The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1952-06-05
HAL
BOYLE
SAYS
Hy HAL BOYLE

democracy is there among dog
lovers?
Quite a BIT, according to Bar
tender Bill O'Brien, who forked
over $50 to customer for puppy
that looked like a Alleged gray
mop and has turned out to be a
blue ribbon show dog.
/ have written about Bill befoI ;.
He's a big ex-Army sergeant who
blew the alarm bugle at Pearl
Harbor.
| O'Brien is night maestro at
Moriarty's Midtown Bar and Grill,
an establishment two doors from
Toots Shor's that has become a
rendezvous for newspapermen,
dancers, singers, actors and mu-
Sicians.
One of his customers was Pa.
Hanrahan, an NBC electrician who
often brought in one or two of
the Schnauzer dogs he raises as
a sideline.
II just got dog hungry looking
at them," confessed Bill. He fl
nally bought male pup from Pat
for $50 and figured it was a real
bargain as Schnauzers, kind of
long-haired German terrier, are
growing in popularity in America
and easily bring SIS to $l25.
The s-week-old ugly puppy
looked like a handful of dirty
strings with bright eyes. Bill
named him Mike Murphy.
He grew so fast he was get
ting bow-legged and down in the
hooks, so / began stuffing him
with calcium pills." said Bill.
''But he had lots of spirit--h
was no deadhead." /.
Mike Murphy perked up so fast,
showed such carriage, that dog
wise customers at the. bar urged
Bill to enter him in dog show.
AT first 0'Brien held off. thinking
that such honors were for the pets
of millionaires rather than bar
tenders.
! But he finally decided Nile
Murphy ought to have bis chance
in the world. He paid a profess
sional handler a small sum to give
him weeks training. Mike was
entered in the Westminster Kennel
Club Show in Madison Square Gar
den last February. which is the
World Series of dogdom.
Mike Murphy, only 8 months old
and still really puppy, strutted
out to win the first prize for Amer
ican-bred standard Schnauzers.
Overwhelmed by this victory,
Bill entered Mike soon after in
another top-flight metropolitan ca
nine show. But Mike, still grow
ing fast. had become underweight
for his sire. He placed fourth.
That has put Bill in a spot. He
figures he LET his dog down by
entering him too soon in his Sec
ond show, but he doesn't want to
turn Mike over to trainers who
see him as a potential best-of-
/ breed champion.
I'D like to see him win another
blue ribbon" Bill said, lust TO
make il up TO him--to see he gets
a square deal.
But the handlers say they want
a month TO train him for his next
show. Well, Sehnauzers are sup.
posed 90 be one-man dogs, but
Mike is friendly to everybody.
If he is gone a month, he will
no longer be my dog. II would
be like giving up your own baby"
Bill feeds Mike table scraps
kennel rationS and soft boiled eggs
cooked exactly three minutes,
the way Mike prefers them. Every
dax Bill walks four flights down
from his Bronx apartment 10 ex-
ercise Mike by unleasing him and
letting him race the New York
Central eonmuter trains irto Man
haitian.
The express trains speed right
on by, said Bill. But Mike gets
a big thrill out q catching I'D to
a local train that stops III the sta
ton. He runs up and harks AZ Il.
ard | an sure he feels be has
run il clear out ok breath ali By
himself.
0Bricn doesn't want 10 kick hss
dos around. bot re doesn't want to
lose Nike By glamoFiEing han into
a professional canine prlxe- lnaer.
After al. he's ny dog" sad
Bill. Il coat want to turn hsn
inso a child star. I'D Ike TO keep
him Unxpo6led. Sc
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