Our boy Murph

Murphy, our beloved 8 year old border collie, is in today for surgery.  Just Monday we found a small lump near his neck.  The next day he was at our vet, who aspirated the growth and found, “suspicious cells”.

The next day to Hope Clinic where a secondary exam later confirmed though pathology that the small growth is cancerous.  So, today, he is having surgery to have the growth removed.  What happens beyond today is unknown.  All this is a span of five short days.

Like many of you out there, our dog is not just a dog.  He is a member of our family.  And anyone who knows me knows that he has a higher standing among us than most of the humans I know.  So today is a tough day.

Any of you who have met Murphy knows he has never met a ball he didn’t like.  Fetching and running is more important to him that eating it seems.  Second is the frisbee toss in the back yard.  He wakes us in the morning standing over one of us in bed with a small nudge of his paw if he doesn’t feel we have started our day (and his) on time.  He commiserates with his friends during daily morning, afternoon and evening walks.  Sydney, two blocks over is his favorite, although Murph refuses to admit she is his girlfriend.  There’s also Douglas, Sweetie, Kyra, Sasha and Penny just to name a few.

We have a small steel bottle on the shelf of a window near our front door.  Murph will nudge it a bit with his nose to alert us it is time to go out, in the event we are running five minutes late.

He expects his treats before bed.  His dinner is mixed with turkey that we cook before each meal.  Yes, we work for him, not the other way around.

We’re not totally pet obsessed.  We don’t dress Murph up on Halloween but we do celebrate his birthday on May 30th and he does get to wear a hat and eat a cupcake.  Okay, we are a little obsessed.  But we, like most pet owners, realize that our beloved companions come with an expiration date.  We won’t have them, or each other frankly, forever.

That makes the time we spend with them all the more special.  I can think of only two times in the past twenty years when I truly sobbed.  Those were the two days I brought my previous dogs, Stumpy and Buckets, in to be put down.  I can’t imagine that experience with Murph and I hope the day does not come.

People can hardly understand it when elderly pet owners make sure to provide in their will for their pet’s care, at some cost, actually.  Sometimes more so that the care of their own children.  If you have owned a pet, it is not all that difficult to understand, actually.

Yes, its true, our pets shed.  They chew.  They smell at times, and not in the way we want them to.  They pee and they poop, not always where they are supposed to.  They track in things.  They require care and that costs money.  But, in exchange for all of that, they bring us unconditional love.  They cannot extend their voice to us, barking aside.  So they do it in a number of other ways.  With a nudge, or a look, or a lick.

The cost for Murph’s procedure is staggering.  Money we did not have and had to, “acquire”.  But there was barely a moment’s pause that it was the right thing for us to do, whether we sacrifice dinners out, gifts, or even our yearly vacation.  Because he, like our cat, Sophie, provide us with something every day, all day.  Their presence.  Their charm.  Their friendship.  And they ask for so very little.

Have any of you seen, “Isle of Dogs” yet, the new film from Wes Anderson?  See it, and you’ll see what I mean.

I don’t have to remind pet owners to remember to treat their pets well.  If you own a pet you probably do because you already realize they give you so much more than you could ever give to them.

Wishing our Murphy a speedy recover.