Fun-loving Labradoodle needs ‘furever’ home

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This article was published 22/01/2019 (2742 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If Murray the Labradoodle could talk, he’d be the class clown.

With his goofy facial expressions, brown eyes, curly golden fur and lanky legs, the three-year-old Labrador retriever-poodle mix has plenty of personality and exuberant energy.

What he doesn’t have is a home.

Murray has been living at D’Arcy’s Animal Rescue Centre since April 2017. He’s a funny friend to CEO D’Arcy Johnston, his staff and volunteers who want nothing better than to help Murray find his “furever home.”

On this day at D’Arcy’s ARC, Murray climbed up on the couch for a belly rub from visitors and, overcome with joy at all the attention, he bounced around for a moment, rolled on his back and promptly slid right off the couch.

“He makes us laugh every day,” Johnston said. “He’s funny. He just loves to play, he’s got a goofy attitude and he’s fun-loving.”

One day, when Murray was playing with his bed, he got caught up in the game and ended up looking like Santa Claus. “He thought it was a toy and he was just throwing the stuffing around and into the air,” Johnston said. “When he looked at us, we just started laughing. He had stuffing on his head and coming out of the sides of his mouth.”

Johnston said Murray had homes twice before residing at the shelter. It turns out he needs a home with no children, no other pets and an owner who is up for the challenges and joys that come with a dog who’s had little training or leadership before he came to D’Arcy’s ARC.

That’s because Murray’s start in life was no joke.

Murray was only a puppy when he was purchased from a breeder as a means to help console his family after the death of a child. He was named after the doctor who had tried to save their child.

Soon, it became clear that Murray was not providing the therapy his family was seeking, and he served as a constant reminder of their tragic loss, said D’Arcy’s ARC volunteer Brenda Jones. “As a result, Murray spent long hours in a crate during his very essential developmental puppyhood and was not able to gain the skills and security he needed,” Jones said. “That’s a sad thing. He’d been in a kennel for a while and we want him to be in a home.”

He developed a behaviour called resource guarding — a common and correctable behaviour — where a dog will behave in a protective manner around resources such as food, treats or toys. Murray has made great progress while at D’Arcy’s ARC.

Jones said Murray is an intelligent dog who is “handsome and adorable” and “has great potential,” but needs to be adopted by someone who understands what he needs and is willing to work to help Murray be the best dog he can be.

“He’s very affectionate and his expressions are just ridiculous. When he is happy to see you, he bounces around like a bunny rabbit and he just fills you with joy,” Jones said, noting that Murray is neutered and all his vaccinations are up-to-date.

“We do a lot of the ‘trade’ with Murray. If he takes your mitt, you go and find something that’s way better than your mitt. Right away, he drops what he’s doing and he’s all excited and he comes over to you (to get the new thing).”

Murray gets along with other dogs, other than sharing resources, but being the only dog in his home would give him a chance to bond with humans.

Johnston said putting special restrictions on dogs makes it more difficult to find them a home, but it is important to match the dog with the right owner. Murray weighs about 110 pounds, so he also needs someone who is comfortable with a large dog.

“The perfect home for Murray would be somebody who is at home a lot, has free time, has knowledge of any breed of dog and has a fenced yard where he can just run and burn his energy off and wants to go for walks,” Johnston said. “Murray loves to go for walks.”

If you’re ready to live and laugh with Murray, please contact D’Arcy’s ARC at 204-888-2266 or through the website darcysarc.ca.

ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca