Out with the Old and In with the New

Murphy's baby teeth are falling out.


I could make a pair of earings from these. But that would be very weird and a little creepy.



They are almost hollow on the other side. Weird! I think it's feaking him out when he finds them. His new teeth are big and scary.



He's looking more like a field dog all the time. He loves chasing after what we toss for him.



And every now and again he remembers to bring it back.


This is a little dark, but shows Murphy at Camp Tamarancho on Marin. One of his favorite places on earth!

MORE SNOW!!

I can't help it. I know this is Murphy's blog.... but I want to show everybody the snow.

His name is Murphy. And he approves of this message.

SNOW! It's coming down fast. And it's not sludge anymore -- it's nice.


Can anybody see that doggy in the window?

STORM WATCH 2008!

Whoo hoo!! It's finally snowing!!

Until about an hour ago it's been just rain, slush, and wind. Then, it started to sleet, then .... SNOW!



Murphy LOVES it.


He's having the time of his life.


It's hard to make him come inside!

Murphy's New Year's Eve Morning Walk

This post composed by Jeff.

Murphy insisted on going to Tahoe for New Years Eve. He was missing his old friends in the neighborhood and wanted to see some snow deeper than the three inches he experienced as a tiny puppy. He wouldn't be disappointed.



Murphy took us on a walk to the local beach access on New Years Eve morning. As you can see, it has been really cold in Lake Tahoe. I didn't quite get the camera level, but the ice on the rocks and small bush stump is clearly visible. The ice on the rocks made walking near the water risky.



That didn't stop Murphy, though. He seemed to have a little more traction than we did. Murphy didn't know what to make of the small waves around this sunken rock.



He even waded in to check out some rocks. Here, he stuck his nose into the water to grab a rock. I promptly made him spit it out. This is the same beach we took him to when he was super small.



Here, Murphy shows off his superior traction once again. I couldn't...er...wouldn't get up on the rock, so I put Murphy up on it. He made his way down before Kelly could get picture of him looking at the camera, but it still came out okay.



Here, we are back at the cabin, but Murhpy still wanted to explore the snow. He loves to dig in it, and sometimes he finds something. Usually a pine cone, one of his favorite chew toys.



Murphy finally calmed down, and just wanted to sit in the sun. Can't really complain about that.

Murphy's First Christmas

I got a ball!

Murphy had a great first Christmas. He went on a long walk in downtown Sonoma in the morning, exploring all the Historical sites, meeting new friends all along the way. Unfortunately, we neglected to bring the camera along. I think Steiner's had something to do with that.

Christmas night Murphy got all his loot.



Thanks Karen, Steve, and all the cats. Murphy LOVES his new tennis balls!


And thanks to Grandma too -- Murphy loves his new Puppy Kong! Not to mention his new treats.

He got lots of new toys -- He was super happy. Murphy sure loves his new ball! But he always wants what I have. Little bugger!

After all that fun, it was time to go.

Murphy waits in front of the hotel room for us to load his gear and drive him to do some wine tasting. He was looking forward to the 04 zins.

He sure loves the sun - imagine that!

On the Ground with Murphy

This one takes a little while, but is worth it at the end.

Mud

Murphy had decided digging in mud is the new best thing.



He's working on creating a mud bog in the back yard.

When he's bored with that, he wants to come in. So he waits at the back door and yips and paws at it. Click to enlarge and see the mud.




Before coming in, Jeff has to wash him off.

Which means he has to catch him. Because Murphy's new fun game is called "catch me".

And he's fast...

...and he likes to bark his head off.

Then, when he's a cleaned up and let into the house...

He wants to go out and work on his mud bog.

Shoes

Shoes provide a source of entertainment, security, and fun for Murphy. He like's them -- they are stinky, they move in unpredictable ways, they are very chewy. They often indicate something exciting is going to happen. Best of all, when he grabs a shoe and runs off with it, he is often chased by one of us!

This is the face of an expectant puppy. Bike shoes mean biking!


I wish I had a picture of my favorite pair of sandals that Murphy chewed to death. That was one of his biggest accomplishments.

Instead, here are Jeff and Murphy, after playing so hard. Jeff enjoys sleeping on a comfy pad and pillow -- Murphy enjoys sleeping on Jeff's stinky shoes.

Toys

Toys! Murphy has lots of them (because Jeff is a softy).

Murphy plays pretty hard, and the only time we can get photos of him with his toys is when he falls asleep with them. Here is is with his seal, his ball, his woobie (red thing with a squeaker), his sock filled with newspaper tied to a string (one of his favorites), and his FJ Cruiser. Whew.




Same situation, different angle. The FJ Cruiser is remote-controlled and basically just scared the heck out of him. He liked chewing on the antenna, though. But only when it wasn't moving.





Here he fell asleep with just his ball. He likes to sleep on his back with his legs sticking up in the air.





Murphy's no snob! He enjoys sticks, stinky socks, and pine cones just as much as his fancy toys. Maybe more...





But he really does prefer his giraffe. It's squishy, it rattles, and it squeaks in funny ways. It used to have a longer tail, until last night Murphy finally got it off. Giraffe's front hoof came off, revealing his fluffy white innards. Jeff performed surgery and fixed him.




And, of course, Murphy's very favorite toy is his friend Reno. Here they are playing tug-o-war with one of Murphy's toys. Reno likes to play with Murphy's toys, but he tends to destroy them. Murphy doesn't care -- he just chews on Reno more.





Sigh.... life is good.

Murphy Mountain Biking at Lake Folsom

Murphy went for a trail ride the other day at Lake Folsom. It had just rained so the conditions were perfect. Murphy loved it.

Murphy and I went down to the lake one afternoon to relax a bit and watch the sky change colors as the sun went down. He likes the rocks. Here we are looking across Lake Tahoe to the East Shore, not much wind.















Notice the doodie bags stuffed into my belt, it's a new look for me as a new dog owner. I think it is stylish? Murphy drank the empty in my back pocket.......I don't think I've ever seen the lake so calm. Murphy is more interested in the rock, like I said, he like rocks.

Murphy's Good Buddy

Murphy and Reno are good buddies. Murphy bites him all day long, and Reno patiently suffers it.

Reno isn't allowed in the kitchen -- but Murphy is. In fact, that's where his food and water are kept. Reno likes to sit with just his front feet on the kitchen floor. That way he thinks he's not in the kitchen



Reno and Murphy went to the park down the street. This is Murphy chewing on Reno's leash. Poor Reno.



After playing hard, they crash out.



They need a lot of sleep.