Murry

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Update 12/29/11:

There is always a sobering sense of loss when a foster dog succumbs to an untreatable health issue. Murry’s passing brings an extra measure of sadness. His family had worked with him for such a long time, slowly building his trust and confidence in humans, filling gaps in his training, and helping him to overcome shortcomings in his early socialization. Godspeed, precious Murry, and sending deepest gratitude to his foster family for the unwavering love and care given Murry.

Update 10/20/11:

At times the best news on a long-term Springer is that there is really nothing new to share. With immeasurable patience, a family continues to gently ready their foster dog for adoption. There are no setbacks or new issues. Nothing is needed to achieve precious progress but more time for love and stability to work its magic. Young Murry finds himself in just this situation after a good summer with his family. Wishing them all the very best of this fall season together.

Update 07/08/11:

Mr. Murry continues to do well in his foster home. He’s a happy boy and benefits from the incredible patience that his foster family lavishes on him. 

Somewhere in his early life, Murry missed out on basic socialization. Fortunately, with well-tempered dogs such as Murry, this is not an insurmountable problem but it does take time to work through. Often, progress is best made when a youngster like Murry has the chance to live simply, and be loved, as part of a savvy and gentle family. Fosters like Murry need steady guidance and confidence-building opportunities, without undue pressure or a timeline to adhere to. 

Murry continues to have this chance and to grow at his own pace – one of the blessings that can come with being a MAESSR foster dog. More on this boy to come.

Update 04/11/11:

Mr. Murry continues to work on improving his good house manners. His foster mom reports that he still blows into water bowls and the auto-water jug. This is just his excitement getting the best of him, and since it’s just water, his foster mom has to laugh.

With springtime unfolding, Murry’s puppy-like enthusiasm has taken hold. Sometimes he forgets to eat and take potty breaks because running and playing in the yard is so much fun! He will now travel to the back of the yard all by himself – good boy! Murry’s spring fever also tempted him to wrangle his way onto a ledge to retrieve some Milkbones while his mom was busy taking care of his latest water bowl adventure! He sure loves those Milkbones -they make his tail wag like crazy!

After getting himself all muddy recently, Murry had to face the dreaded bath. He stood in the tub looking so sad but took it like a good boy. While he didn’t enjoy it, the bath was tolerated, although the shampooing was more acceptable than the rinse off to Murry. He held still because he wanted to drink the water to avoid getting splashed by it!

Murry still shows no interest in toys, but he seems to thrive on treats and praise as rewards. His training will certainly continue by using this reward system! While he’s busy preparing for life in his forever home, keep posted for the continuing adventures of Murry!

Update 01/24/11:

Murry has been making strides in his foster home. His foster mom is working hard on confidence building and gentle approaches to things. 

He is all young dog in his love of activity. He is working on being calm when his foster mom pours water into the water bowls, food in his food bowl, and hands him treats.

A few other things Murry has been up to:

Working on potty commands in the yard to help with road trips.

Learning where to look for his foster mom around the house for a hide-and-seek game,

Playing more gently with other dogs instead of boxing with his feet,

Getting more attention from men, even sitting close by at times!

Murry seems still bothered by tossed toys and won’t even touch a non-moving toy. His foster mom is working on a touch-reward pattern with toys for now. He absolutely loves tennis balls. He carried two to his foster mom from the toy box the other day. She never laughed so hard, as he looked at her with a tilted head, two balls in his mouth – it looked so funny!

Soon this cute fellow will be looking for a forever home – if you’re looking for a doubles partner, he just might be your match!

Update 11/23/10:

Fall is Murry’s time of year! This little speed demon thinks that leaves make a great bank around the running track he has created in his foster mom’s backyard. Speaking of running, running is Murry’s thing. He loves, loves, loves to run! He runs FULL OUT when he gets outside and runs FULL IN to take a needed water break. 

The change to Standard Time also suits Murry. Early morning light means opportunity. He ALMOST caught the resident jack rabbit in his backyard – maybe tomorrow! With his activity level so high, Murry’s foster mom has begun to give him a little more food to help this lean boy bulk up a bit.

Murry is learning to honor his foster mom’s requests to stay behind a doggie gate, which works out fine as long as she is on the same side! Recently she left him to eat his dinner behind a gate while she went to do the dishes. She soon found Murry right next to her as he managed to jump or climb over the gate to be near her. He’s definitely a dog who loves being with his people.

His foster mom’s shopping mistake was Murry’s gain. Quite by accident, the LARGE Milk Bones were picked up at the store. Oh joy! Murry loves them so much that he flips them up in the air; he then settles down for a nice chew.

Recently, Murry has been introduced to toys. If he touches a toy, he receives a yummy reward. Sometimes his focus is too much on the food and he forgets that the sequence is TOY, FOOD (not FOOD, FOOD, FOOD). His foster mom believes that he is a very smart boy who will catch onto this soon.

A yard for running. Rabbits to chase. LARGE Milkbones. Add some loving humans and lots of hugs – this is Murry’s recipe for happiness!

Update 10/15/10:

Mr. Murry is settling into a nice routine at his foster home. He is gaining more access to the house, following his foster mom around and helping her feed the other dogs.

The fall’s cooler weather is a relief to Murry, and he has found that along with the fall comes a wonderful bonus – leaves! Murry enjoys rolling around in the leaves in his backyard. While leaves are fun, gumballs are not! After picking up a gumball in his mouth, Murry mentally checked that experience off as been there, done that, and never again!

Off leash, this little speedster loves to run outside full tilt, and his foster mom says it is wonderful to watch such joyfulness. On walks, Murry still tends to pull on the leash initially, but the longer he walks, the better he gets at slowing down the pace.

Lots of outside fun leads to an occasional bath which Murry would love to avoid! With his head on his foster mom, his sad eyes plead for her to be done soon!

Murry just loves soft toys! Running or walking, he’s happy to carry one in his mouth.

Working on his commands is ongoing for Murry. He is more than willing to sit if bribed with a treat, but even the enticement of a treat hasn’t coaxed a stay out of this on-the-go boy (yet)!

Stay tuned to the continuing adventures of Murry as he works hard on being ready for his very own family!

Update 09/01/10:

The latest update from Murry’s foster home is full of good news. Murry is gaining weight and gaining confidence. He is still working hard to learn sit and down and coming when called. He now can be called from another room to his foster mom! Here are some other happy notes about Murry:

He loves walks with people.

He loves to run in the backyard, especially with a stuffed toy in his mouth.

He is very eager to be petted and, in his eagerness, he has front feet that tend to be airborne, so the resident cats have learned to move before they get stepped on.

He does love his meals.

He has enjoyed the cooler weather.

Murry has made significant progress towards becoming a well-mannered gentleman and will be looking for his forever home soon.

Update 07/14/10:

This youngster has moved recently to a 2nd foster home, one where he can get lots and lots of one-on-one time with his family. As before, he’s settled well. With this move, Murry can begin work on some things he’s missed out on earlier. Here’s his latest news:

Murry is everything a young dog is………curious about EVERYTHING. What ever his foster mom is in, he wants to be in too. He smells and gets his feet and mouth into the act; that’s just Murry’s way of figuring things out. He has been one to carry toys or shoes to the backyard for fun. He also got his head into the food container to eat some of 40 pounds of food, just to confirm it was like the food in his food bowl that’s got to bring a smile to anyone watching!

He has a real joy of running. Murry so far has done some freezing and pointing at rabbits and geese in his yard. And, both times, with a few reminders, he did not go over the fence to follow them……..priceless.

Things his family is working with him on:

He is learning to honor baby gates.
He is learning to be brushed and that it is a FUN thing.
He is working on walking on a LOOSE leash.
He is learning to sit and stand with “four on the floor, please.”
He is learning to come when called.

Murry knows go to crate.Other words he has added to his vocabulary are: Outside, Good Boy!, What a funny boy!, Leash time!, Off!, Feet!, and the one all springers learn early on – COOKIES!

He loves attention and food, so his training is coming along. More to come on this special boy!

Original:

Meet Murry, a leggy, healthy and handsome field-bred male from Kentucky. Murry came into MAESSR’s care by a circuitous route: he was picked up as a stray by a rural shelter and pulled from the shelter by Lab Rescue a day before being put down. From there, Murry went to another foster group that brought his medical care up to date before shipping him north to MAESSR, whose foster families could give him the care and training this young guy needs.

It’s painfully clear from Murry’s behavior that he has been starving for both food and affection. His ribs can be felt easily under his beautiful liver and white coat and he becomes a wiggling, joyous fellow at the very sight of a food bowl. Even after gobbling a full bowl, he still is eager for more and is quick to stick his head in to any refrigerator door or kitchen cupboard that is left opened. Food on a counter also seems like an open invitation to self-serve. Murry’s interest in food, however, is a positive thing because it provides him with a definite incentive to learn proper house manners. After a week, Murry is well on his way to learning off and to sit for a treat. His foster family can eat at the table without Murry trying to join them as the uninvited guest. 

Murry has an incredibly sweet disposition and craves attention as much as food. Initially, he would leap up or tug on clothing to be petted. This behavior also decreased substantially over the course of his first week as a house pet because it earned him nothing but an off and a cold shoulder. When he sits properly, his foster family happily scratches his neck and head and he gently noses for more.

Because he’s never been a loved pet until now, Murry has an enormous amount to learn. A little less than 2 years old, he’s basically a very large puppy that needs to learn house rules as well as the joys of toys, treats, walks, and grooming. He hasn’t quite grasped the difference between a tennis shoe and a rubber chew toy, yet – a definite incentive for his foster family to put their shoes away! Murry dances at the sight of a leash, but pulls like a tractor. Being bathed is a new experience for him and his initial response is to cringe while in the bathtub. On the plus side, he’s crate trained and settles down immediately at night. He rides well in a car and loves to play with other dogs. Due to his high energy level, Murry probably would do best in a home without small children or cats. He’s also very birdy, so a home without any feathered pets also is advised. 

Any joggers looking for a running companion should keep an eye on Murry’s progress towards adoption readiness. He may just be the Kentucky gentleman for you.