Stroll Down Memory Lane

Yeppers...it's been me and my dog since I was a toddler.  The first pic is a terrier that I have no idea what his name was.  The second pic was when I was about 3, I think.  This was Duchess, the first dog we had that I can remember.  She was a GSD mix from the local humane society.  I was about 12 when she died.  Grandpa and Grandma didn't want me to come home to an empty house after school, so I came home to another humane society baby.   

This is Polly.  She was a terrier mix and a wonderful companion for many years.  I got to name her and she was the first dog that I ever took an obedience class with.  She would also let me dress her up and put her in a stroller.  And she considering her terrier roots, she never, ever left the yard.  After Polly died Grandpa said no more dogs.  He caved, of course, see next picture.

Grandpa finally gave in and said yes to another dog.  But he wanted a male this time around.  Probably thought he could balance out all the females that way. :-)  This was my first trip to the humane society to get a dog.  I walked in and fell in love with the first dog I saw.  It was a girl.  Grandma said we were getting the beagle mix boy.  I wanted to take them all and cried hysterically all the way out the door and home.  This dog is Charlie.  I named him too and he became one of the best dogs we ever had.  Charlie did have beagle in him.  His legs were shorter like a beagle but his body screamed labarador.  I believe grandpa said he was built like a brick shit house.  Thank Grandpa.  He diligently protected the neighborhood, the home, his people and especially me on our long walks.  During the latter part of Charlie's life I got a wild hair and we got a 2nd dog.  This was a first in our household and it took a while to bring everyone around to the thought of a 2nd dog. 

This is Sophie.  A Wire Fox Terrier, she was my first AKC registered dog.  Bought from a pet store.  Oh well, live and learn.  She was an expensive dog, having Leggs-Calves-Perthes disease requiring major surgery.  She was obedience trained and I was hoping to make an attempt at trials, but she was never completely solid in movement after her surgery--some days she was fine, some days she limped.  Eventually as she aged she became my grandma's dog, then my mom's and finally came home to be with me in her final years.  She ruled the house until the day she died at age 14.

 MURPHY.  This is the dog that changed my life in so many ways.  He was a humane society puppy of cocker spaniel and brittany mix that my boss had gotten and then realized the time commitment to a puppy was not his thing.  It was mine and Murphy and I became inseparable.  Murphy earned 17 titles in his lifetime thru UKC, MBDCA, NAFA (flyball), etc.  He did everything I ever asked of him.  He learned to fetch, do scent articles, track,  play flyball wlith a 3 year old handler, visit elderly patients at the nursing home, be patient and only bark a few times at me when we did agility and in general be my best friend for 14 years.  He was the first mixed breed dog to really show in obedience and agility in the area.  One gentleman would see him and always ask "How is the little miniature Golden doing today?"  He was a wonderful ambassador for mixed breed dogs and I regret that he isn't around to compete now in AKC.  He would have loved rally.  When he left me there was a huge hole even though I had other dogs at the time.  There will never be another Murphy and in some ways that makes me very sad.

Murphy, age 10 with some of his many awards.

For the last street on this memory walk, this is the only picture I have of the flyball team that Murphy ran on for several years called the Speedy Desperados.  We weren't speedy but we were a bit desperate. :-)  After all we were running with Murphy, Chip- hound mix, Zeke- terrier, Molly-bichon frise and Kazan-siberian husky.  This was a far cry from today's flyball teams that are heavy into the border collies.  We had fun that tournament long ago and that 4th place win was hard fought for!