A Boy and His Dog

During my first bridal shower, my sister had everyone write something down on an "advice" card.  One of the advice givers said, "Don't forget Murphy - he still needs love too!"

At the time I thought, "Pshaw! How could we ever forget about Murphy!?!? He's our baby dog!"  I truly believed that we would easily and effortlessly be able to give equal amounts of loving attention to both our baby and our dog.

But now I get it.  I get why people say that your dog becomes "just a dog" after you have a baby.  I get why people are worried or cautious when they bring a baby home from the hospital for the first time.

Murphy was used to being "top dog." He has been the sole object of our affection for the past 6 years.  Then, all of a sudden there was this tiny little creature that needed way more attention than we ever thought possible.

 
We would lay EH on the floor for "tummy time" and Murphy thought that was play time.  He would paw at our hands to get us to pet him, or bring his alien toy to us to throw.  We tried to give him attention while helping him to understand that he could not treat the baby the same way that he treats us.  He seemed to understand this from the very beginning and he never did anything to hurt EH.  (In the picture above I assure you that he didn't scratch EH at all.)

Then there was the noise.  One of the first nights that we had EH home we forgot to put Murphy in his crate at bedtime, so he had the run of the house, and was in fact closed out of our bedroom where he usually sleeps.  When EH started crying in the middle of the night and the noise was amplified by the monitor in the living room, Murphy started barking at the monitor like a maniac.  I'm pretty sure he thought that someone was breaking in. It was hilarious in one of those I'm-so-exhausted-everything-is-funny sort of ways.

Murph's jealous of EH was obvious from the beginning.  He could not understand why we were laying out these soft fluffy blankets and pillows and telling him that he wasn't allowed to lay on them.  At some point we relaxed a little on the refusal to let Murphy touch EH's things, as we realized that we were not going to be able to shelter him from dog fur forever.  We draw the line at puppy kisses though.  At least for right now.

The truth is, Murphy is struggling to find his place in this new family, where he is no longer the only creature vying for our affection.  But he's finding his place.  He understands that EH is here to stay, and he's gradually showing some interest in him, usually in his oh-so-dog way of sniffing EH's butt.  Seriously.

He is drawn to all things that belong to EH - his boppy pillow, his burp cloths, his blankets - and it's almost as if he things that if he spends more time around EH's things then maybe we'll spend more time with him.  As life with a newborn becomes life with a three-month-old and things are finally starting to calm down, we are finding that we have more time to spend with Murphy and even though it's usually more stressful than it's worth, we've started taking him on our walks again.  (We stopped taking him for awhile because he's so mean when he sees other dogs that he was an embarrassment.)

One thing hasn't changed though, and that's that Murphy is still an amazingly good dog.  I'm so grateful that we never had to be worried about him accidentally doing something to EH - we were cautious, but never worried.  It's as if he sensed that this new little being was something that needed to be treated with care and caution, and even though he's definitely jealous, he's jealous in a mostly gentle, respectful way.

These first couple of months with EH were soooo hard, but I'm finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  I absolutely love and adore every single member of our little family of four, and I can't wait to see where we go from here.

Real Time Randomness

It's March 9th (yep, I'm writing this post in "real time") and I feel like I'm behind the times because of all of my back-posting.

1. Is it just me, or do we need to get this show on the road?  
I love that I wrote so many posts in my early days of pregnancy, but apparently I am wordier than I even knew.  If I don't start releasing these posts more frequently than one per day it's going to be August before we're up to date, and I'm getting impatient.  Be prepared in the near future for a temporary overload of posts until I get closer to real time posting.  I miss posting live!

But, I've also loved all of your comments, emails, facebook messages, and personal comments about how you're enjoying my posts.  Thanks so much for that!  I wasn't sure if people would be interested in things that I wrote months ago, but I sooooo appreciate the feedback - keep it coming! 

2. Am I am the luckiest girl or what?  Look at these cuties....

Murph doesn't usually like to cuddle at night.  Neither does DH. (Nor do I, for that matter!)  Usually, Murph crawls right into his crate and creates a little cave or nest with his blanket until we lock the door.  This night though, he wasn't feeling well, and wanted nothing more than to cuddle with daddy.  It melted my heart...

3. We call our unborn child Critter.
Not in a "pest" sort of way, but in a "aww... look at that cute little critter" sort of way.  It's weird and we know that, but for some reason, it's stuck and so Baby Hartman is also known as Critter.  I've refrained from calling him/her Critter on this site so far and probably will continue to do so, but in case there's anyone else out there who think that your pet names for your kids - born or unborn - are ridiculous, know that you're not alone. 

4. April 8th is the date for our ultrasound...
...where we'll find out whether Baby Hartman is a boy or a girl.  Yes, we are finding out.  And I can't believe how many people are shocked to hear that!  Why wouldn't we want to find out!!?!?!  I do NOT need to be surprised when I am pushing a human out of my body.  I would rather be surprised on April 8th so that I can plan accordingly. I like to have control and there's not much control in childbirth - I'm going to retain what little control I can.

The Snuggie

I have longed joked about getting Murphy a Snuggie.  DH would roll his eyes at me and firmly say, "No." 

But then one day when I was on the phone with my mom, she announced that she had purchased a Snuggie for Murphy on a whim, because it was on sale.  I told DH, and he gave the requisite eye roll, but he knew he lost that war - the Snuggie was already purchased and I did my part by not being the one to buy it!

So imagine my surprise when we both agreed that the Snuggie was pretty darn cute.  Murph seemed to love it, or - at the very least - didn't hate it, which is basically love in dog speak, right?  The day we receive it in the mail he wore it the entire evening.

First he played with his alien toy in it.  Then he curled up in in the towels that we keep next to the door for drying him off.  We're pretty sure he thinks we just set up make-shift beds for him near every door.

Then he jumped up onto our bed to sleep, proving that the Snuggie does not hinder his jumping ability at all.

Later than night, as we were getting ready for bed, we noticed that he had already crawled into his crate with his Snuggie on.  He was all curled up and ready to go to sleep and even though I tried to coax him out for a minute or two so that I could remove the Snuggie, he had no interest in moving.

I guess I can't really blame him.  I mean, I'm always freezing in this house, and that poor dog doesn't even get to layer on the clothes like I do!  He was probably thrilled at opportunity to get to wear a blanket around the house.  In fact, the next morning I was running late from work and didn't remember to take it off of him then either, so he spent the entire next day with it on.  It didn't come off until that evening, when it was raining and he came in from outside completely soaked.  The cool thing? I took off the Snuggie and didn't even need to dry him off - his fur was totally dry.  Awesome.

So, whether his daddy likes it or not (and I think he does), Murphy is a Snuggie doggie.

The View From Here

It's currently 18 degrees outside.  That's pretty frigid if you ask me.  Frigid enough that when Murphy comes in from outside, he's usually limping on at least one of his four paws, since the pads on his feet freeze.

And yet it's also sunny out.  Blue skies and bright sun streaming in through the window.

It's deceptively nice, enough so that Murphy keeps asking to go outside even though it's oh-so-cold.  Around his third or fourth time outside this morning we found this:

 Can you see him up there???

Yep.  He's laying in the snow.

Lounging in the sun as if it's the middle of June.  Apparently if you're laying down, your feet don't freeze as easily.

Actually that's not true.  When he came in three minutes later he was definitely only walking on three paws.

Dogs.....

A week at Nana's house

Murphy spent the week with my parents while we were traveling around, and they brought him to Pittsburgh on the 30th, the same day that we returned.  It wasn't until the afternoon on January 2nd that he finally showed any signs of life.   Prior to that, he was literally just a lump on the couch. 

We were actually worried that he might be sick or that something else might be wrong with him after two full days of total laziness, but all seems to be fine now.  I guess I should look on the bright side - last time he spent a week at Nana's house (well, actually it was two weeks that time), he hated us when he had to come back home because life was so good for him there.   That time it took almost a solid week for us to feel like we had our old dog back.

One final quick note regarding Murphy and Nana's house.  In the winter, DH and I make doggy booties with sandwich baggies and rubber bands, because Murphy's paws freeze in the snow.  My mom decided to buy him actually doggy booties that she found at PetCo.  Unfortunately, whoever designed these booties clearly never owned a dog - they were NOT designed to be anything even remotely similar to a dog's foot.  We still made him try them on, but they only resulted in these ridiculous and sort of sad pictures.

Do those things look like they're going to fit a dog's foot?

No.  No, they do not.

Note to self: Go into the doggy booty business - there is clearly a market.

Not exactly best friends

The weekend after Pitt's Homecoming, we had more house guests including one canine.  You may recall a few months ago when Murphy first met Winston.  They got along well enough (which is all relative when you're talking about Murphy) that we dared say they might even be friends.

Come on guys! Try to be friends!

Well, after this latest meet-up I think it's safe to say that they're not exactly best of friends.

Maybe if we do this you'll become friends!

I know it's not fair to compare another dog with your own, because the other dog will never win, but it's hard to avoid making a comparison.  Murphy is so calm; Winston has crazy puppy energy.  Murphy listens like an angel; Winston could care less what you're saying, even if he hears you.  Murphy never bites; I think Winston bit at me at least 10 times that weekend.

Maybe because we made him wear this pumpkin costume

Murphy is used to being the alpha dog, and most other dogs - including Dillon the pit bull - have accepted that without much fuss.  Only once has Murphy ever given up the alpha dog role, and that was to his friend Sydney.   In each of these scenarios the dogs determine rather quickly which dog is going to be the boss, and which is going to be the boss-dogs wing man (er.. wing dog.)  But for some reason that balance of power did not play out with these two dogs, which resulted in one of the most vicious fights I have even seen Murphy be a part of over a rawhide that Winston was trying to steal.  He's a dog, he's going to steal rawhides.  I get that.  But he fought back so viciously and Murphy stood his ground so firmly that I had to jump in, and for one of the first times ever I was really worried that one of them was going to get hurt. 

Having another dog in the house - one that I don't love nearly as much as I love my own - is hard, because while I consider myself to be a dog lover at heart and want to love all dogs, the truth is that most other dogs just aren't that great in my eyes.   I'm guessing that Winston's owner, a friend of ours from college, will be sad to hear that I don't love Winston, but hopefully that's ok - I can't love all dogs, and it's natural to favor your own pet.  In fact, I'm sure that Winston's owners love him just as much as we love Murphy, and that's why I truly believe that there's a dog out there for everyone.

We watched Winston for an entire afternoon and evening while they attended a wedding and reception and it was one of the most stressful and taxing evenings I've had in a long time.  It was like putting two mortal enemies together in a room and trying to keep them from killing each other.  We took them on a walk hoping that it would wear them out and put them to sleep and while Winston did get tired (he only walks on three legs so he wore out pretty quickly) he wasn't actually sleepy once we got back.  Murph on the other hand was ready to veg out on the couch but Winston kept barking and running up to him.  Dave laid on the couch and I took the loveseat and we just laid there trying to keep the dogs calm, but Winston barked and whined the entire time.  It was excruciating.  I don't feel comfortable disciplining a dog that's not mine.  So we didn't really do anything.

 The little tripod

I talk a lot about how I want another dog, maybe even more.  It's true - I feel like I have the room in my heart to love a second dog just as much as I love Murphy, but every time I actually have a second dog in my house, I immediately realize that it might be a bad idea.

First of all, Murphy doesn't love other dogs, but he absolutely loves us, and I would hate for him to be miserable for the rest of his life simply because I thought it would be cute to give him a "brother."  Secondly, I realized recently that I don't think I could love a second dog as much as I love Murphy.  I think he would always be top dog in my heart, and would that really be fair to the other dog?  DH feels the same way, and doesn't think that he will ever love another dog as much as he loves Murph (and he means EVER, as in "we should never get a dog after Murphy because he will never be as good and we will never love him as much.")

"Maybe if I stand up here, he won't be able to reach me"

I want another dog, someday.  But not while we have Murphy.  He is the perfect dog for us and he deserves the undivided attention that comes from being the only permanent canine in the house.  Visiting canine guests are always welcome, but I think I'm finally at the point where I've realized that Murphy doesn't want - and will probably never have - canine friends.  That's a big thing for me to say - I'm giving up my dream of ever having two dogs.  But he's worth it. 

We love you Murphy bug! (Most costume-tolerant dog ever.)

Happy Halloween!

Halloween is definitely not my favorite holiday.  I'm not really into dressing up, and would rather just go to a fall-themed party sans costume.  But I get that a lot of people are into Halloween, and if you are one of those people I hope you had an amazing holiday! 

We don't get trick or treaters at our house.  It's too remote and not easily accessible, so Halloween could easily come and go without us noticing if it wasn't for going to Oakland on Friday night where there ridiculous numbers of college students in even more ridiculous costumes.

But I'm not totally anti-Halloween.  In fact, dressing Murph up in one of his many costumes is one of my favorite things in general.

A pumpkin, in honor of Halloween

In his "patch"

I'm ok with being one of "those people" who dress their dogs up in costumes and treat them like humans.  I wouldn't have it any other way.

Super Dog - his favorite costume

I'm not sure that there will ever be a day when dressing Murphy up in costumes doesn't make me smile - I'm fairly certain it will always be funny.

And now I can't believe that it's already November!  Where did 2010 go, seriously?

Random Updates

1. My tooth still hurts.
On Wednesday night I woke up at 1 a.m. because of throbbing pain.  I tried to fall back asleep but after half an hour I realized that this was the kind of pain that could keep me awake all night.  I got out of bed, took a Vicodin, and did actually fall asleep.
On top of that, I have had headaches pretty much all this week.  I am blaming the tooth problems and the stress that the pain has been causing me.

And yet I still feel convinced that not doing anything is better right now than going back and having more work done on the tooth.  I may not be sane. 

2. Murph turned 7!!!
In all of my selfish agony, we missed Murphy's birthday! He turned 7 on October 19th (our made up birthday for him, although we think we're pretty close, at least on the month.)  Since we forgot to celebrate on the 19th, we gave him yummy people food the next night and put a candle in his dog dish.  He definitely did not appreciate that but it was funny to watch nonetheless.

So instead, we decided to wrap him in a blanket, because he likes to be warm, and because our house feels like the Arctic circle inside. 

Happy Burthday Murphday!

Does YOUR dog do this?

Every time Murph gets a bath he goes absolutely crazy, running around like a mad dog and rubbing his face on the carpet or a towel.

I realize that every dog in the world probably does this, but I just think it is the funniest thing in the world, every single time. 

Does your dog go crazy after bath time?

Two dogs

I have always wanted two dogs.  I think that dogs are social creatures and that having a companion can be a great thing for dogs.  I continue to tease DH on a regular basis about us getting a second dog (or 3, 4 or 5 dogs for that matter,) to which he is really resistant.  

This summer has been particularly trying for Murphy.  We've known for awhile that he isn't particularly fond of other dogs.  But I still romanticized the idea of having a second dog - a small one, for sure - that Murphy would instantly fall in love with, be best friends with, and we wouldn't have to worry about leaving them alone for so long during the days because they would keep each other company.

But lately I've been thinking that I'm not cut out to have two dogs.  The truth is, Murphy enjoys being the only dog and I realized that I may not have the patience for two animals in my house.  I realized this because  DH's brother has been here all summer, and for a large chunk of it, his dog has been here too.

Meet Dillon

He looks cute and innocent enough, right?  And really, he is a sweet and loving dog deep down.  He's as nice as you could ask for and good with other dogs.

But he's big.  And strong, and still in his puppy phase.  If you're holding a toy (or even something that just resembles a toy) Dillon will jump up on your chest and literally knock the wind out of you.  When he steps on my foot, I scream because his enormous toenails dig into my foot.  When Dillon runs, it scares the shit out of Murphy and he usually ends up barking and jumping at Dillon.  Dillon is only 2 or 3 years old, and still has a lot of puppy habits in him. When Murphy starts squeaking a toy, Dillon is immediately all ears, and wants to get that toy.  Murphy then feels threatened and proceeds to lunge at Dillon's throat. (Thank goodness Murphy is smaller than Dillon, and that Dillon doesn't fight back.)  I panic whenever Dillon starts running into the house, because I'm fairly certain that all hell is going to break loose and that something is going to be damaged or someone will get hurt.  Dillon has stepped on Murphy many times and Murphy yelps in pain.  I know that most of the time Dillon doesn't mean it, but that doesn't mean that I don't get frustrated by him on a regular basis.  It's like a mini civil war in my living room, each and every day.

They look cute enough together, but the truth is, they're brats.  At meal times they are interested in nothing more than the other dog's food.  You'd think they could just trade and everyone would be happy, right?  But no.  Murphy desperately wants Dillon's food, but if Dillon so much as goes near Murphy's bowl, he gets a lunge at the throat.  And Murphy taunts Dillon by leaving between three and five tiny little biscuits behind in his bowl.  Dillon drinks Murphy's water bowl dry, just to piss him off and then runs at him when Murph goes to get a drink at Dillon's bowl.  When I get home from work they're both so excited to see me that Dillon inevitably steps on Murphy, causing a high pitched, sad squeal and subsequently, a lunge at the throat.

And here's a great story... see that picture above?  DH's brother was playing with Dillon and his only toy (a rubber bone that doesn't squeak and isn't particularly fun, but it's the only thing that Dillon hasn't destroyed yet.)  Murphy watched for awhile, and then decided that he didn't like that Dillon was getting all of the attention, so he climbed into the space between Brother's legs, throwing his head back and just waiting for the petting that was sure to come.  Do you see that look that he's giving Dillon?  Pure hatred, if you ask me.

I feel bad for both of them.  Murphy hates having his territory invaded, and getting yelled at by us when he defends it. Dillon is in a strange country, just trying to stay out of trouble and only barely succeeding.  All he wants is for everyone to love him and play with him.  Which is really all that Murphy wants too... it's just that they both want it all for themselves.

I have a love/hate relationship with Dillon.  Sometimes he gives me these adorable looks that just melt my heart, and when he's sleeping he looks so innocent that my feelings towards him soften.  But then he nips my hand while playing, or start charging down the hallway, and I know that if he was my dog, I'd have to make a hard decision about whether or not to keep him.   This summer has made me realize - more than ever - that I could never get a second dog.  First, I'm fairly certain that Murphy would hate me forever and probably never talk to me again.  (Yes, I personify my dog.)  But secondly, I'm not sure that I could give the "other" dog the same love and attention that I give Murphy - I think I'll always be on Murphy's side.  You can't know for sure that dogs are going to get together, even if they're friends at first glance, and I can't take the chance that Murphy might be changed forever.

Yesterday was Dillon's last day in Pittsburgh, and now DH and I are making efforts at getting back to our normal life... our normal life with ONE dog.  There were rare moments of peace and total cuteness, which makes me think that maybe we COULD have two dogs after all. But then Dillon would pounce, Murphy would lunge for his throat, and I'd be reminded that maybe having one dog isn't such a bad thing after all.....

I think my dog is depressed

Yesterday morning I brought Murphy back to Pittsburgh, after his two week vacation living with my parents.

This photo was taken on Sunday night, before he realized that I would be ripping him away from his wonderful new life with my parents - that's why he still looks happy

So yeah, I think Murphy is pissed at me.  Or rather, depressed that he's back to his old life after two full weeks of glorious attention.

You see, Murphy is alone a lot at our house.  DH and I both work, and so Murph stays home.  We try to take him on walks in the evenings, but it definitely doesn't happen every day....

And then he went and stayed with my mom.  Who lets him sit on her lap for the entire 2 and a half hour car ride home. My mom, who takes him for walks every single day - one in the morning and one in the evening. My mom who generally only works in the mornings, so she's also around a lot more and so he wasn't alone for hours upon hours each day like he is with us.  Now that I'm processing all of this on paper (or.. err... electronic paper???) frankly, I can't blame him for being mad that I brought him back here, especially since - to make matters worse - there's a pit bull living in his house right now.

Even when I went to pick him up, he wasn't very excited to see me.  He was down the street and I started walking towards and he just wagged his tail a little... he didn't even try to come and see me! It wasn't until I got closer to him that he started walking my way, but even then, he seemed tentative.  It's enough to break a doggy mommy's heart.

What can you do for a dog who is depressed?  We're trying to give him lots of love and attention, but it's back to the grind of daily work so he's still alone a lot.  He doesn't want to eat his food, even when we put cheese and cereal and pizza and anything else we can think of in his bowl.  We even took him for a walk last night and I hope to take him for another today, but something tells me that it's going to be awhile before Murphy as we used to know him will be back to normal.

Missing Murph

This past Monday was a very sad day for me.  In preparation for our upcoming vacation, our little pooch Murphy went on his own vacation - two full weeks with his nana and papa.

He's already been gone for three days.  The afternoon right after he left, I kept forgetting that he was gone.  When I went onto our back porch I made sure to quickly shut the door so that he wouldn't get out.  I kept seeing a white bean-bag game in our yard out of the corner of my eye and thought it was my little white dog.  When I open a box of cereal or bag of chips, I waited for him to come running - he almost always gets a little cereal treat.  And last night when I was cutting watermelon and dropped a piece on the floor, I instinctively yelled, "Murph!"

"Oooh..."

Now, don't go thinking that I'm super sad, and walking around in a haze of sadness and depression.  I'm actually appreciating not having to run straight home to let him outside.  Last night we went out for wings right after work (unheard of for me!) and THEN on top of that, I went SHOPPING afterward!!! Seriously!?!? I didn't get home until after 8:30 p.m.  It was nice.  I didn't feel guilty about not being home and got a lot of good things done.

But I've also come to appreciate how much value Murph adds to my life.  He is a bundle of love every day when I get home from work.  I love how every morning when DH opens our bedroom door to say goodbye, Murph jumps right onto the bed and starts licking my face.  I love how he's always willing to cuddle no matter where I'm sitting and how whenever I hurt myself (like stub my toe or something stupid) he comes running into the room to check on me, like "what's wrong mommy!??!?"  I love the way he constantly flips the couch pillows onto the floor so that he can snuggle up against the firmer (and I guess better?) arm rests.  He's just so darn cute.

Pets can be a huge burden sometimes - they cost a lot to feed and medicate, they poop in your yard, and they can't be left alone for long periods of time.  And I can totally understand why someone might not want a pet based on those reasons.  But for me, once you have one, you can never go back.  They are always a listening ear (and they never interrupt you or talk back), they unequivocally love you, and even when they're bad it only takes a moment to look into their sweet eyes and forgive them.

Hi, my name is Lisa, and I am a dog owner for life.

We miss you Murph, but we know that you're having a great time with nana and papa! See you in a week and a half!

Definitely NOT Murphy's best friend

Believe it or not, two dog interactions for Murphy (Winston and Dillon) was not enough for one weekend.  We also had to go and meet Kaylee, DH's aunt's new puppy.

Kaylee is definitely a "puppy" puppy.  Meaning, she's got tons of energy, isn't super well trained yet, and has paws that she still needs to grow into.  I think it's safe to say that Murphy does not like puppies.  He definitely did not like Kaylee.

She looks cute and innocent, right? 

But OH MY, the energy.  It's one of the reasons that I'm thankful that Murph was already two years old when we got him.  He was well past the puppy phase.   Puppy energy cannot be described in any other way.

Watching from a distance...

Murph does NOT like surprises, or quick movements, or anything that might catch him off guard. If one of those things happens, he growls and lunges for the throat or whatever other body part he can connect his teeth with.  Fortunately, he's only about 17 pounds and has always been smaller than the dogs he was attacking, so for the most part, the owners of the other dogs don't hate us too much when our dog acts like a total jerk to theirs.

But remember that Kaylee is a puppy, and probably hasn't ever been attacked before.  So after a lunge from Murph and a nip on the back of the leg, Kaylee cried like her leg had been completely bitten off.  She literally yelped for at least 30 seconds (which is a long time when you're listening to piercing yelping.)  DH hauled Murphy away, and henceforth was known as Osama bin Murphdog.  We put him in Guantanamo Car for the duration of the visit, which he was not very happy about.

I checked Kaylee's leg, and all appeared to be well.  Within another 30 seconds, I'm pretty sure she forgot about it, but I still felt bad.

Even this guy...

... didn't get along with Kaylee as well as we had thought he would.  Dillon usually gets along with most dogs, but Kaylee's energy seemed to make him think that they were fighting, and he was getting a little crazy as well.

So, that visit was cut short, but I'm glad that we got to meet the new puppy.  If nothing else, it reaffirmed for me that if we ever get another dog (many years from now, after Murphy is gone *sniff*), I definitely do NOT want a new puppy.  I don't think I have the patience and a small, young adult dog is just as good as a puppy in my book.

Murphy's New Best Friend

Last weekend we went to Delaware to see DH's mom's new house.  A friend of ours came down from Philadelphia to visit, and with him he brought a creature that was soon to be Murphy's new best friend.

His name... is Winston.

Of course, Murphy doesn't give up his friendship without a fight, and initially tried to attack and kill Winston.  I restrained him, suffered some fairly significant scratches on my stomach, but before long, they were doing this.

Pretty much ignoring each other, really.... since, well, that's how Murph rolls.  He's an old man compared to the new young pup.

We went on a walk....

And even a little run!

If you look closely you'll notice that none of Winston's feet are touching the ground!

They even started walking closer together!

And I continued to take pictures....

When we finally got back to the house, there was a third dog to add to the mix.  Dillon quickly jumped into the mix to create this debacle.

And all of the daddies held up their little ones for a father/son photo shoot.

I may or may not be guilty of having said "treat" in order to get the dogs to look at the camera.  Too bad Winston doesn't know the treat word yet....

At the end of the day, I think it's safe to say that Winston was Murphy's new best friend (sorry, Sydney).  They're about the same size, and even though Winston is still a puppy, he was remarkably calm and didn't do anything to make Murphy mad.  But I also think it's safe to say that Murphy would most prefer to keep his friends at a distance.... like in the photo below. 

A 3 bed dog

Before we even got Murphy, Dave gave me a dog bed as a Valentine's gift, as a placeholder for the dog that we would soon get.  Murph still has that bed, and he sleeps in it every week day when I Dave and I are at work.  Then, last year my mom gave me the L.L.Bean bed that her dog used to sleep on - he had long ago decided that he preferred sleeping in a plastic under-the-bed box lined with an afghan.  Then we bought Murphy the crate, and the L.L.Bean bed was a perfect fit.  The crate in the living room was like Murphy's bedroom - it was his own little space in the living room where he could be comfortable but still be near us.

But as you know, we recently we moved the crate into our bedroom.  It's too big to move back and forth every day, and we're apparently too lazy to bother to move the bed out of the bathroom and into the living room on any regular basis.  Murph, who hasn't really complained, started spending more time sleeping underneath the bed in the spare bedroom - away from us.  That's not really a big deal, except that when he's under the bed he actually sleeps, which means crazy dog a few hours later when we're ready to go to bed.  At least when he was laying in the living room, he would watch us and get up anytime we moved.  That meant less crazy dog at nighttime.

So yesterday we bought Murphy another - yes, his third bed.  He's got one in the bedroom, one in the bathroom, and one in the living room.

The good news? He loves it!! He's already started going to it whenever Dave and I are in the living room or dining room.  We put his little bed pillow in it so that it would smell more like him, and the best news of all?  It's the exact same color as our living room furniture!

It's probably hard to tell from this picture, but it's a dark blue-ish gray - is that a Crayola color?

Is it a little obnoxious to have 3 beds for our dog? Absolutely.  But we wouldn't have it any other way!