So Many of you knew him. So many of you loved him.
Our dog named Blue!
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| Blue |
It was about 12 or 13
years ago that a fellow dog rescuer called in tears explaining she found 3 dogs
and they keep getting out of her Atlanta property. She had been in Murphy North
Carolina, driving on busy 4 lane, Highway 64, when she saw cars swerving the 3
dogs running down the highway. She couldn’t leave them to get injured or killed
so she managed to get the 3 skinny, mangy mutts into her vehicle and headed
home to Atlanta. She had a well-secured, fenced yard that her other foster dogs
enjoyed so she was quite surprised when her neighbors called her at work every
day to tell her those 3 dogs were out and roaming the neighborhood. Not knowing
where they got out, she decided to leave them locked in the basement so they’d
be secure. When she arrived home after work, the 3 dogs were out and they had
literally eaten through the door and drywall and escaped her basement. That’s
when she called my sister Michele, a dog rescuer also, and begged for help.
Michele and I drove to
Atlanta to spend a Sunday checking her fences and after observing the 3 dog’s
behavior, we decided it was Blue who was the problem. I call him a “Don’t Fence
Me In Dog”. He was a Lab/Husky/ hound type mix with beautiful blue eyes. He
weighed about 120 pounds and shed like crazy!
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| Blue getting dressed up! |
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| Blue caught steeling food |
I brought him to the
rescue farm and we put him up for adoption. It didn’t take long before a
wonderful family met Blue and fell in love. He loved them and their children,
too. They had 2 fenced acres and offered Blue a loving home. I told them about
his ‘Don’t Fence Me In” issues so we thought 2 nice acres would suit him well.
About 3 months later, they called and said Blue was not happy being fenced in
and they couldn’t stand him being unhappy. He came back to the farm to wait for
the right home.
About 2 months later, a
perfect home on a dead end road with 5 acres welcomed Blue to their beautiful
home. He loved the children and their whole farm. I told them about Blue being
a “Don’t Fence Me In” dog so they left the gate opened and Blue stayed. At
least he stayed until no one was at home. Then he wandered down the street into
a neighborhood where he found people. He only wanted company. Phone calls came
every time Blue’s family left the property. Worried neighbors said Blue is out.
The people finding him thought he’d get lost or hurt, so Blue’s family would
escort him home. So, again, Blue came back to the rescue farm as the family
gave him a teary good bye. They loved him, everyone did, but he just wasn’t
happy.
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| Blue loving the kids |
Blue lived here at the
rescue for 12+ years. He was happy and was well loved by all the volunteers
over the years. He still was a ‘Don’t Fence Me In Dog’, though. On two
different occasions, he was accidentally locked into a room in the barn. He took
out two windows, frames and all, and just laid down by the barn like nothing
was wrong. About 4 years ago, we put in an extra gate at the driveway, even
though he could walk through the board fences without a problem, he sat at the
outside of the gate for 2 days, daring me to lock him in. He never ran away, he
knows he lived here. He has taken many foster dogs under his authority and
taught them the do’s and don’t of living on the rescue farm. No killing the
pesky Chihuahua’s no matter how annoying they are, No killing chickens, turkeys
or ducks, pigs either. No biting or chasing horses, well. Ok, just a little
when no one is looking. He protected the hamburgers on the Bar-B-Q grill at
each event here at the rescue farm. He checked out all the lunch boxes left
unattended. He’d quietly carry them off and help himself to the goodies. All in
all, he was a good dog, with an extra good sniffer. He knew the word ‘No’ and
obeyed it being shouted at him 99% of the time.
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| Blue caught looking for donuts on break rood table |
Last year Lucky dog, a
local street dog, came to the farm and after a few months, decided to make it
his home. Street dogs are homeless dogs that are dumped in the country by
people who somehow believe if you dump a dog in the country, it will find a
home. Lucky was a lucky one. Many are hit by cars, shot or starve to death if
coyotes don’t kill them first. Blue became Lucky’s mentor. Lucky loved Blue. He
always wanted Blue to go on an adventure. They’d go for an hour and come back.
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| Last picture taken of Blue, Saturday, Thank you Darren. |
When we came home for a
family Easter Dinner about 7:30. I mixed the dogs food and Blue wouldn’t eat.
He’d lost a little weight lately but seemed normal. At his older age, I thought
losing some weight would be better for his bones anyway. I gave him some good
supplements and this was the first time he ever didn’t want to eat. He laid
down and seemed tired but at midnight, he barked to go out. I thought that was
a good sign, she Blue and Lucky went out an adventure but didn’t come back
after the usual hour. I called and called, and it wasn’t until 4:30 am the came
back. Blue came in a laid down in his bed. He looked hurt but I could see any
injuries. First thing in the morning, Blue walked around but looked
uncomfortable. His breathing was labored. It was a struggle getting him into
the back seat of the truck but I had to get him to the vet ASAP. Natalie, our
future horse rescue veterinarian, (she’s still in college) hopped in the truck
and we hurried to the vet’s office. By the time we arrived, Blue was too weak
to even stand. We carried him in on a stretcher. The Doctor immediately did
radiographs. She called us in and said she had never seen anything like it. It
looked like a huge mass, so huge it had pushed what looked like his stomach to
the top of his back. She wasn’t sure but offered to do an Ultrasound to see if
she could find an answer. She said she thinks Blue would die within a few
hours. She said it may have been cancer. His breathing was now very shallow. He
didn’t respond to touch, his eyes didn’t blink. I think his spirit was gone,
just waiting for his earthly body to pass. There was no need to do anything but
let Blue go in peace. A small injection from the vet let Blue take his last
breath. He never moved nor made a sound.
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| Lucky mourning the loss of his buddy, Blue. |
