Good dog, Murray! This 10 year old American Pitbull Terrier and American Staffordshire Terrier mix is all smiles as he lives the good life in Glens Falls after being rescued from a tough life in Texas. His mom, Emily Murphy, shares more about the chance meeting that brought them together, his affinity for Thomas’ English Muffins, and some local dog friendly favorites…
On Meeting Murray
I actually met Murray at the Charles R. Wood Theater where I work! I had been Executive Director for about 3 weeks, was 24 years old and still in grad school and thought I already had enough life changes happening, what was one more? It was funny, I was in my office with the door closed when I heard a knock on the door and had to finish up a call before I could answer. When I came out, it was just this little guy standing there with no human.
After a second, I saw the human around the corner — Bridget Dunigan, who was the Managing Director at Adirondack Theatre Festival at the time. She was looking to drop something off for me and he was there with her. I just assumed he was her dog, but it didn’t stop me from obsessing over him. Our Box Office Manager at the time, Dan Cowan, told Bridget in an e-mail that I hadn’t stopped talking about her dog and to please bring him by anytime.
A week or so later, they came back and I started asking questions about him. Come to find out, Bridget was fostering him through a rescue called Rescue Dogs Rock in New York City. He ended up in New York after he was rescued in Texas, having sadly been used for dog fighting then dumped before he was brought to the Callaghan Road Animal Hospital in San Antonio where they saved his life and got him stable for transport. All that mattered to me in that moment was that she had said ‘foster’ and that meant he was available to be adopted. I immediately texted my mother that I had found ‘the one’ and made plans to have a trial sleepover that weekend and a playdate with some dog friends in the family to see how he would acclimate. Everything went perfectly and he moved in a few days later on April 29, 2017.
He was unfortunately heartworm positive when he was rescued, but the folks at For Pet’s Sake Veterinary Center took incredible care of him and continue to to this day. Otherwise, he was ready to love and be loved and I am so glad he knocked on my door that day!
On Murray’s World
Now that he’s gotten a little older (being a rescue, we’ll never be sure of his age, but we think he was about 3 when I adopted him 7 years ago, so about 10 now) he definitely has acquired the personality of a grumpy old man. We always say, “it’s Murray’s world and we’re just living in it!”. He likes to nap when he wants, where he wants and does not like to risk getting his velvet ears wet in the rain or snow. He loves his Grandma (my mother, who still hasn’t forgiven me for getting her hopes up about a human ‘the one’) and they love to curl up and watch a Hallmark movie when I’m working long days at the theater.
He also goes to ‘camp’ with Adirondack Sniffari twice a week where he gets to go on adventures with Camp Counselors Caitlin and Tom and he learns so many new things. He does go solo as he can get a little overwhelmed by other dogs because of his history, but he has no problem being the center of attention. He loves all humans and will protect them from the neighborhood squirrels by chasing them around the backyard until he tires himself out, then you’re on your own while he’s napping.
Murray with his mom, Emily Murphy
On Social Media Fame
Murray has gone semi-viral a few times on various platforms. The first time, because he inexplicably became obsessed with Thomas’ English Muffins - that brand only. Truly, I conducted an experiment with control muffins and a hidden GoPro in the kitchen and he would only take out Thomas’ English Muffins and just carry the package to his bed and hold them when home alone. Not even eat them, just kind of sit with them. I entered him into their #1 English Muffin Fan contest and he won! They sent us a huge box of toys, a personalized bandana, orange balls and even a 3D printed gold medal English Muffin.
He also went viral on TikTok after finding a nest of bunnies under the porch in the backyard. He nudged them all out onto the grass and cried until I came out, and they were so small I didn’t even know what they were. He was so worried about them as if they were his babies and I was worried that he would hurt them in some way, even accidentally. But, he just sat by them and watched over them. Right away, we had North Country Wild Care come and re-nest them and we covered them so he couldn’t get to them but their Mom still could. Still, he would just sit and watch them until they eventually grew out of the nest and headed out on their own. Whenever a bunny comes across our yard, I like to think its one of his children or grandchildren coming back to say hi!
Sharing his stories got him a lot of attention across social media and landed him a spot as the family dog in the local film Forget-Me-Nots by Caitlin Stedman and Kayla Romanowski and he was even included as one of the rescue dogs in local author Elizabeth Macy’s book Lucky’s Adventures in Winter Wonderland. It always means so much to me to see bully breeds being celebrated in the media and shown for the happy, loyal and goofy dogs they are!
On Local Dog Friendly Favorites
As I said, Murray loves being the center of attention, so taking a walk around downtown is his favorite. Often, folks will ask to pet him and say hello and he loves getting pats and told how handsome he is. We love to walk over to the electrical box outside of St. Mary’s that his (and my!) dear friend Shelley Fairbanks painted - he is the big brown smiling mug on the side facing Warren Street! He loves to explore around Crandall Park and if the playground is empty, hop up on the slide to show ‘All Paws’ that he learned at camp!
We’re big fans of Davidson Brothers’ dog menu (he usually opts for the grilled chicken) and he’s been known to join me at any of the amazing restaurants with outdoor seating like Fenimore’s, farmacy and Raul’s! They always bring out a cold bowl of water with the cold margaritas at Raul’s, which we love!
On the Unconditional Love of a Dog
Being able to come home after a long day and having a little tail wagging when they see you regardless of what may have gone wrong that day is such a gift. Your dog doesn’t care if you messed up at work, got in an argument with a friend, had your shirt on backwards all day and no one told you - they’re just happy to see you. An unconditional love like that of a dog is so special and unlike any other connection we experience as humans. Plus, giving a dog (especially a rescue dog) a happy, safe and healthy home is such a rewarding feeling. I’m only 31, but being a part of bringing a dog from bait dog in dog fighting ring to an adored and celebrated superstar pitbull advocate may be one of the greatest things I’ll ever achieve.
Good dog, Murray! To read more in our Good Dog series, click here.
Would you like to nominate a pup to be featured in our Good Dog series (your pup maybe?!)? Email us at hello@glensfallsliving.com or send us a note here.
