Luxury getaways to the ocean's edge
You know me – always up for an adventure. That’s why I was thrilled when I was able to convince Jerry and The Berry to check out D’Iberville Trail on a fun day trip. It was an easy walk with great vistas – what more could a four-legged ask for? Any guests staying with us – please ask if you’d like some recommendations for similar things to do near the cottages, and please also see our Things to Do section. Just doing my job as Manager of Guest Relations!
What can I say – I’m a ladies man! Now that summer’s here I have lots more guests to play with – I couldn’t be happier! I hope everyone had a great Canada Day Long Weekend!
If you follow our blog you know how much I love swimming in the ocean by the cottages. Thankfully, when I’m out in the water, everything goes swimmingly (pardon my pun). But I recently had a few scary moments that make you appreciate safety! I’ll let Lisa recount what happened, below:
“So today had a “little” adventure! To say the least, Murphy (being the water dog that he is) decided to go swimming. He decided at some point he would try to retrieve a lobster pot (do you have any idea how heavy they are!).
On a more serious note we noticed he was swimming but staying in the same spot, we went to have a look as he was fatiguing. He had the rope wrapped around his neck. Lucky we saw him or he would have drowned!
The rescue was carried out by Jerry (who can’t swim!) and Mike Crane. The rope was unwrapped and Murphy swam safely to shore. Tired as ole heck but he was fine.”
Talk about being grateful! I’ll deliver Jerry his slippers for the rest of the week. Big thanks to Mike, too.
I have an exciting new role – keeping my first cousins away from our chicken coop at The Doctor’s House. I sent word out to all the foxes (and would-be-foxes): “don’t FOWL with me.” We were told that our birds last year fell prey to foxes, weasels, hawks and eagles. Not on Murphy’s watch!
I have a keen eye and great sense of smell to help me in my duties. These eggs are for the kids that come to stay at The Doctor’s House – not for scoundrels who purport to call themselves four leggeds.
Jerry was so pleased when he went to get these eggs. He told me it was the first time he had done it. See that smile on his face – just like the kids will have on theirs when the fetch their own breakfast.
Jerry and The Berry have been so busy with the opening of The Doctor’s House, that they barely know if they’re coming or going. Lucky for Jerry, I always make I take him on at least one nice long walk a day – his body needs the exercise, and his brain needs the break!
Thankfully there’s no shortage of great walking trails around the Wonderful World of Whiteway. This one is one of my favorites – Crout’s Way (if you’re at the cottages, ask one of the two-leggeds and they can point you to it). The trail is a bit overgrown at points, but it’s a fun walk and ends at a really cool waterfall – perfect for picnics. And don’t think Goldens don’t appreciate a good view!
Pets still stay free at the cottages for the next little while, so I’m really hoping for a few friends to come join me – I’d love to show them some of the local trails! Boundless energy that he has, Jerry just can’t keep up with me, so at forks in the road I always have to wait for him to catch up. I love Jerry, but I’d love it even more to have a walking partner who could keep up with me!
Now that Jerry and The Berry are getting The Doctor’s House up and operational (for our June 1st open), I have a fun task – getting to know all the Newfoundland ponies (there’s three of ’em) that make the Inn and Spa home. Normally I have no problem with my fellow four-leggeds, but Newfoundland ponies are proud and different, and there was definitely an intense initiation period. I think I’m starting to win them over. Good thing, too – Bridie just joined the family, and Clifford George thinks she’s pregnant. I’m going to have to work hard to become the leader of this big pack!
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times – a four legged’s work is never done. Jerry, The Berry and their fantastic crew of Eric, Michael, Hubert, Leslie, Mike and Roy, think they’re busy – which they are, building us a new cafe and gift shop (!) and preparing The Doctor’s House for our fast approaching open date (!). But they forget – it’s so much harder to supervise! I have to many pies to keep my paws in – I barely have time to relax by the water anymore. Of course Jerry still gets my morning walk in, but I’ll sure be happy when these new projects are up and running, and I can go back to my usual role as Guest Relations Supervisor – that’s my favourite! Especially when people take advantage of pets staying free this Spring and bring me lots of friends!
St. John’s or the Wonderful World of Whiteway – what would you say? Here I am at my lavatory in olde St. John’s, small and enclosed with no privacy – hardly dignified. And here I am in the open country, running, hunting, retrieving and having a ball, with the biggest ‘loo a four-legged could ask for. 
It’s usually great when The Berry or Jerry say, “do you want to go for a ride?”- it usually means we’re going to a new trail to explore. But when I see them packing a bag and talking about Costco, banks, meetings and the like, woe is me. I know I am on a trip to boredom.
Of course in town I live in perpetual hope, like a gambler at the Lotto machine, that we’ll go to Bowering or Pippy Park, around the pond, up Signal Hill or along the East Coast Trail. But that rarely happens, as they are always in such a hurry – so I patiently wait for the scent of the open road back home. Please hurry!
Well, if you read Jerry’s Man Hands post last week then you know Jerry was busy with renovation work, and believe me – the dust was flying. And all the while I rested listening to Christmas music in front of the fire place downstairs – living the dog’s life. Those humans – have they got a lot to learn.
So I finally convinced Jerry to take a break and take The Berry for a walk in Bowering Park – very altruistic of me. It was supposed to be all about them, so I pretended I didn’t enjoy bounding through the trails, splashing in the Waterford River, and exploring where my previous humans used to take me. But I really couldn’t contain myself when I saw the ducks. I really wanted to catch some – must be genetic.
Ah! Bowering Park – it really is the jewel of St. John’s.
Well it is back to normal – if you remember, last week I graciously ceded my Tuesday blogging space to Jerry so he could share our win of the 2012 Canadian Blog Awards (not many non-humans are so celebrated – I am truly honoured!). And there’s been a bit of a ‘to-do’ with this new website design (make sure to update your ‘favourites’ if you’d saved our old blog address – this one is slightly different), including a contest to win a free stay at the cottages.
And now, without further ado, we return to your regularly scheduled Murphy blogging schedule ….
Well, the other night, my humans were acting decidedly inhuman – they thought I needed a bath. Jerry thought he’d entice me into the bathtub easily. I’m a good boy so I always obey, but I got in very reluctantly and the got right back out again very enthusiastically several times over.
So I had to hear Jerry to say “Good boy, Murphy” at least a 1000 times. Every time I pretended I was going to bolt, he would go into his chant. Music to my wet ears, you might say.
Don’t tell them, but it wasn’t too bad. I got massaged with Baby Shampoo (the kind that doesn’t sting the eyes), and I got the best petting by The Berry and Jerry I could ever hope for. I guess this bath stuff has its upside.
And look at me now – all clean, bright and shiny. Maybe I should trick my humans into taking me to see Devon tomorrow. I don’t want to waste these good looks!