Dear Stroll Readers,

Greetings from your neighborhood one-eyed golden retriever, certified Very Good Boy, Murray Howard Knaster. My family and I moved to the neighborhood in late spring of 2024, and boy do I love sniffing around! We moved from another neighborhood in Denver - my humans are very smug about being fourth- and fifth-generation Denver natives. I don’t know what that means but I do know that I am happy to live here. I love the bushes and treat boxes and passersby and the snow.  Whatever “snow” is, I LOVE THAT. If you have it on your lawn, I am going to roll in it and dig and sniff and roll again and then eat it. You’ll know it’s me from my red bandana and one eye. 

When I was almost two years old, I was hit by a car! It was scary - I needed knee surgery and lost my right eye. Since then, my family has taken excellent care of me. While I am a bit jumpier now (approach slowly from the left, please!), I am happier than ever. I love to be chased, and can now enjoy hours of sprinting aimlessly in my backyard and in circles around my house. There is also an added bonus of an instant blackout curtain when I lay with my remaining eye down. I can’t be bothered! Unless you are approaching to scratch my tummy; in this case please bother. If I accidentally make eye contact with you from across the room, I will lift my back leg to invite you to scratchies. Even from 30 feet away. You never know!

Since my recovery, I've taken up a few new hobbies around the house beyond Fetchies and Chase. Of course, I still take my post for neighborhood watch. Now I enjoy the convenience of smushing my whole right side into the door for unobstructed viewing and very diligent barking [Murray’s humans here: sorry about that. He’s just a chatty guy.] Yes, I am barking at you! 

I have also discovered new passions like squirreling! Like many of us, I spend much of my day tracking the locations, movements, and socialization of Hilltop's most active and (I assume) most delicious residents. They also like Chase! They’re not great at it though; they do not return once up a tree until far later. Please stay tuned as I am pretty sure I'm about to catch one any day now. Any day. 

If you do walk past me on a walk and think I am giving you side-eye because you did not pet me, you are correct. Unacceptable. My ideal situation is you dropping everything and giving me your undivided attention, praise, and scratchies. If you have your dog with you, I will likely lay down to wait for your approach, at which point I will almost certainly bound at high speed in your direction. Surprise! This dog is now my best friend. So are you! Can’t wait to meet you all in real life.

Send treats! Murray!