BlueApril13The internet is full of puppies.  Young, cute and fuzzy.  Empty-headed, open books…spoiled rotten…over photographed, over shared.  And that’s just fine.  The world needs puppies and we need the calming effect of viewing these adorable images accompanied with their witty captions.  Puppies are desirable, like Victoria’s Secret models… there aren’t many lonely puppies or supermodels.

There are, unfortunately, lots of lonely old dogs.  Fat, cranky cherry-eyed and snaggle-toothed (like Blue here, for example).  Blue has been at our house for a couple of months now…a guest of my wife’s non-profit: Bangtail Dog Rescue.  Blue had a sweet life in Utah until his human died….and just like that, he was in a Beehive State shelter and on THE list.  We got him out just in time and have fallen in love with the big guy.  Although he’s not quite as big as he once was.  When he arrived, he looked like a tick about to pop.  We figure he was just free-fed all his life….one of those dogs that always had a bowl of food at the ready.  He’s lost 8 lbs. since he’s been here.  He’s sorta like John Candy in Stripes – a lean, mean fighting machine in the works.

Keeping with the movie star theme, Blue also reminds me of Walter Matthau circa Grumpy Old Men.  His ear-splitting bark just serves to let you know he’d rather be by your side than stuck behind the baby gate in the kitchen.  His vinegar personality is so earnest that it’s laughable.  His athletic ability is only limited by 8 years of short legs supporting his thick body.  Did I mention he’s lost nearly 20% of his initial weight?  He still has some pretty quick reflexes…at least as far as his jaws are concerned:

We’ve rescued quite a few older dogs over the years…and ended up just keeping some of them.  Madison the Black Lab and Rusty the Golden Retriever come to mind.  Older dogs make awesome pets and it’s just as possible to have an amazing bond with an old guy like Blue as it is to have that bond with a puppy you’ve had from birth.  We’ll keep Blue as long as necessary, but we’d really like him to find the perfect new home.  I know it’s out there.  Hit me up if you want to know more about Blue.  He’s good with most other dogs, ignores our cat but probably should not go to a home with small children as he has issues with being hugged.