05/04/2026
Hey Madison family, Sean here. So I wanted to take a moment to talk about this pup pictured below. This is Murphy McGoldick. Murphy passed away recently. Unfortunately due to a series of unfortunate events within my family, I wasn’t able to post this right away. I opened the Madison because I love dogs. Dogs are special. A LOT of amazing dogs come through the door and some just hijack a special spot in my heart. There are a group of dogs however that have a unique spot within my heart and the process can never be duplicated . It was an exciting time when I opened my door 11 years ago. I was super excited to start a new chapter in my life. I launched this business with my brother and friend.I was planning to get married soon, and I was on top of the world. I was also scared however. I put everything I had into the Madison. That first year was a lot of work. In the beginning there were days where we had only one or two dogs. Murphy was one of the first dogs to come through my door. He was one of the first batch. Willie, Winter, Ernie, Murphy, Eli, sonic and Benny….and a couple others. In those days I didn’t have a staff yet and it wasn’t busy to the point where I needed one. There was really just me, Ryan, Jason and Mary. As such it was me in the pack with those dogs, feeding them, bathing them, medicating them, playing with them. I had a chance to bond with them all. Murphy was with me through all of it. There were days where it was just him and I in the building and I’d talk to him about how excited or scared I was. He’d look at me with that deadpan sleepy look of his and nudge his head under my hand as if to say, “I hear you. Pet me, you’ll feel better.” He had a knack for cheering you up. In 2017 when my fiancé passed away, I was a mess. It was either the day I came back or the day after……Murphy was there. Everyone had heard what happened and obviously gave their support. It meant talking about the situation all day and after awhile I slipped into the couch room and came a little unglued. I cried my eyes out. Know who followed me to the door and came in with me? Murphy. He climbed up onto the loveseat and sat with me for an hour. He just sat and leaned into me. He was an emotionally in tune pup. Murphy definitely had a very special place in my heart. He was a special dog, that belonged to a special family and I met them all at a very special time. He was also the first Basset hound I ever met and he was one hell of an ambassador for the breed. Every staff member or client that I saw meet him LOVED him. You couldn’t help it. That sleepy look, the sweet and calm demeanor….it made you adore him. I’m going to miss Murphy so much. McGoldrick family, I’m going to miss you all too, more than you know. You’re some of the kindest, classiest, and sweetest people I have ever had the privilege of knowing. You brightened up the lobby anytime you were in it and I would look forward to seeing you when you picked him up. Please know that my thoughts along with the thoughts of everyone here at the Madison are with you. Your grief is shared. I will 100% be adding a picture of Murphy in my lobby on the wall. I hope to see you all again someday and in the interim, if there is anything you need please don’t hesitate to call.
