‘Little People, Big World’: Why Tori Roloff’s Update on Her Dog Is Upsetting Fans

Little People, Big World fans were recently sent into a bout of concern over one important member of the family: Tori Roloff and her husband Zach Roloff’s family dog Murphy. The TLC reality star spurred worry earlier in December when she said in a since-deleted post to her Instagram Story that Murphy was “in heaven,” prompting some of her followers to fear the worst. Thankfully, the concern boiled down to nothing more than a misunderstanding, with Murphy happy and healthy.

After taking notice of the flurry of comments surrounding Murphy, many fans believing the beloved pooch had sadly passed, Roloff returned to her Instagram Story on Monday to offer a little clarification. Admitting that she feels “like a terrible person,” the Little People, Big World star went on to explain that she “meant Murphy was in heaven because of all of the snow. Like, he’s so excited about all the snow.” Roloff went on to confirm that Murphy is “still alive. He’s running around outside.” In a second video, according to In Touch Weekly, Roloff shared a video of Murphy, telling fans, “Murphy’s right here. See? He’s still alive, still doing his thing.” She later shared a photo of the family dog playing outside, captioning it, “Hahaha this is Murphy having so much fun in the snow. Is that a better caption?”

Murphy, a Bernese Mountain dog, joined the Roloff family back in July of 2018. Introducing the family dog to fans at the time, Roloff shared an adorable gallery of images of the then tiny puppy, writing, “Guess what?!?! World: meet Murphy! We are so excited to bring this friend home. Our world just got a little crazier.” She went on to reveal Murphy’s adorable nickname, “murphmonster.” Murphy joined the family following the tragic loss of the couple’s Bernese Mountain dog named Sully, who died in March 2017.

Since becoming a Roloff, Murphy has become an important and very much beloved member of the family. Although the pooch only occasionally appears in Roloff’s social media posts, the select posts he does appear in have showcased the tight bond he has with Roloff and her husband’s two children, 4-year-old Jackson, who recently underwent surgery, and 2-year-old Lilah.

Murphy will soon be forging a tight bond with yet another little one. Roloff and Zach are currently expecting their third child together. The couple shared the exciting pregnancy news in November, revealing that their little one on the way will arrive in spring 2022. The couple said they are “so grateful to God for this sweet gift!”