A story of coming to America

Submitted by Michele Maynard

When I retired at the end of 2007, one of the things I wanted to do was get a dog.  I wasn't looking for any particular breed, I just figured I'd know it when I saw it...but it had to be a rescue.

It took longer than anticipated, searching the shelters and perusing Petfinder regularly, but finally there he was on Petfinder, a terrier mix.  When I saw him my heart melted, and I knew he was the one.  He was being fostered by the wonderful rescue group United Hope for Animals (www.hope4animals.org), which brings homeless dogs and cats up from Mexico and adopts them out.  Murphy (his new name) had been in the states for about a week when I brought him home.

He was only about 8 months old, but he had a rough puppyhood on the streets outside Tijuana.  He was severely underweight, and had giardia and a nasty respiratory infection, but with a lot of TLC and good veterinary care he was soon a happy, energetic boy.

He is the friendliest dog you could ever hope to meet, wanting to play with every person and dog he sees.  He has brought so much joy into the life of my husband Mark and me that it's hard to imagine how we ever got along without him.  He graduated obedience school with flying colors and is now enrolled in agility classes.   He loves going on walks around the neighborhood and visiting with all the neighbors. I'm looking forward to many happy years with my Murph!