Murphy - with the luck of the Irish

We waited over a year after our first rescue, Sport, died before we started looking for the right Golden boy to take into our home. We visited several dogs and played foster home to one but we never found the right fit. A nice sounding dog was listed on the web, his name was "unknown". He had some potential, but nothing clicked. Then his foster mom, Pat Lynch, changed his name from "unknown" to "Murphy". Hum, "Murphy" was my maiden name, maybe this dog deserves a more thorough inspection. We were only looking when we went to Pat's house to meet Murphy, but just in case, I brought a special new leash and a tennis ball. You always want to be ready!

We met rescue agent Pat Lynch at the door and in a bit of excellent salesmanship she offered not one but two dogs from her troop of 8 Goldens. (Murphy on the right and Andy on the left) "You see, they are best of buddies and they play all the time. It would really be a shame to split them up." For the briefest of moments, we actually considered taking both, but a quick leash walk told us that at 2 years old Andy was much too young for our life style. A mature 8 years old, Murphy was much more the gentle laid back fellow we wanted.

Little did we know that Murphy was just on company manners. He is as young and lively as you can get. Don't let that gray face fool you! Every time our vet sees him, his age drops another year. First it was 8, then 7, then 6 years old. I requested something in writing for the AKC so I could get permission to show Murphy in obedience. The vet's confirming letter listed Murphy as 5 years old! I figure he'll be 4 years old the next visit.

We're so happy to have Murphy in our family. Except for an exceptional ability to steal food (you should have seen him after eating 6 Power Bars), he's perfect! We've started taking him to dog school and hope to show him in obedience. We'll keep you posted on his progress and promise a picture once he has earned his CD.

Thanks so much to Pat and Norcal Rescue.
Once again, you've proved that not all matches are made in heaven. Some are made in Northern California!