He survived the Texas heat for two and a half years before making the move to San Diego, CA where he instantly became a beach lover. There was nothing that made our boy happier than chasing his beloved tennis ball up and down the beach. Not long after moving to San Diego, I met Matthew and I'm convinced that Morrison and his brother Angus helped me seal the deal with the love of my life. Matthew fell in love with my boys and even adopted them! (Seriously- I printed out adoption certificates that the boys signed with their painted paw prints! We still have them.)
Some of my happiest memories where at the dog beach on Coronado followed by breakfast at our favorite diner on Orange Ave. We'd tie the boys to our chairs outside and they'd beg pitifully at all the surrounding tables. I think they each consumed several pounds of bacon during each visit!
On the Fourth of July in 2004, Matthew hosted a party at his home on Glorietta Ave. on Coronado. We had three other couples over for a BBQ and between the eight of us, we had four dogs. At some point in the afternoon we realized Morrison was missing. Matthew and I ran down the street in a panic calling his name until someone emerged from the backyard of a home a few houses down the road asking if we were missing a dog. Morrison had crashed another party! He was hamming it up visiting all the guests and we're convinced it was because they had better food! He was quite a hit!
After three and a half blissful years in San Diego Morrison moved to Norfolk, Virginia. We purchased a home with a large yard that was only two blocks away from the beach so our boys could continue to enjoy their water-loving lifestyle. Living on the East Coast provided another excellent benefit- proximity to the Martin family lake house! Morrison spent many happy hours chasing his ball at the lake and the beach.
Sadly, he was a terrible swimmer for a dog who loved the water so much. In fact, I had to rescue him Baywatch-style (i.e.- kicking off my flip flops, ripping off my towel, and running headlong into the water like Pam Anderson (without the obnoxious bouncing boobs and great figure of course...)) at the lake a few years ago because he tried to swim out to retrieve what he thought was his tennis ball but was actually just a buoy!
In March of 2008, our family welcomed our first human baby- Allison Leigh. While our dog Angus tried to hump my leg every time she cried, Morrison took it all in stride and watched over her with quiet curiosity. He stoically endured the pinching and pulling that comes along with a newly mobile child and continued to shower her with love and the occasional kiss. When Henry Nicholas came along in January of this year he continued to be a loving big brother although he did give a few warning growls when Hank insisted on pulling on his 'mudflaps' a.k.a. jowls.
Over the past six or seven months we've noticed that Mo was starting to slow down a little bit. He slept more, snored louder (we didn't think that was possible!), and had a little more trouble breathing and moving around. However he still seemed happy. We're thankful that he wasn't sick for long and that it was very clear to us when it was time. We'll always remember him as our first baby and a loving member of our family. We're still grieving the loss of a good friend and will never be able to replace such a quirky and unique guy.
When news of his passing spread, I received numerous emails and phone calls from family and friends- many of whom shared their favorite Morrison memories. My favorite came in the form of a facebook comment from my former Texas roommates B & B-
"Sweet little Morrison. We were just talking about all the funny memories we have of him: getting muddy at Alice's, when he farted so loud he scared himself and ran 30 laps around the house, and how he would let me spoon him every morning after you went to work... he was one in a million."
It makes me happy to know that others will remember our Mo fondly.
We miss you Mo. We love you and we're so happy that you were in our lives for so long.
Morrison Martin
4/24/2000 - 8/11/2010
These last few pictures were taken on the morning of his last day.
