ESPAÑOLA, N.M. (KRQE) — When a 5-year-old, blue-eyed Australian Shepherd was surrendered to Española Humane, the staff saw a case of grief like no other. But with a viral Facebook post and a familiar face, Blue has come back to life.
This is Blue. When his owner passed away, a family member stepped in to take care of him, but when that family member’s dogs were less than welcoming of Blue, they made the tough decision to surrender him to Española Humane. Upon arriving to the shelter, Blue curled up in a corner, unmoving. He was in a state of grief.
“There was nothing in his life that was familiar or that he understood in the shelter,” said Española Humane Director of Communications Mattie Allen. “The smells were not the same, the sounds were not the same, the people were not the same… Absolutely nothing was recognizable and I think he just really went inside himself. I just felt like he was caught between worlds, between memory and earth.” Allen noted that Blue’s case may have been especially dire due to his breed – Australian Shepherds are a working type of dog that often get very attached to the person providing their life direction.
For the 13 days Blue spent at the shelter, he didn’t even touch his bed. He remained on the concrete floor, in a corner, as far away from everything and everyone as he could get. Although shelter staff tried to use their “love medicine” on Blue, nothing seemed to work. The only thing he showed interest in? A bit of string cheese.
That was until a Facebook post by Española Humane found a man from Blue’s old life. “The person who ended up coming for Blue did not have any idea that Blue was at our shelter and he only learned of Blue being at the shelter from our Facebook post,” said Allen. “He saw the post and he called the shelter immediately, and then got in his truck and raced over to the shelter.”
Allen says that upon seeing his old friend and new owner, Blue came back to life, jumping in the air and spinning in circles. He even leapt straight into the man’s truck. And now that Blue is in his new home, Allen describes him as being “overcome with joy.” The reunion post made by Española Humane can be viewed below.
Blue’s story poses the question: How do pet owners best prepare for the worst-case scenario? This is what Allen advises. “I would recommend treating your animals just like your kids in your will or whatever plan you have for your life after you die,” said Allen. “Of course, once you make this plan, you absolutely need to talk to the people that you’ve put in your will or your trust to make sure that those people know that they’re, you know, being tasked with that responsibility of taking care of your pets in the unfortunate case that you go before they do.”
Allen also recommends placing money in that trust or will so the new owner has funding to properly take care of their new pet. Alongside that, it’s a wise idea to create a sort of “profile” for your pet – that is to say, write down notes on their day-to-day routine, preferences, and personality, alongside access to any necessary records and vaccination status.
“Pets grieve, they absolutely grieve the loss of their people,” said Allen. “We see it every day – when we leave for work, and we get home, and our pets are acting like they haven’t seen us in a year. They grieve when their people are gone. And so I think it’s just important to be able to have a plan for your pets where the person who’s going to be taking care of them really understands their emotional needs and their physical well-being, so that transition into a new home and a new life with new people is as painless as possible.”
Allen says the shelter staff are all so grateful to everyone who shared and responded to the original social media post. As a result, Blue has been reunited with someone he knows and loves, in a home that is hopefully stocked up on string cheese.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
