We adopted Murphy in December of 2013. He was 4 months old. He had been a part of the prison program. We went through the basic obedience class with Marlys that winter. Murphy joined our beagle terrier mix Willie who was 18 lbs. After Willie taught Murphy how to play appropriately with a small dog they became great playmates. As Murphy grew to his 70lb full size, he learned to lay down on the floor so Willie could wrestle with him. Willie and his 18 lbs was the dominant of the 2 dogs. If Willie wanted the rawhide, Murphy gave it up without a protest.
Murphy loves life on the farm, helping mom tend to the horses daily and making sure the barn cats eat their dinner. He gets to go on long walks every day. Sometimes he even gets to use his herding instincts and herd the neighbors fainting goats back to their property. Murphy loves to play frisbee and is very athletic even at 10 years old. In the spring and summer Murphy loves to make use of his dog door and go outside to lay in the sun, then when he gets hot he comes back inside to lay on his king size bed under his ceiling fan.
After his best friend Willie went over the rainbow bridge, he was lonely. So we adopted a border collie puppy named Piper. She was 10 weeks old when she joined our family. Piper has re-energized Murphy and now he is teaching her how to play appropriately. She still is a bit wild, but she is learning. Murphy is a very fun and tolerant teacher. We make sure to give him breaks from her so he can enjoy his quiet time.
Murphy has been a fantastic addition to our family and we love him with all of our hearts.
Sincerely, Kathy and Pete McBride
