Ode to a Loyal Friend

June 16 1997 - July 17, 2006
Goodbye, dear Murphy.

I received the sad news today that my black dachshund Murphy passed away from heartworm. She was sick for some time now but finally, her little heart just gave up.

Here's my little eulogy.

I first laid eyes on Murphy as she peered up from her cardboard box somewhere in Quezon City. My husband (then boyfriend of 4 years) wanted to give me a special Xmas present and I was going to choose one from a litter of three puppies. Her real name is actually Alanis (siblings: Aramina and Armageddon) which I changed immediately. I had already chosen the name Murphy because I was expected to buy a brown dashshund, hence the full name Murphy Brown. But instead, we ended up with a scrawny black one. She looked at us with soulful eyes and well, we scrapped the name idea and brought her home.

That first night with Murphy at home was terrible. I consider it my first taste of parenthood. She bawled all night, peed everywhere and wouldn't leave my side. But as Murphy grew up, she inarguably became the alpha female of the house. Barely 12 inches tall and 20 incles long, she could stand up to any dog or person that came her way. She could outwit her dog trainer Joseph any day of the week, fleeing for the highground when she heard him at the gate. She had a great distaste for any man without a shirt on, therfore making us forewarn any gardeners or carpenters who might be tempted to strip. To our dismay, she bit not one, not two, but three men who happened to come too close to our gate unaware.

Murphy was fiercely loyal and extremely territorial. I joked that she was part lion cuz she moved the grace of a cat, and had the unneediness of one too. At the end of the day, she'd casually come over to your lap for a quick stroke and when she had her fill, would be content to sit on your feet while you watched TV. Perhaps a little identity crisis?

I can't recall how many puppies Murphy produced with her husband Malcolm but I do remember that she was a good mom, practically nursing them til she became reed thin. And she was always protective, guarding them from harm, as much as she protected us and the household. When we eventually sold her puppies, she prodded them off into the 'real world' without a backward glance and (so I imagined), mourned their loss privately.

She was also a real warfreak, getting into fights with our other dog Polka. She and Polka had a love triangle over the white part-Dalmation-part-Labrador Apollo. When they were in heat, they'd fight to the death for their true love. I remember being 7 months pregnant with my son, carrying a bloodied Murphy to the veterinarian. That's the way she was, very passionate about everything.

And I can't forget the time we were driving her and Malcolm to the vet for the immunization shots. Both dogs were secured and tied in the back of the pickup truck. We grew alarmed, when we noticed that Malcolm was barking over the edge of the truck frantically. Upon looking at the rearview mirror, we discover that poor Murphy had jumped off the truck and was running along side the vehicle on her tiny legs. It's a miracle she didn't die having been dragged by the leash for almost a kilometer! But she was determined to run alongside as fast as her 6 inch legs would take her. It was the most horrific, yet most hilarious moment of our life as pet-owners.

Yeah, Murphy was a good dog. I'll miss her a lot.