Murphy was born on July 6, 1999 and we adopted him in May of 2001 from the Worcester County, MD Humane Society.  When we adopted him he had never lived in a house.  He came to us with a 2” hard, greasy shell of mats head to foot, ear infections, colitis and a heavy exposure to Lyme disease.  But he was eager to please and quick to learn and he soon became the most beautiful and loving dog we could ever hope for.

            Murphy was our first Sheepie and we loved all the things he did, like insisting on being a lap dog, misjudging his size and falling out of a chair that was too small for him, and his absolutely firm belief that we wanted him to sit in our laps when we drove, hence the new station wagon and grate.  He loved every person and every dog he ever met, and he thought everything we came up with was a great idea (except for the nightly brushing).  We called him the goodwill ambassador to the whole neighborhood.  He had his own friends, both canine and human, really, a fan club, who carried treats on their walks to give him when they would meet.  He was an unofficial therapy dog in the assisted living residence where Carol’s mother lived, and wasn’t content until he had gently greeted everyone.  He traveled a great deal with us and was always a model houseguest.  All he asked out of life was to be close to us and lay his head in our lap each evening.

            And that is how he ended his life on June 4, 2011, close to us, with his head in Fritz’s lap.  He will always be loved and missed by Fritz, Carol and daughter Joanna (in the picture).  But we take comfort in the fact that there are more Sheepies out there for us to love.