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Favorite Foods

Oh dear. What do you think we should do? Should we tell him?

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So New Guy, what kinds of foods do you like? Ooh...my name is Murphy by the way....I LOVE chicken. And Tofu. tofu is the best.

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There is another food I remember from Before. I've smelled it when we're around other humans, but mom hasn't let me have any. I really loved it. What was it called? Pizza, I think.

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Do you think if I am a really good boy that she would let me have it again? ??

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Um, yeah. Sure. Yup, just keep being a good boy, and maybe mom will let you have pizza. Maybe we'll all get pizza.

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Poor little Murphy – as if life hadn’t handed him enough challenges – suffered such extreme malnutrition when he was trapped in the hoarders’ house that he now has heart damage. When I took him for his first vet visit and handed over the paperwork from the rescue, the vet asked where the rest of it was. What? This is what they gave me. The vet said that Murphy’s heart damage was pretty severe and that the rescue had to have known. She was upset that they withheld the information and let me adopt a sick dog without realizing it. I would have still adopted him, but at least I would have known more about what sort of future he might have and what his medical costs might be.

On top of heart disease, Murphy also has high blood pressure. (“How do they know he has high blood pressure?” you may ask. Turns out the answer is “itty bitty blood pressure cuff”.) He’s not on blood pressure medication, but I do have to make sure he doesn’t eat foods with salt. Sadly that means no pizza for Murphy. I can tell he’s had it in the past and really, really, really wants more, but I can’t let him have it. Instead he gets dried beets with his dinner which is supposed to help with blood pressure. I wish I could do even more for my little guy. It brings me so much joy to watch him smile and get the zoomies……but then he coughs.

The same company that makes Life Gold that I gave Geordie for his cancer also makes a supplement to help pets with heart issues. I started Murphy on that, but I can’t tell if it has made a difference. We don’t have a follow-up visit with the vet until late summer, so it will be a while before we get feedback

Please? Please may I have some pizza? I’ve been such a good boy.

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Oil painting of Westie puppy.

For more information on having a portrait of your beloved pet done, please visit the Pet Portrait page at my site, L Bowman Studios. There you will find suggestions on choosing source photos and guidelines for pricing.

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Murphy’s Tale Grows Longer

So how do you feel about those people at that place you used to live?

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Do you want me to bite them? Because I'll bite them! Slow your roll there Fighting Irish.

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Actually, I have mixed feelings about those people. At first I just wanted our rescuers to open out cages and turn their backs for five minutes. If anything were left, they could bury the pieces at their leisure.

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Then I found out that hoarding is a neurological problem, not a psychological one. It is more closely related to Parkinson's than OCD. You wouldn't blame someone with Parkinson's for shaking. It's not their fault. It's the disease.

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That being said, even though there is supposed to be a trial for animal abuse and cruelty, if those people are still on the outside, chances are they are still hoarding animals. They can't help themselves.

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Will you have to testify at the trial? Not exactly. The agency took photos of all of us at the house and later after we'd been cleaned and fed. They will be offered into evidence.

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So, while I understand that these people have an illness, I still hope they are put in jail. I think that is the only way they will stop hurting animals,

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I try not to think about those days. I prefer thinking about food!

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Floral Gift Bag in pastel colors
Celebrate Earth Day every day when you use this Floral Reusable Fabric Gift Bag/Tote Bag!

Reusable Fabric Gift Bag is handmade of a lovely floral and butterfly print fabric.  The handles are constructed using a coordinating shade of lavender.  The design consists of soft pink panes with yellow and lavender flowers twining among them with their lovely green leaves.   The bag has cotton lining and flexible interfacing.  At least half a dozen paperback books can fit into this sized bag.  It is also great for small electronics or gardening tools.

This Reusable Fabric Gift Bag, and other fine gifts, can be found at my shop at L Bowman Studios.
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Murphy’s Tale

Hey New Guy, why are you so skinny? Are you sick or something? He's not really that skinny, it's just that next to you everyone seems small.

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Oof!

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I actually look much better now. The last family I lived with nearly starved me to death.

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What do you mean "last family"? How can you have more than one family? Not all dogs are lucky enough to live their whole lives in one home.

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What happened? Well, there were over a hundred of us in this house.....

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How is that even possible? Where did you sleep? Did you all pile on the Big Bed?

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No, most of us were put in kennels and forgotten. Some were chained outside in the bitter cold to freeze. Inside, our kennels were stacked from the floor to the ceiling. They couldn't reach most of us, so we had to sit in our own waste day after day as we starved.

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I was so homesick. I missed my mom and cried and cried until I ran out of tears.

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Just when most of us had given up hope, strangers with trucks and vans and cars came. They took our captors away, then started hauling the kennels out. They didn'tknow our names, so they called us by whatever number we were as they pulled us out.

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How could someone not like this guy? He's so sweet? I don't like this guy. He's too sweet.

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Am I too sweet?

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Cute, funny, stubborn....always the smartest one in the room.  If you have a Scottie dog, you can't help but love them.  Their shaggy black coats and bright sparkling eyes always bring a smile to your face.

This white cotton hankie has a handsome black Scottie dog painstakingly hand painted in one corner. Around the puppy's neck is a red ribbon tied in a festive bow.  He - or she - is ready to accompany you on all your adventures, tucked neatly away in a pocket or purse.

Perfect for cold season, allergy season, or for the Scottie dog lover in your life, these hand painted hankies send wishes for good health to whoever use them.

This Hand Painted Scottie Dog Handkerchief, and other fine gifts, are available from my shop at L Bowman Studios.
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Ringing In The New Year

So is that temporary or permanent? TBD.

Oh what fun it is to still/again have Bell’s Palsy! 

I talked to two doctors. The first thought that I may not have cleared the Lyme’s disease that originally caused the Bell’s Palsy and that I needed more antibiotics. The second thought that I already cleared Lyme’s but am having lingering neurological effects from it (and I could be this way forever.) My original doctor only gave me a two week supply of antibiotics whereas the usual treatment for neurological Lyme’s is three weeks. To make sure I don’t have bacteria lingering inside me they gave me another three week course of antibiotics. Yay. Now I get to have an upset stomach and a fuzzy head for the rest of January.

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No I’m not mocking you. Why?

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Dream Our World

In Dream Our World, go with Bitey and Toby on a journey to the Museum of the Imagination where they view the world of art from a canine perspective and enjoy a day of unsupervised fun!

Dream Our World and other fine gifts are available from my shop at L Bowman Studios.

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After Three Days – Frankenpuppy Pupdate

This was my little Stinky Monster waiting for food when we got home from the vet. All he wanted was something to eat, but I wasn’t supposed to give him anything for three hours.

They were three very long hours.

There is still some dried blood on his fur, but for only three days, I think he is healing nicely.

Toby was only supposed to go outside to go to the bathroom for two weeks, but he is having none of that. He is insisting on several walks a day.

I’m happy we had a sunny day so he could watch some “Dog TV”.

For the first two days, my boy was cranky, but now he seems to be feeling better.* He has even been playing with his toys again. I am grateful for these good times and hope we work things out so we can have many more.

*Right after I wrote this, he attacked me again. Looks like we have a lot of work still in front of us.

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Dream Our World

Come see what Toby and Geordie like to do when they’re not recovering from surgery! Dream Our World is available from my shop at L Bowman Studios. Inside they view the world of art from a canine perspective and enjoy a day of unsupervised fun.

Dream Our World would make a great holiday gift!

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