10 June 2009, Denver, Colorado, USA: Mr. Speedy here, aka Blue Aroo, finished his last morning in supermax... I mean at MaxFund Shelter, where he'd been waiting patiently since late March for someone to come adopt him — again...
Originally adopted from MaxFund when he was a year old, Blue Aroo was returned to the shelter 10 years later because his owner could no longer care for him. I've come up with two explanations in my mind to justify that — either she lost a job and could no longer house him, or he was just too afraid of thunder and fireworks and she couldn't handle the stress anymore.
That was the big warning on his shelter chart — fear of flashing light, thunder, and fireworks. But as soon as we got him home, we built him a little cave in our house (a crate insulated with blankets), and he goes there to feel safe, or just to hang out.
So, Blue was 11 years old when we adopted him. But you can't tell — he's full to brimming over with life! My nickname for him is "Sparky." He goes for runs with Bear, bounces around the house, and runs circles around the other dogs at the dog park. He's so fast, I think he even runs circles around himself! He and our golden retriever, Buddy, get along "famously."
People often respond in wonder that we would have adopted an "older" dog. So close after the death of Bear's longtime canine companion, Sequoia (a playful chow-chow mix who died 26 May 2009 at the age of 16), why would we want to invite more heartbreak?
So far, heartbreak hasn't been a word in our vocabulary when it comes to Blue. Except perhaps for the heartbreak I felt for his previous owner, having to give up such a sweet dog.
And he is sweet! Never have I met such a happy, friendly, sparkly dog. As a golden retriever, Buddy has a head start on almost any dog when it comes to happiness and friendliness, but Blue, a husky–cattle dog mix, even outshines him.
When it comes to his age — well, the last time we had him in to see the vet, she remarked as she looked into his goofy blue eyes that if she didn't know better, she'd place his age at around seven.
Buddy is almost 10 now (I've had him since, well, before he was born), and Blue is over 12. But they're both healthy enough to bounce, run, and play with us every day. If it ever comes time to adopt another dog, I'll have my eyes trained on the older guys first. And Blue Aroo says, "Aroooooo!"
Originally adopted from MaxFund when he was a year old, Blue Aroo was returned to the shelter 10 years later because his owner could no longer care for him. I've come up with two explanations in my mind to justify that — either she lost a job and could no longer house him, or he was just too afraid of thunder and fireworks and she couldn't handle the stress anymore.
That was the big warning on his shelter chart — fear of flashing light, thunder, and fireworks. But as soon as we got him home, we built him a little cave in our house (a crate insulated with blankets), and he goes there to feel safe, or just to hang out.
So, Blue was 11 years old when we adopted him. But you can't tell — he's full to brimming over with life! My nickname for him is "Sparky." He goes for runs with Bear, bounces around the house, and runs circles around the other dogs at the dog park. He's so fast, I think he even runs circles around himself! He and our golden retriever, Buddy, get along "famously."
People often respond in wonder that we would have adopted an "older" dog. So close after the death of Bear's longtime canine companion, Sequoia (a playful chow-chow mix who died 26 May 2009 at the age of 16), why would we want to invite more heartbreak?
So far, heartbreak hasn't been a word in our vocabulary when it comes to Blue. Except perhaps for the heartbreak I felt for his previous owner, having to give up such a sweet dog.
And he is sweet! Never have I met such a happy, friendly, sparkly dog. As a golden retriever, Buddy has a head start on almost any dog when it comes to happiness and friendliness, but Blue, a husky–cattle dog mix, even outshines him.
When it comes to his age — well, the last time we had him in to see the vet, she remarked as she looked into his goofy blue eyes that if she didn't know better, she'd place his age at around seven.Buddy is almost 10 now (I've had him since, well, before he was born), and Blue is over 12. But they're both healthy enough to bounce, run, and play with us every day. If it ever comes time to adopt another dog, I'll have my eyes trained on the older guys first. And Blue Aroo says, "Aroooooo!"
I am sad to say that Blue died today, Friday, 2 December. He was a good dog who tried to be happy and strong, but who really needed to pass on. Now he is a Blue comet flying across the sky.
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