Some of you who have known Murphy for the past almost two years know that he has refused to go upstairs.  He did it twice, both times shortly after he finished rehab a year and a half ago.  Since then he had had absolutely no interest in going upstairs.  He would run up the wide outside stairs at the vet's office (6 steps) and went up a similar set at the beach last summer, but when it came to going upstairs inside the house, he refused.

We have done a lot of the "lovin' on the stairs" exercise, but he would only put his front feet up on the bottom step or the one after.  All of a sudden the other day he decided that if he just hopped up onto the bottom step with his hind leg, he could turn and sit on the next one.  So I would shinny up to the next step and he would follow up to about step four.  That was as far as he wanted to go.  This morning I backed up to the top (on my fanny) and he just came on with me.  If you think that wasn't a sight!  A grey haired granny bumping up the stairs backward with a three legged dog following.  The next time I went up, I just encouraged him to come with me, and he did.

We figured twice is enough for one day, but tomorrow I will try to get some video.  I also haven't forgotten about the video of him putting on the harness.  Tomorrow for that, too.

Kathi and Murphy 

PS. Maybe Murphy realized that yesterday marked two years since his accident and he figured it was time.