Lazy Sunday CXLV: Murphy Vids, Part II

My fat dog Murphy is the gift that keeps on giving.  Well, actually, she’s a huge drain on my financial and temporal resources, but, hey, who can put a price tag on love?

But back to that gift giving comment.  Murphy does bring in the views to my YouTube channel, which—like most of my artistic endeavors—would probably be a massive flop if I didn’t have a cute, sassy, ornery dog to showcase to the content-hungry masses.

So, here are the three latest editions of Phone it in Friday featuring my lovable, stinky bull terrier, Murphy:

Happy Sunday—and Viewing!

—TPP

Other Lazy Sunday Installments:

Phone it in Friday LVIII: YouTube Roundup XIV: Bull Terrier Edition, Part VI

The Murphtent (Murphy content) on my humble YouTube channel has really helped the channel grow.  Unfortunately, I’ve been stalled at about 126 subs (at the time of writing) for about a couple of weeks.  Perhaps you, dear readers, can make some magic happen?  Wouldn’t it be glorious for yours portly to be monetizing his fat dog by the end of the year?  All it takes is 500 subs and 3000 (!!!) watch hours.  I’m sure some of you know 500 people with unlimited free time, hmmm?  I know for a fact that several of my readers have nothing but free time.  Get to watchin’!

In all seriousness, here is what to expect this week:  Murphy ensconced in pillowy comfort; Murphy sunbathing; and a special guest appearance by my dad’s dogs (and my unfortunate father) at a local graveyard—spooky!:

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Paw Patrol

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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Remarkable Animals

My local newspaper, the Darlington News & Press, ran an excellent column entitled “Until one has loved an animal” by Dr. Bill Holland, a Christian pastor and theologian.  His column runs regularly in the paper, and he always offers up some interesting insights into faith and biblical Truth.

Until one has loved an animal

The piece is about the remarkable humanness that animals can sometimes possess.  It’s easy for us to anthropomorphize animals’ behaviors, but anyone who has owned a dog knows that they share something with us that other animals lack.

Specifically, it’s about the remarkable spelling horse Beautiful Jim Key.

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

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: Happy Birthday, Murphy!

My sweet, bossy, chunky, lazy dog, Murphy, turns ten today!  She is a bull terrier, a notoriously stubborn yet loyal breed.  Here’s a picture of her from a few days ago:

Murphy 2023

I adopted Murphy in 2021 from the Bull Terrier Rescue Mission after her original owner turned her over to a North Carolina animal shelter.  What a terrible thing to be abandoned after eight years!

But his callous decision was Murph’s gain—I hope!—and mine.  We immediately took to each other, and while she loves many people, she’s always most excited when she sees me.

She is a good dog, and I consider myself fortunate to have her as my first.  Other than her innate orneriness, extreme stubbornness, and tireless neediness, she’s perfect.  Those might all sounds like criticisms, but they’re just part of what make her so special.

I love you, Murphy!

With that, here is 15 June 2022’s “Happy Birthday, Murphy!“:

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TBT: Big News: TPP is Going to the Dogs

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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TBT^2: Hungry Like the Wolf

Seeing as yesterday was my dog’s birthday, I figured I’d throw back to a piece that I seem to come back to each June, “Hungry Like the Wolf.” Tech magazine Gizmodo ran a piece some years ago that poses the question (in its title) “What Happens to Wolves When They’re Raised Like Dogs?

My thinking on dogs has done nearly a 180-degree turn—maybe a 150-degree turn?—over the past few years.  I’ve always liked dogs (so I was already thirty degrees in their favor), but I disliked dog people.  I still would not classify myself in that way, though I do serenade my dog, so maybe I’m just in denial.

Regardless, what chapped me was the way people would use dogs as surrogate children, or would invest huge amounts of their personal identity in their dog.  Again, perhaps I’m in denial, or blind to reality, but as much as I love my dog, I’d like to think I’m not pouring misdirected paternalism into her.

But dogs do provide wonderful companionship, and can be a great deal of fun.  Murphy does something comical or amusing just about every day.  And her adenoidal snoring and “talking” crack me up.  I actually sleep better when Murphy is snoring her brains out—she’s like a living white-noise machine.

Pretty crazy these chunky furballs used to be wolves, eh?

Here’s 24 June 2021’s “TBT: Hungry Like the Wolf“:

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Bull Terrier Tuesday: Balody Bull Terrier Build

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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Indianapolis Interim

As I noted Saturday, I was in Indianapolis, Indiana this weekend for my older brother’s wedding.  The last time I’d been to Indianapolis was twenty years ago, for a Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) Teen Talent competition.

This trip I did not get to see much of the city, as I arrived late in the afternoon Friday and flew back Sunday, and everything in between involved wedding events (and, of course, the wedding itself).

I’m notoriously bad about taking pictures, so I don’t have many of my own to share.  But the wedding was at Laurel Hall, which I’ve been describing to people as “a Gilded Age castle.”  It’s not properly a castle, but it’s certainly a mansion, and was constructed in 1916 as the residence of a wealthy family.  It served many functions, including as a children’s hospital, and a fraternity owns it now.

All that said, it was a very good trip, even if I had to fly to get there.

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