Three Dog Bakery San Clemente: The Story of Mac and Murphy- Three Dog Bakery San Clemente

Hi everyone! Here is an amazing and heartwarming true-life story of McGwire and Murphy. We were just so touched when we learned of their connection and we know you will be, too. It will make your day...
Our beloved dog, McGwire, who we nicknamed Mac, was diagnosed with plasma cell myeloma in really November 2009. The cancer originated in his bone marrow and after surgery to remove his spleen, followed by chemotherapy, he passed peacefully after two weeks from his initial diagnosis and just days before Thanksgiving. It was devastating to lose our best friend of 10 years.
We asked that Mac be cremated and dreaded that final trip to the vet hospital to pick up his ashes, however, we had no idea what was waiting for us, when we got to the vet's office. As we visited with the staff, talking about how difficult the past week had been without Mac, the receptionist told us the vest had rescued a puppy a few days before.
The 5 month old Pit Bull puppy had been living in a small crate, outside on a patio. The puppy had been noticed by a neighbor who mentioned to her friend, who happened to be the vet's receptionist that the puppy had rarely been out of the crate and didn't look healthy. They encouraged the owners to take the puppy to the vet but instead of seeking treatment, the puppy's owners asked the vet to euthanize the puppy. Sadly, they had been neglecting the puppy. He was severely emaciated and his organs were beginning to fail. He was only 14 pounds and you could see every bone in his body. He was very frail and had so little muscle tone that he walked flat footed on his carpal pads. He had no hair on his tail and his ears were paper thin because there was almost no circulation to them.
When we saw the puppy he didn't even look like a dog but despite everything he had been through, he was so sweet. He happily gave us puppy kisses, loved being held and was always wagging his tail. We felt a connection to the puppy but we weren't sure we were ready for a new dog yet. The vet wanted to keep him for a while to make sure he was healthy and gain some additional weight before finding him a home. While we waited for the puppy's prognosis, we decided that the house was just too lonely without a dog and we visited all the local shelters, searched the internet, and contacted numerous Pit Bull rescue groups. We were interested in several dogs but nothing worked out for one reason or another. We saw this as a sign that maybe the puppy was meant for us. In the meantime, we visited the little puppy daily and really bonded with him. Eventually he was showing signs of improvement, and we took him home, not really knowing if he would ever fully recover.
We named him Murphy, sticking to the Irish and "M" theme in honor of McGwire (aka Mac). Murphy gained weight quickly and all the hair grew back on his tail and ears. Within months, his front paws improved and after 6 months, he is very healthy, weighing 55 pounds. The similarities between Mac and Murphy go beyond just being male Pit Bulls. The white markings on Murphy's paws and chest are almost identical and he also has a white tip on his tail, just like Mac. The most unique similarity of all is that all of Mac's nails were white nails except for one black nail on his front left dew claw and coincidentally, Murphy has all white nails except for the same black nail on his front dew claw. Even the mannerisms between the two dogs are so similar that it is unbelievable at times.
Murphy has a tiny white spot of fur on the back of his neck and we like to refer to it as the spot where Mac's soul entered his body.
We had no reason to be at the vet office on that particular day except to pick up Mac's ashes and we truly believe that somehow Mac brought the puppy to us. He must have known how badly we were hurting without him. We often say that we needed that little puppy as much as he needed us. WE never thought we could love another dog the way we loved Mac but Murphy found a way into our heart. He helped us through our grief and allowed us to love again. We are all very lucky that fate intervened.
Carrie & Paul
San Clemente, CA
June 2009