Murphy's X-Mas Sammich

Throughout our walk I volunteered at dozens of shelters and those experiences deeply impacted me. Seems to me we're all displaced in life at one point or another; whether cast out or wandering about.

We look to our faith, family, and friends and even food for comfort when we're lost. Shelter dogs are in need of all of those especially this time of year.

As much as I'd love to rescue them all, I can't travel with more than two in my pack. But I can make sure they have a holiday meal.




A bit of history - Murphy celebrated his 8th birthday in Memphis where Mommy G threw him a party. Murphy's a passionate eater to say the least; if Maslow triangulated his heirarchy of needs it'd be food, poop, and snuggles. Food, of course, being at the top. We'd been on the road for over a year and I really wanted to do something special for him.

Make a Murphy Sammich came to mind, a tribute to his truly spectacular appetite. Thus history was made. People from all parts have their own version of a sandwich. Some start with the meat, some with the bread, spread, or stuffing. Being a Texas boy and in honor of Murphy's gluttony, my starting point was 'Big'.


The biggest commercially available bread for such a sammich (I'm no baker) is Boboli. Murphy's absolute favorite food in the universe is the Honest Kitchen and Lucy, the founder, has been feeding him since before we left Austin in March 2008.



The first layer of the sammich is of course THK, Murphy loves Embark best so re-hydrate a cup or two and spread it out on the bottom crust. This time I topped it with lean hamburger and turkey bacon (I was thinking of my brothers who go to a restaurant and order meat with a side of meat). Note - I use no oils to cook the meats - pancreatitis can kill.




I love the pic on the left - Murphy knows I'm making a sammich and he's gonna be damn certain it's all his. Uh, hello, what part of Murphy Sammich don't you understand? Trying to teach kids today the spirit of Christmas is never an easy thing.


Once the massively awesome meaty goodness layer goes down, it's time for cheese. Although the processed American cheese slices I used was an economic decision, I don't recommend you do the same. More and more I'm convinced processing food is fundamentally harmful but that's a thread for another time.

Boboli crust #2 on top, bake it at 350 for 15 minutes then decorate. Since this is the very first X-Mas Sammich I sprinkled the Cheez Whiz with red and green sugar granules and there you have it. We delivered it to the Larimer Humane Society yesterday and oh, boy were they excited. Coincidentally, Molly, their communications director lost a dog to cancer and her loss set her on a new path. I know all about that...


None of us thought we'd be here this Christmas. I was already planning our next great adventure when we walked the final mile into Boston. But you make the best of it and share the blessings you've been given.


Please, make a Murphy Sammich for your local shelter this holiday...

You Take the Runway, I'll Take the Table

Hudson, Murphy, and Luke were invited to this year’s Skybark, and Hudson and Murphy went in black (and red) tie. (Pictured are Murphy and Hudson with their tiny friend and escort for the evening, The Mighty Twiggy.)

What’s Skybark? Well, Skybark, which took place on Friday, February 12, 2010 at Hotel Pennsylvania, is the kick-off party for The Westminster Kennel Club’s 134th Annual Dog Show. Skybark’s inaugural event was March 25, 2006 in Los Angeles and was so successful that it spread to the east coast. What do they do at Skybark? “Dogs and owners mix it up socially with both old and new friends … sharing the common love of animals.”

This year’s Skybark was held at the Penn Top Ballroom at the Hotel Pennsylvania located at 401 7th Avenue, New York, NY, adjacent to Madison Square Garden. “There was live music by DJ Biden, drinks, dancing, delicious Hors d'oeuvres for both people and pets, and New York’s hottest doggy fashion show by Ada Nieves" (pictured above with the contagious smile).

Still, Skybark 2010 wasn’t all dernier cri and celebrity. This year, Skybark raised money for the North Shore Animal Rescue League. “North Shore Animal League America is the world’s largest no-kill animal rescue and adoption organization, each year saving the lives of approximately 20,000 pets. For 65 years, the Animal League has sustained its mission to rescue, nurture and adopt homeless animals.”

The Boys were all in attendance when Luke was awarded the prestigious Quality of Life Award. The three were to walk the runway together (pictured) to receive their award, but halfway down, Murphy had other plans (too many strobe lights, too much music and noise), and bailed, jumping off the runway and throwing himself into the arms of a total stranger, where he stayed until Luke and Hudson accepted the award and came to get him. Well, that's one way to make new friends.

The Boys were also invited to dinner, but by then Murphy had had enough and spent the rest of the evening hiding out under the table. Fame has definitely not gone to this dog's head. Despite the fact that he was surrounded by food, he just couldn’t wrap his head around all the dogs in haute couture, and stayed under the table, dreaming about a return to the real world of walking and tents and trees and The Honest Kitchen.

Speaking of Honest Kitchen (nice segue, don’t you think?), Murphy did get to meet Lucy Postins, the Honest Kitchen’s founder and president, while everyone was in New York. The Honest Kitchen has filled Murphy’s tummy since the beginning of the walk and it was a pleasure for Luke to express his gratitude in person to Lucy for her unwavering support. Luke called Lucy Murphy’s “Sugar Momma.” (Pictured.) She called Luke a ‘caveman.’ She has met him before!

(Thanks to all who made The Boys' appearance at the Skybark possible. Special thanks to our friend and supporter and volunteer extraordinaire, Pauline Imbro-Allen.)

You’re Feeding Your Pet What?

Our friends Patti, Lydia, and Bob at Everything & The Dog, LLC, along with Leesburg Dogs (Friends of the new Leesburg Dog Park), and Nordic Naturals are hosting a very special event April 24th, beginning at 6:30 PM EDT at the Ida Lee Community Center.

Guest speaker will be Tracie Hotchner, who will be speaking about the importance of animal nutrition. The title of her presentation will be “You’re feeding your pet what?” and it promises to be an informative, lively presentation, and an exciting evening.

As many of you know, Tracie Hotchner, the author of both The Dog Bible: Everything Your Dog Wants You To Know and The Cat Bible: Everything Your Cat Expects You To Know, is also the host and producer of two live weekly national radio shows – DOG TALK® on NPR station WLIU out of Southampton, New York and CAT CHAT® on the Martha Stewart Channel of Sirius XM satellite radio. As Patti Best says, “Tracie has a devoted following because she entertains while admonishing people to make wise, independent decisions for their pets’ well-being.”

Tracie has appeared on Oprah, The Today Show, and The Martha Stewart TV show, and has spoken at the Pet Sitters International Annual Convention and Camp Gone to the Dogs, Glen Highland Farm Border Collie Rescue Summer Camp and Camp Unleashed. Recently Tracie has also begun a national tour of veterinary colleges beginning with Tufts University in Boston, Virginia Tech Veterinary School in Blacksburg, Virginia, and UC Davis Veterinary School in Northern California.

Along with guest speaker Tracie Hotchner, we hear from our friend Bob, the Fantastically Amazing Blogging Pit Bull, that there will be awesome gift bags for the first 100 guests, with all sorts of goodies in them, including: a Nordic Naturals full sized bottle of Omega-3, Wagatha’s Biscuits, Halo samples, Honest Kitchen samples, Weruva dog and cat food, X-O Odor Neutralizer, Platinum Performance Feline and Canine. There will also be gift certificates from local places, including Bev Hollis Photo and a couple of local groomers. As you can imagine, Bob is beside himself lately because all of these goodies are coming in to Everything And The Dog and no one has offered HIM a gift bag. But we’re working on that!

During the evening’s event there will also be a wonderful raffle and items so far include a Knitamil from artist DanaMarie Hosler, a Ruffwear x-large K-9 float coat, Bottoms Up lift leash – to help large dogs with hind end issues to walk, get into cars, etc , Bags on Board that attach to a leash with refills for pick up, a big fanny pack for a dog walker from Pet Habitats, with flushable poop bags and compartments for other stuff, Four Paws deluxe large support harness, which can be used with a leash and also with a seat belt, hot pink Packabowl flexible bowl , a large orange Kong Wubba floatable ball with tail, a Premier pet large treat/kibble dispenser, and a Cranberry Patent Leather Sherpa Bag.

WOW! I bet Hudson and Murphy are trying to figure out how fast they can drag their Papi across hill and over dale to get there in time!

Patti says they also already have 12 vendors lined up who will have tables with lots of cool displays and goodies for sale.

Ticket price is only $15 per person and includes a dessert buffet at the reception and prize raffle.

The whole evening sounds like a terrific event. Things start happening at 6:30 PM, and Tracie is scheduled to speak at 7. After her presentation, guests will enjoy the dessert buffet with refreshments, check out vendor tables, visit with Tracie, and participate in the raffle.

All proceeds from this event will go to Leesburg Dogs to improve and support Leesburg’s new Dog Park at Olde Izaac Walton Park, Leesburg, Virginia.

To reserve your place at this very special event, please send your check for $15.00 per person (and please include names of attendees) to: Everything & The Dog, 39202 Mt. Gilead Road, Leesburg, Virginia, 20175.

For questions & more information please e-mail Lydia at: lbest@everythingandthedog.com

Directions to Ida Lee Park can be found at http://www.idalee.org/parks/idalee/directions/ .

We hope those of you in the area will support Leesburg Dogs. Have a great time at the event, send pictures, and puppy up!

Warm and Toasty Wish List

Hudson here. I'm probably not supposed to be playing around on The Bloginator's computer, but if I have Murphy vacuum off all the white hairs and dog prints, and squeegee the screen where I kinda slobbered, I should be pretty safe. And, after all, what The Bloginator doesn't know won't hurt him.

Look, this is the thing. You may have noticed that our Papa, Luke, has skin, not fur. And he's going into cold and snowy weather, which Murphy and I like (pretty much) but which could freeze Papa's not-so-little tootsies off if he doesn't have the right stuff for the trip. And if he freezes his not-so-little tootsies off, he can't walk, and if he can't walk then we can't walk, and then where will we be? So, we put together a "Wish List" for our Dad and went down to this really cool store in Memphis called Outdoors, Inc. and had stuff put on lay-away. Yes, stores are doing lay-away again after all these years. We understand from The Bloginator (who is really really old in dog years — heck, he may even be mummified for all we know) that law-away is something people used to do all the time when he was a kid and the Earth was still cooling. Instead of charging something, people put it on law-away and paid for it on time until it was all paid for, and then they could cart it all home with them. Aren't humans clever?

Anyway, I digress. Murphy and I put together a list of some of the things Papa needs to walk this winter without freezing his bum off. With the assistance of some pretty nice humans at the store called Outdoors, Inc. we have some great things put on lay-away to help Papa stay warm while he's walking in the ice and snow and wind and sleet and blizzards and avalanches (well, maybe not avalanches) of Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and, well, wherever we're going. (OK, I can type but I don't read maps. That's why we have Papa.) But we need your help. While Papa feeds us really good, and hugs on us a lot, he doesn't give us any allowance (can you believe that?), so we need help buying these neat things to help keep him warm. You see, if he's warm, we're warm. Does that make sense? Murphy said it would.

So here's the list (it's called "Luke Robinson's Lay-away Items") and the phone number to Outdoors, Inc. is 901-722-8988, where you can call and help us pay for the lay-away stuff. You can talk to a nice lady there named Robin — she knows all about the lay-away stuff — and she can help with any amount of money you'd like to give to help pay for the stuff Papa needs. If Robin is not there, you can ask for Rachel or Callie because they know about the lay-away stuff and they're very nice too.

So here’s our List called the "Luke Robinson's Lay away Items" from Outdoors, Inc. in Memphis:

(1) North Face Red Point Jacket - size XL - price is $170.50. (That is with the nice 15% discount they gave us because we're really nice dogs). This is a great jacket with a hood and is water resistant. Murphy did some research and learned that layering is the way to go for people without fur. So Papa can put this over the shirts he wears and stay toasty warm.

(2) North Face Venture Pants - size XL - $59.50 (with our doggie discount). Papa really does already have pants, but these are water resistant and will help him keep dry in the rain and snow.

Papa also has a neat Registry on-line for other things he will need along the way. So if you’d like to see some of these things, you can follow this link.

Any dehydrated food packs for Papa would be great. Vegetarian please. While Murphy and I eat meat, Papa is really a plant eater. Gross, I know. But he likes veggies. You can find a list of the veggie packs he likes on the registry. But maybe you could take it easy on the stuff with beans in it? We have to sleep with him in a very small tent.

Oh, and if you'd like to help Murphy and me, since we might need some extra warmth too, Papa has put up a link on the registry for some warm and toasty fleece dog warmers we'd really like to have, if you'd be so kind. You can see them here and read all about them here. Murphy would like a size XL in green and I would like the size X in red, please. Not only will we be nice and warm, but we will look very stylish!

Oh, please remember — if you do help buy the lay-away goodies (any donation, big or small, will be greatly appreciated) please email our friends Ginger at ginger@2dogs2000miles.org or Lori at lori@2dogs2000miles.org and let them know who you are, how to contact you, the amount you donated and for what stuff. Lori would like to be sure and send you a thank you card (she is very thoughtful), and Ginger needs to keep track of how much is donated and by whom (because she keeps track of things like that).

We would be thankful for ANY donations to Papa’s list of stuff. He has a great sleeping bag and other things for the trip, but he could really use the jacket and pants to keep him warm and dry. And of course, he doesn’t eat Honest Kitchen food like we do, so he could use some food packs. He’s really a good cook, but it’s hard to cook on the road, especially in the cold and sleet and wind and ice and blizzards and avalanches (OK, Murphy said enough with the avalanches).

Thank you very much for your help.

Your friends,

Hudson & Murphy

Yummy New Flavor at The Honest Kitchen

One of the things I first personally learned about fighting my dog's cancer was to improve her diet. At the time my sweet Linga was diagnosed with leukemia, I had never heard of The Honest Kitchen, and neither had my vet. But, as many authorities on nutrition will tell you, a good diet for our animals is one of the best ways we can help to protect our companions and keep their systems healthy, and a healthy diet is an integral part of cancer treatment.

Recently I learned that The Honest Kitchen, one of 2Dogs' very first sponsors, has a new product they're offering. If you've never checked out The Honest Kitchen's line of products, please do. I know Hudson and Murphy absolutely love their Honest Kitchen food. Anyway, the company has just developed a new product for those of us on a tight budget, without sacrificing the quality and high standards they're known for. Their newest product is called "Keen" and if you'll follow the link you'll see all the good things that it's made with. All their foods are human grade, and Keen is made from hormone-free turkey, organic oats, potatoes, organic flax, carrots, cabbage, alfalfa, organic kelp, apples, honey and garlic. (OK, now I'm getting hungry!)

If you're like many of us, you've probably thought seriously about making your own food for your animals. And I'm sure some of you do. But for many of us it's rocket science, trying to figure out portions of this, servings of that, what vitamins to add, etc. And if you're out in the boonies, it's often impossible to get hormone-free anything.

So, if you're interested in good nutrition for your companion and are looking to try something new, please check out The Honest Kitchen. They even offer trial sizes, so you can be sure your best buddy will like it before you place a large order. Take a look around their site – they have an interesting history and believe in giving back to the community. Especially interesting is "A Day in The Honest Kitchen" and "Who We Are". Oh, and yes, they do also have a product for cats too. And, of course, they carry treats and other goodies. So, if you're looking for a quality, high-grade alternative to the food you now feed, please check out The Honest Kitchen!

Pictured are: Luke fixing The Honest Kitchen for Hudson and Murphy, and Hudson showing how delightfully happy his tummy is after his Honest Kitchen dinner!

"Keen" photo is copyrighted by The Honest Kitchen.

An Interview with Tracie Hotchner

I had the good fortune to talk with Tracie Hotchner, author of THE DOG BIBLE: Everything Your Dog Wants You to Know and THE CAT BIBLE: Everything Your Cat Expects You to Know and web and radio host of Dog Talk and Cat Chat. While we talked, she was massaging her dog’s knee. Scooby Doo, one of her two Weimaraners, had recently had knee surgery. Tracie had met with Jody Chiquoine, canine clinical rehab consultant to Luke and The Boys and owner of Fitter Critters and had learned some massage techniques to help Scooby Doo.

I asked her how she became so interested in and committed to companion animal issues. She told me she’s “an investigative reporter who wanted to get facts to people about how to care for their dogs and cats. What are the right ways to feed them, what are the right ways to exercise them, what are the right ways to meet their psychological and physical needs?”

She sees herself as “a consumer advocate for dogs and cats and the people who share their lives … I’m there to tell you the truth. To not be biased, emotional, hysterical. My intention is to be as balanced as possible.” She said she feels incredibly lucky that she has been able to create her radio shows and the web site that goes with them. “They’re a place where people can come and read something that is transparent, unbiased.” The information she provides is based on material she’s researched, and if anybody gives her new information she’s thrilled to learn more. Her point is to be as flexible and knowledgeable as possible. “Nobody has the last word on anything” she said. “If you’re being led down the garden path and sold a bill of goods, I’m there to tell you about that … you need to know what’s being done to your pets and the pets of others in America in the name of something that may in fact just boil down to commerce.”

I asked her to comment of the Menu foods calamity. “You know, I had already written the truth about how pet food is made… Big business definitely has its hooks into places that you wouldn’t necessarily expect.” She went on to say she thought, “The food recall was actually a real blessing in disguise. I think it was the first time that people really stopped and said, ‘What am I putting in that dog’s mouth?’ … I think it saved a lot more deaths down the road and a lot more illness, even for people. None of us was really very clear how little food is made in America anymore and how much [food comes from] countries where they have a completely different value system — be it about animals or about people.”

So, how did she come to know about 2Dogs2000Miles? “…through The Honest Kitchen.” As she was on the road publicizing her books, she gave out samples of their food. Her dogs have been eating The Honest Kitchen food as part of every meal for many healthy years. “It was a way for people to see the diametric opposite of commercial dog food — something virtually unprocessed and completely healthy.” It was the Honest Kitchen’s owner, Lucy, who got in touch with her and said they were providing food for Luke’s dogs. Was there any chance that she could help get the word out about his walk? So that’s how Tracie came to know about 2Dogs and Luke, Hudson, and Murphy.

What is her advice to people whose dogs are about to go through or are going through chemo? The first advice she would give people, particularly those who own breeds that are at higher risk for cancer is, you have to have pet insurance. “You cannot make the decision to have a high risk breed in a vacuum. For an average of $30.00 a month [per dog] you will get up to $100,000.00 worth of any kind of medical care [the animal] needs. In a country where half of all dogs of every breed over the age of 2 are going to get cancer, when people say ‘I can’t afford it’ all I can say to them is you can’t afford not to.” Without insurance “you’re making decisions based on your pocket book. And you always have to say about cancer, if it wasn’t going to cost me anything, what would I do? The answer isn’t always, well, I would lay it all down. It isn’t always that. So my advice would be to anybody with any dogs who haven’t had cancer, get insurance immediately, with a cancer rider.”

Her second piece of advice: “Get a second opinion from another oncologist. Somebody has to tell you what the up side is of giving chemo. The really good oncologists are learning something new every single week. Your own vet doesn’t know it. It’s not realistic to ask your vet to know it. You have to take the animal to an oncologist. You have to find out what you can buy in terms of quality lifetime. They now give drugs that accompany the chemo that basically take away any of the down side in terms of nausea, and all those issues that plague people so badly.”

But, she also made this point: “Are you prolonging a mediocre quality of life? Stop a minute. Let’s talk about quality end of life care — where you stay home all day and feed them steak! Spend the money on steak. Spend the money on drives out to the beach and sit together and look out at the sea. You have to look at quality of life issues. What is it you’re prolonging? Is it quality of life or is it simply life because you cannot bear to let go? You have to put the dog’s quality of life before your own emotions. You have to be thoughtful in figuring out what you’re doing.”

Before we ended our conversation, I asked her to tell me something funny about her dogs, her two Weimaraners, Scooby Doo and Teddy, and her Collie Mix, Jazzy. (pictured above)

“Weimaraners are an extraordinary sort of dog. What would it be like to have a dog that would be totally fine if you left the room? I don’t know what it would be like to not have two, three dogs following me at all hours in any room I come and go from. It’s quite interesting to be a Pied Piper. It’s the nature of the breed. You cannot exclude them. They’re fine as long as somebody is talking to them or touching them every waking hour. Other than that, they’re really low maintenance! With Scooby Doo – if he looks at you and you don’t look back at him, he barks as if to say ‘Look at me!’"

And her Border Collie mix? “She’s a beautiful little dog. But Border Collies rile up other dogs. They bark in this high-pitched, shrill sort of way. They feel they have to alert you to everything going on; they have to go herd the car, herd the people, and the barking makes the other dogs think there’s something up that they should be worried about. Living with an animal on high alert – one eye open, one ear cocked all the time.” No wonder her name is Jazzy.

Very special thanks to Tracie for the interview and for her interest in and support of 2Dogs2000Miles. If you haven’t tuned into her radio show, which is archived on her web site, please do so. She talks with Luke twice a week, during her Dog Talk and Cat Chat shows, and every show offers great advice on animal care. And you can hear Tracie on WLIU 88.5 FM (Long Island University Public Radio) live at 11:00 AM Saturdays (Eastern time) as well as on Sirius Satellite Radio, channel 112.

Mr. DeMille, I’m Ready For My Close-Up

Now we have a real incentive for you to puppy up and load those pictures online! Can you say PHOTO CONTEST? We are asking people to share any photos they might have taken of this past Saturday's event in Texarkana. Anyone who took pictures that day and who adds them to the 2 Dogs 2000 Miles group Flickr web site at http://www.flickr.com/groups/lukeswalk/pool/ will be eligible to win a wonderful gift. The winner of this contest will receive an amazing gift basket provided by The Honest Kitchen, one of the 2 Dogs 2000 Miles sponsors. Overflowing with goodies, the basket will contain an Honest Kitchen canvas tote bag, The Honest Kitchen "Nuzzles" (duck and cherry cookies), a box of The Honest Kitchen food, a too-cool-blue "puppy up!" wristband, and some super-special organic trail mix made by none other than Malea, the Director of the 2 Dogs 2000 Miles Foundation (a treat she actually makes for Luke). Kathy, Volunteer Coordinator for 2 Dogs 2000 Miles, has been a personal taste-tester of the trail mix and she's been known to mumble "It rocks!" as she munches away! Sounds like a great prize, so start loading those photos ASAP! (Please make sure to label your photos with the subject, a description, and of course your name!)

The Honest Kitchen Journal - Entry One

This morning was Hudson & Murphy's first Honest Kitchen meal! I've listened to both schools of thought on 'transitioning' dogs to new foods. Some say it can cause bloat. Some say it won't. For me, why risk it? So I gave them each a cup of their old food with 3 Tbs of 'Verve'.

As soon as I opened the pouch my senses were aroused by the aroma of fresh herbs. For this batch, I used a 1 to 1 mixture and let it sit for about 10 minutes or so. The consistency was similar to porridge, perfect for my purposes.

To say they loved it would be an understatement. Poor Murphy, long after his meal was gone, he kept licking the bowl. And licking. And licking. For 42 seconds. I timed him. I'm going to chronicle this new experience over the next week or so.

The Honest Kitchen

It is with great pride that we formally announce our pet food sponsor - The Honest Kitchen, though I'm hesitant to label their products just for pets. Not only are they 100% human-food-grade, their meals are produced in an FDA approved, human-food-producing facility in Southern California, that makes the very same foods you eat. Isn't that incredible?

And so are the ingredients they use. Let's take a look at just one of their five entrees for dogs, Force: Hormone-free chicken, organic flaxseed, potatoes, celery, sweet potatoes, apples, alfalfa, organic kelp, honey, zucchini, green beans, cabbage, bananas, papayas, yogurt, basil, garlic and rosemary.

Perhaps the greatest appeal to me though is that the meals are prepared fresh and raw and then dehydrated so all I'll have to do is add water and voila, gourmet cuisine back country style.

The Honest Kitchen also offers cookies and ice treats and supplements, too, and they were honored with the 2006 Puplife Food of the Year Award.

The first shipment of food went out yesterday so I can't wait to share more with you. Thanks again to Lucy, Cami, and the rest of the people at The Honest Kitchen for sponsoring our hike.