ON 7/16/15 MURPHY BECAME OF WHAT WE CALL A PERMANENT FOSTER. HE HAS A HOME FOREVER AND AGA WILL PAY FOR ANY MEDICAL NEEDS HE HAS. HERE IS WHAT MURPHY HAS TO SAY; Remember I told you once I didn’t know what a home was? Well, now I do. I still remember when I lived in a bad place but every day it’s harder and harder to remember and I think that’s good. Everyone has taken such good care of me, especially my foster dad. Maybe I don’t always seem grateful but, in my heart, I am. He never makes me do things that scare me and little by little I’m feeling better bout being near him and taking the treats he brings me. It’s so, so hard but I’m trying. So many things I should have learned when I was a puppy just never happened. Catching up is hard when you are 9 because many, many years have passed and it’s like starting over on a long journey. My dad told me today that I am never going to have to go somewhere else and that I will always stay here and have my bed and my new friend who reads to me will come over and keep me company. I will always go to sleep and wake up where it feels safer than any place I have ever been. I don’t have much experience with the word, but I’m pretty sure that’s what you call “home”. Love you all-Murphy UPDATE 7/12: MURPHY is making progress slowly with his foster dad. He has started venturing out of his place into the kitchen. Last week Murphy had a very special visitor – Owen, a boy who asked for AGA donations for Murphy instead of gifts for his 9th birthday. He sat with Murphy and read him the entire AGA ‘Sparkles’ book as Murphy looked at him and listened very attentively. We hope Owen will go back to read with him again. Something happened to Murphy when he was with Owen. He seemed to really enjoy being with him. UPDATE: 3/26 Here is what’s happening with our Murphy. A team of AGA volunteers worked with him while his health issues were treated in boarding at the vet. We gave him a bed and he didn’t know what it was for until we left a trail of treats to it. He was so unsocialized and fearful he trembled and cowered for the first week anytime we came near. We did get him to the point where he would get up and come get food from our hands. We were able to get him a very caring and patient foster. Murphy is very slowly learning to trust him and what it is like to live in a home. We have an experienced volunteer dedicated to coaching him through what may seem like ‘baby steps’ to most, but is good progress in a case where the isolation and abuse left such an emotional void.If we are unable to rehab him to the point that he can be a regular dog who is enjoying life, we will consider rehoming him to the Delaware Valley Golden Retriever Rescue in PA who specialize in dogs like Murphy. BACKGROUND: MURPHY WAS ONE OF 60 DOGS TAKEN FROM A HOARDER IN TENNESEE. HE WAS THE ONLY GOLDEN RETRIEVER FOUND IN THE WORST ENVIRONMENT YOU CAN IMAGINE. I am still trying to understand all the changes in my life. I am about 9 years old and everything is so different from what I’ve always known. I thought all dogs lived in dirty, rusty cages with a lot of other dogs. Sometimes if you had to use the bathroom, afterwards you just had to lie down in it and pretend not to notice. I never had a bath and when I didn’t feel well I never had any medicine. I’m used to little dogs crying at night because they are cold and lonesome and sad. I’m used to someone coming once in a while to bring us food. I think the person who kept us in that place thought he was helping us but it was a terrible way to live. Maybe he didn’t know any better – what other reason could there be? I thought I’d be there until I turned into an angel dog and I was wishing that would happen but one day some kind people came and took us away. I heard them say we were going to get “homes”. I don’t know what a “home” is but surely it is better than what I’ve been used to for all of my life. I have some problems from living that way. One of my back legs is weak and it hurts. It even got smaller than the other one because no one helped it get better and I never had exercise. I got my teeth fixed and my new doctor said I have something called buckshot in my body. That means someone shot me with a gun! I’ll have to have special exercises to see if my leg will get strong again and I really could use a lot of people’s help to help me pay for all that I need to be a healthy boy. I have my own Chiropractor who adjusts me and gives me cold laser therapy. AGA is needing this many dollars- $5,000. That’s a lot of numbers so I guess it’s a lot of money but if you could be one of my new friends and help then I’m keeping my paws crossed that we can get that much for my doctors. One day I will need a new home but in the meantime I feel safe and hope you will ask about me and we will let you know how I am doing. Thankfully, your friend, Murphy. P.S. I got my first bath. It felt so good and I got a grooming too. For the first time in my life, I feel handsome.