Murphy was rescued from the Valparaiso Humane Society on the last day before he was to be put down in May of 1999. While in GRRACE foster care it was discovered Murphy had Epilepsy when he began to suffer seizures. But fortunately for Murphy there was a family that took him in and gave him a forever home. Along with the Epilepsy Murphy also had hip problems. Murphy began to have seizures on a Saturday morning, that took heavy sedation to stop. It is believed he had been deprived of oxygen too long before he got to the Vet's office. For that reason as well as his deteriorating hips it was decided to let him go to ease his pain.
Following are the family's own words.
"He was such a special dog and such a cherished member of our family. GRRACE brought him to us and we considered ourselves lucky from the beginning that we had been found by such a loving animal. He had a hard time connecting with us at first - we figured he'd been on the streets for awhile - but love, trust, and lots of tennis balls won him over and we were his!!! I became his "human" over the past few months - despite his struggle with his hips he was beside me (or at least following behind me) everywhere I went - up and down the stairs, outside, on walks around the neighborhood . . . I will so miss him being underfoot. It's so hard to believe we had him less than 3 years."
"In time, we will look to GRRACE for our next Golden. For now, please know that another Golden has passed on . . . to a place where there are an infinite supply of tennis balls, numerous lakes for swimming, and an endless supply of sunshine to nap in."
Love, Bill, Lisa, Bryan, Anna, & Megan