by running under the coffee table in the living room… but one day when he was bigger than he realized, he ran STRAIGHT into the side of the table hard… poor guy didn't even see it coming… he just assumed he'd still fit right underneath it… and if Beth and I weren't laughing so hard I might have worried for his poor little head for a moment ;-)

It still amazes me at how much bigger he got in the first two months I had him (don't know if you noticed the dates up there, but the upper photos, of him as a wee pup were taken in early December, and this last one with Murphy and Toby competing for the frisbee, is on Jan 27, 1995. Only 8 weeks after I'd gotten him!

Murphy is an athlete's dog… which means… he too is an athlete… Murphy did everything from Hike, camp, swim, kayak and run with me… His longest run was 18 miles, during my training for my first marathon. He was such a great running buddy, and just loved the trail runs, with stops for quick dips in lakes and drinks in puddles... I miss that as he's gotten older...

He adored our summer time blueberry picking hikes, and would lay in the shrubs and munch away at the berries.. he still loves blueberries today!

Blueberrying in Bar Harbor Maine, 1995

Camping/Hiking in Watkins Glen, NY, 1995

Kayaking on Kayuga Lake, NY (yes, he'd even climb into the kayaks after he got tired of swimming!)

I don't have any photos of our long runs together… but I do wish I did.. .they'd be so great!

I've 'tortured' Murphy through the years with Halloween Costumes

Crazy holiday photos

When Murphy was 6 we added human kids to the family, and he was a wonderful protector and playmate right from the beginning. He still enjoys his walks, and the occasional chase of a squirrel or chipmunk. We even find him in our pool each summer! He may be 13, but he still occasionally acts like he's 2...

A Doggie Spotlight for Mercy

*sorry this post is running late today. Blogger would not let me upload pictures until about noon.

Welcome to this weeks Dogs on Thursday!

The Dogs on Thursday (DoT) Snuggle Project Blog is up and running.
go check it out! Here.
It officially starts today and runs until April 30th.
Each person who wants to participate can make a Snuggle and send it to their own Favorite Dog Charity.
To post and show pictures on the DoT' Snuggle Project blog please email me and I will send you an invite.
Also, for every Snuggle made and posted the Makers name will go in a jar and on April 30th I will draw a name and the winner will receive a basket full of Doggie (and People) Goodness!

We are still taking names for the Dogs Spring Swap.
It runs from March 15th to April 15th.
Please join in the fun.
We need more participants to make it a secret swap.

This Weeks 'Doggie Spotlight' is on Dana's little furbaby Mercy:

"Mercy came to us in May 2005. We should have known that she wasn't going to be a "lap dog" when we picked her up at the breeders and witnessed her running around with all the children! Mercy has always been a very independent dog.
Mercy is very active, and enjoys running, not walking.
I ran a marathon in 2006 and Mercy was a training partner of mine, accompanying me on many runs. Believe it or not, this little 7 pounder has run over 10 miles at a time! (With water and treat breaks of course!)
Mercy and my husband even won a man-dog 5-k race.
Mercy snuggles on her own terms, usually when she's very tired. She does weird things with her food- takes a piece out, rolls around on it, then eats it. She sprints to our bedroom when the television turns off, no matter what time of day it is. She is afraid of smoke and hates swimming.
She tolerates the sweaters I knit her and usually doesn't steal my yarn. Usually.
She loves to shred tissues, new or used; roll around on dirty clothes; and hide bones, then pretend that she can't find them. We are beckoned to come to her rescue and help find it.
The adventures never stop with Mercy!
Now our furbaby has a human sibling, our 3 month old daughter.
I think they are going to be great friends!"

Doggie Spotlight for Jackson

Welcome to this weeks Dogs on Thursday! We've got a lot to talk about.
First off we've got "A Spring Dogs Secret Swap",which will run from March 15th to April 15th. Sign Ups Start Today until March 13th. Since it is Spring and total muddy days for the dogs, we thought it would be fun to have a "Doggie Clean Up Basket"to help keep us sane during the wet and muddy days. So each package should include a basket or container with a dog sized towel or chamois, at least one treat bag, a toy, a card and a treat for the owner's sanity too.
On the card write at least one idea of how you survive the muddy season with dogs. We will post a questionnaire for you to fill out about your puppy and you after the swap gets started. Please email Paula at paulaliden(at)gmail(dot)com or Natalie at gnatchat(at)gmail(dot)com with your information.

Grab a button for the swap!!

For the Snuggle Project: It looks like the voting shows we will be making Snuggles and sending them to our own favorite humane society or charity. In this case Paula is working on Snuggle Project Blog for this activity and Paula will post it next week. The Snuggle Project runs from March 6th through to the end of April to give lots of time to make and send the Snuggles.

Doggie Spotlight for GoldenQuest's Jumpin'Jackson

Jackson is everything you could want in a Golden Retriever. Our common fondness of golden retrievers was one of attractions that drew Steve and me together. Our search for just the right dog lasted nearly 2 years.

Jackson is everything we wanted and more. Not only is he a very handsome fellow, he is a pleasure at work and play. Jackson learns quickly. Steve trains him in competitive obedience and rally where he has earned his CD and RN. His scores were all high but last spring, he scored a perfect 100 to the cheers of everyone including the AKC field representatives. He is quite an athlete. He enjoys his 5-mile walks every day and is sure to remind us when it is time to go. If it weren't for Jackson, I may have never achieved my Weight Watchers Goal and earned my lifetime membership. We walked 2005 miles together in 2005.

Jackson loves to swim and dive at the lake as often as possible. Last summer he learned to kayak. Now he thinks the boat belongs to him. After a hard day at play at the lake, he can often be found napping in the chair on the screened porch.

Hope everyone is having a great week!!

Gnat

Dogs On Thursday: Doggie Spotlight For Storm

Welcome to Dogs on Thursday Everyone and please bark out a warm welcome to our newest members this week!

For February's DOT Valentine Card Swap there is still a little time left to join.
Just email me or Natalie your snail mail info.
Also look: A shiny new button for our dogs card swap.
(Thanks Natalie!)

I have to say I have been in awe of some of the wonderful dog charities you guys have been emailing me and thank you so much for expanding my horizon in that area!
I had no idea there were so many wonderful dog organizations.
In the up coming months I am going to post some of these wonderful charities on the side bar.
Please continue to email us your ideas for that Spring activity.
I can't wait to post all the choices out there.
Also I am working to come up with a non sewing/crafting doggie snuggles idea too!
So stay tuned!

...And now for this weeks Doggie Spotlight on Mary's furbaby Storm
"This was Storm at 3mo. old and after her first bath. Our oldest son Tim wanted a dog to keep our other one company and paid for youngest son, Nick to pick her up.
She is Canadian Snow Wolf/Akita mix, born April 13, 1998. Nick said she looks like her mom. She used to be kept outside where she lived before so she really did stink, was dirty and being in Nicks car which was know as the “grease machine” then, she had to have a bath.
She was a real bundle of many storms brewing through the house, always on the go. I made mentioned the name “Storm” and her ears perked and tail wagging she came over to me so the name stuck! Hubby, She loves to be with people. She never liked the leash, so walks were hard to do. She shivers so bad and to this day when you reach for the leash, she hides and shivers something fierce, she hates it! She definitely chose to be “moms” dog. My girls are inside dogs that only go out when they want too or if you are outside.
We do try to spend a lot of time outside if we can, she help me when I redid our backyard, try to give her running room as she liked to do what we called “her Indy 500”.
She likes to play with a football shaped ball and always brought it back to you.
She was great as a pup, always played with the toys and only aggravated our original Lady a few times. This was Storm with me & Lady 1 at Christmas time 1998 and you can see how big she got so fast.
Storm has always been a great watchdog too; her keen senses sense people before they get to the door. When she would hide near me or under my desk I knew we were in for bad weather. She’s a great listener always comes when called, but to this day loud noises, loud people still bothers her some and you don’t get in the door till you’re sniffed to death! LOL She’s a sensitive one and her feelings get hurt if she knows you are mad at her. Usually she just hangs out with mom (now that she’s home with us again or lounges in this position (please excuse the floor and wall, that’s from the baby Lady and we’re in the process of fixing)
Storm loves people and tolerates kids as long as their not too loud. She turns 10 years old this April and we’re going to have a party for her provided she is still with us. When I quit work in Nov. I didn’t know that a week later I would find out that Storm was diagnosed with diabetes. Unfortunately with all the previous vet visits that had to be, kind of put us in a financial crunch so I’ve been trying different things on my own to help lower her glucose numbers. I keep a watchful eye on her as she’s already shown signs of not being able to see properly, but I’m a patient person. I also am working on trying to get a glucometer or something to help me out, but am happy to say something is working as her insulin cc. we’ve been dropping down a number each week and so far we’re down to 18cc instead of 21cc and she hasn’t had a spell. She’s been our bouncy, perky, a little bit older pup again. She’s our special baby girl!"

Dogs On Thursday A Spring Activitiy

There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.
~Ben Williams


A big Welcome to the new members that joined this week.
We sure are growing!

Please send good thoughts, karma and/or prayers to our webmaster and mine and Bassetcat's Mom who had a cardiac emergency last week and is still in the hospital.

For this weeks edition, instead of a Doggie Spotlight, I wanted to share some activity ideas that Natalie and I have been discussing and would like your comments and ideas.

For February: A Doggie Valentine Little Card Swap.
(we wanted to keep it light and simple)

We thought it would be fun for those that want to participate to swap dog valentine cards, because even dogs like to get mail too!
For members that want to participate in this activity please email me with your name, email address and snail mail address by next Thursday.
Because the valentines are small you can either mail a card to just one dog or all the dogs/humans that want to participate. The choice is yours.

For March/April: Since April is National Pet Month, we thought it would be great to make these wonderful doggie 'Snuggles' that I have seen on many of the members blogs.(by means of knitting, crocheting or sewing) for the 'Snuggle Project' or donate the 'snuggles' to either an agreed upon Charity or to your own local a Charity.
Which brings up the subject which charity to choose since there are so many wonderful ones out there to pick. I know that we each have our favorite.
What I would like at this point is for each participating member to post the name of their Charity in the comments or email me with it.
Then next Thursday I will post the different charities and we as a group can vote on which Charity we can make the snuggles for.
I will also post various patterns and methods for making the snuggles.
That activity will run from March 1st to April 15th
There will also be a snuggle drawing! For every snuggle made, the makes name goes into a fancy vessel and on April 15th I will draw the winner to receive a prize that is to be announced soon.

Also for April; We thought it would be a lot of fun to have a good old fashioned Dogs Secret Spring Swap!
That swap will start April 1st and run until May 1st and include at least but not limited to;
1 toy, 1 small bag of treats and 1 card.
By next Thursday I will have buttons up for the Valentines Swap and patterns up for the many different kinds of snuggles.


Have a wonderfully curled up in a warm napping spot kind of week!