Tag: Bull Terrier Rescue Mission

TBT^16: Big News: TPP is Going to the Dogs

The Portly Politico2 Comments

About four years ago this week I got Murphy, my chunky bull terrier.  She was eight at the time, and is twelve now.

Quite a bit has happened in the intervening years, but good old Murph has always been there.  And now she’s getting a mom in Dr. Fiancée and a canine sister (about whom she is probably less enthusiastic).

The life expectancy for bull terriers is between eleven and thirteen years, but Murphy seems to be doing well.  She spends her days relaxing and enjoying treats, and she still baffles me with her love of sunning herself in 100-degree weather.  Murphy is enjoying her golden years in relative luxury and comfort—at least, the meager kinds of luxury and comfort I can provide her.

With that, here is 11 July 2024’s “TBT^4: Big News: TPP is Going to the Dogs“:

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TBT^4: Happy Birthday, Murphy!

The Portly Politico4 Comments

My old bull terrier, Murphy, turned a whopping twelve-years old this past Sunday.  The average life expectancy for bull terriers is between eleven and thirteen years, but Murphy shows few signs of slowing down.  Granted, she’s always been pretty slow, but she still gets the zoomies before bed and loves her rawhides (now she eats “rawhide-free” pork chomps, which are safer and better for her stomach).

Murphy has relaxed more as she’s gotten older, but she gets anxious around other dogs.  I’m going to inquire about putting her on canine Prozac—Dr. Fiancée assures me it exists for dogs, and that Murphy would benefit from it—just so she can relax a bit more when she’s in unfamiliar environments.  Like most modern Americans, and especially American women, Murphy may soon be taking an SSRI.

Regardless, Murphy is relaxed when it’s us hanging out.  She spends more time sleeping now than she used to, and enjoys sticking to the bedroom, especially since I tossed the rug in the den (she doesn’t like the wood flooring on her nails and paws).  But she is still a sweet, albeit sassy, old girl, and I love her dearly.

With that, here is “TBT^2: Happy Birthday, Murphy!“:

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TBT^4: Big News: TPP is Going to the Dogs

The Portly Politico28 Comments

Roughly three years ago I adopted by dog, Murphy.  She is a bull terrier—think of Spuds MacKenzie or the Target dog, Bullseye—and is now eleven-years old.

Murphy is still much the same as she has always been.  She’s a bit slower now than she was when I first got her, but if she sees a squirrel or a bird or a cat, she can really hoof it.

These days, she spends most of the time lounging next to me when I’m home, or lounging out in the sun.  During our recent trip to see my older brother in Indianapolis, she took great pleasure in his small backyard, which had plenty of sunny spots for her to enjoy.

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She also really enjoyed his couch.

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She is a good, sweet, stubborn old girl, and I’m very thankful for her.  She’s my chocolate chunklet.

With that, here is “TBT^2: Big News: TPP is Going to the Dogs“:

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TBT^2: Happy Birthday, Murphy!

The Portly Politico19 Comments

This past Saturday my sassy old bull terrier, Murphy, celebrated her eleventh birthday (humorously enough, she and my recent ex-girlfriend share the same birthday).

The old girl is doing well enough.  I adopted Murphy when had just turned eight, and I can tell she is slowing down as the years progress.  She still has a bout of the “zoomies” in the evenings before bedtime, but that usually wears her out.  Mostly, she spends her days lounging like a diva and begging for scraps from me, her all-too-manipulable owner.  As I write this post, she’s relaxing on the floor near me, and I can tell she is considering whether or not she wants to get up and go out—which, when she hears the clackety-clacking of my keyboard, she usually wants to do!

According to the American Kennel Club, the life expectancy for a bull terrier is between twelve and thirteen years, though I have known of bull terriers that live longer (interestingly enough, the miniature bull terrier has a similar life expectancy).  Other than slowing down a bit, I don’t think Murphy is going anywhere anytime soon, but she is nearing the end of the breed’s average life expectancy.

Here’s hoping the old girl has at least a few more birthdays in her.  She’s a good, albeit sassy, dog, and I’m thankful to have this chubby, stinky old diva in my life.

With that, here is 15 June 2023’s “TBT: Happy Birthday, Murphy!”

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Paw Patrol

The Portly Politico4 Comments

Longtime readers will recall that I adopted my chunky dog, Murphy, through The Bull Terrier Rescue Mission, a group dedicated to finding home for members of this comical, stubborn, oft-misunderstood breed.  They do really remarkable work through a system of volunteers, and really go to great lengths to get these dogs to their new homes.

On Thursday, 14 December 2023, I received a message from the executive director checking in on Murphy.  I hear from him about once or twice a year, so didn’t think much of it.  He then asked if I’d be able to help transport a dog to Eastover, North Carolina, on Saturday, 16 December 2023, as part of the pup’s journey north.  After making sure my schedule was clear, I agreed to lend a hand.

The dog’s name was Mavis, and her ultimate destination was a family in the New Jersey/New York area.  I was the second leg of her journey.  A couple from around Savannah, Georgia, drove a considerable distance and handed her off to me at a Krispy Kreme in Florence, South Carolina (a decidedly sweet and delicious place to pick up a sweet puppy).  My task was then to drive her to Fox’s Pizza Den (naturally, I loved this route) in Eastover, North Carolina, where a young man would continue Mavis along her freedom ride.

I’ve never done this kind of canine transport before, but I was thankful for the opportunity, and that God opened up the door for me to be part of Mavis’s journey home.  Saturday, 16 December 2023 was literally my last free Saturday of the calendar year, so it worked out perfectly.

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TBT^2: Big News: TPP is Going to the Dogs

The Portly Politico8 Comments

It’s hard to believe, but I got my old dog, Murphy, about two years ago.  She was eight at the time, and now is ten.

She’s a stubborn old girl, but I love her.  She is a chunky lady, and enjoys spending her time gnawing on a rawhide and hanging out with me.

Murphy’s recent bloodwork shows that she is in good health, although she and I both need to lose a few pounds.  Otherwise, she is my sweet chocolate chunklet (as I call her), and she’s been a good first dog.

With that, here is 21 July 2022’s “TBT: Big News: TPP is Going to the Dogs“:

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TBT: Big News: TPP is Going to the Dogs

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One year ago today was the eve of my picking up Murphy, my now-nine-year-old female bull terrier.  I had no—well, little—idea of what to expect, but rereading this post, I can see how excited I was.

Murphy has turned out to be the perfect dog for me.  She is house-trained and loving, and pretty much likes to eat and take long naps.  Naturally, we’re a perfect fit for each other.

She is also stubborn—a trait of the breed—and likes to do things her way, but she knows who the boss is, even if the boss is a bit of a sucker and a softy.

It’s been a good year with my old girl, and I’m praying for many more.

With that, here is 21 July 2021’s “Big News: TPP is Going to the Dogs“:

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Happy Birthday, Murphy!

The Portly Politico8 Comments

Today my dog Murphy turns nine-years old.  According to the records I have from The Bull Terrier Rescue Mission, she was born 15 June 2013, which is a pretty easy date to remember.

Last summer I suddenly, inexplicably went a bit dog crazy.  I was not looking for a bull terrier at all, but stumbled upon one on at Petfinder.  I spoke with a representative from BTRM, and we realized that that particular dog would not be a good fit for me due to his advanced age and delicate health issues.

She put my information into their database and said it might be a few months before a dog came available in my area.  One week later, while moving a then-girlfriend to Athens, Georgia, I got a call from BTRM asking me to foster an older girl who was good with children and other dogs.

About ten days later, I had Murphy.

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Bull Terrier Tuesday: Balody Bull Terrier Build

The Portly Politico6 Comments

Regular readers know of my boyish love for LEGO sets of any kind, and that I’ve been building more and more of them over the past year.  Those same readers will know of my dog, Murphy, an eight-year old female bull terrier that I adopted last summer from The Bull Terrier Rescue Mission.

Apparently, there exists a bull terrier building set from Balody, an Asian (probably Chinese) company that makes a LEGO knock-off, with a twist:  the pieces are extremely tiny.  Indeed, they’re called “micro building blocks” on Amazon.

That’s where the inscrutable East gets that much more inscrutable:  on Amazon, the company selling this set is called “Larcele.”  I can only assume it’s a classy French rebranding to make the toy sound more European (LEGO is Danish).  There’s also a site called mylozblocks.com that sells the sets.

I can’t find anything about Balody or Larcele online, other than the latter’s Amazon page.  If any toy enthusiasts are reading this blog and can weight in, I’d appreciate it.  Granted, I spent a grand total of maybe seven minutes searching the web, so who knows what I missed.

Regardless, a new lady friend gifted me this Balody/Larcelle bull terrier set for Easter, an incredibly thoughtful gift.  It was also incredibly difficult to build, despite the box boasting a difficulty level of three out of five blocks (whatever that means).

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Bull Terrier Tuesday: It’s Official!

The Portly Politico16 Comments

Well, it’s finally happened:  pending some signatures and initials from folks at The Bull Terrier Rescue Mission (at the time of this writing; they will likely be immortalized in digital ink by the time you read these words), I have officially adopted Murphy.

It’s been quite an adventure since I picked her up at the Sam’s Club in Goldsboro, North Carolina on 22 July 2021.  Since then, she’s been all over the I-20 Corridor in South Carolina, and all the way to Athens, Georgia.  She’s spent a great deal of time sleeping on couches—those on which she is allowed, and those from which she is forbidden—and she seems to win fans wherever she goes.

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