Blueberry Shakes His Blues
When Blueberry, nicknamed Blue, first arrived at the APL in the spring of 2018, he had plenty of reason to be sad. The two-year-old lab/shepherd mix had been shot in the rear leg. The bone had splintered, and Blue suffered nerve damage as well. The APL’s Humane Investigations team rescued Blue, and brought him to the APL so he could get medical attention.
The veterinary staff examined Blue and determined that the damage caused by the gunshot was extensive; Blue’s leg would have to be amputated. The APL veterinarian was prepared to perform the surgery and get Blue back on his paws again. While Blueberry might not seem lucky, in one respect he was. He is one of the animals who, just a few years ago, might have not been able to have the surgery he needed.
The cost of providing care for the thousands of sick, injured and special-needs animals who arrive on the doorstep of the APL every year is constantly increasing. And yet, we believe they deserve a second chance. Fortunately, the Second Chance Program, funded solely by donations, has allowed the APL to provide more animals every year with the surgery, medications and therapy necessary to give them a chance not only to survive, but to heal and start a new, healthy life with a loving family. Blueberry was just one of thousands of lucky animals.
Blue got the surgery he needed, and quickly was on the mend. After a brief stop at the home of an APL foster family for some time, attention and love, this adorable boy with the mega-watt smile was ready to go!
When William and Kellie saw him in his kennel, it was love at first sight. Over the next few days, as he got his medical clearance, William and Kellie brought his future canine “siblings” in to the shelter for “meet and greets,” to make sure they’d all get along. Each day, Kellie recalls, Blue got a little more excited. “The first day it was ‘Hey, I've seen you!’ The second day it was ‘I know you. Can we play?’ The third day it was ‘Are you taking me home?’”
And home is exactly where he went. William and Kellie went to work buying him everything blue—a blue harness, a blue bandana, and even his favorite toy—a stuffed (and later de-stuffed) blueberry!
Blueberry has settled happily into a new routine, with plenty of people who love him. As Kellie and William make plans to start a household together, Blue gets love and attention from William and his family, and Kellie and hers as well. He gets along famously with the dogs at both households, and the humans, too. He even started something of a trend for William and Kellie—they recently adopted a three-legged cat from the APL!
Blue no longer has any reason to be, well, blue. As Kellie explains, “He has found a forever home protected from fear and pain.” Congratulations, Kellie, William and Blue!
Information about the Cleveland APL
To meet the adoptable animals at the Cleveland APL, visit our adoption center in Tremont at 1729 Willey Avenue in Cleveland or our PetSmart Charities® Everyday Adoption Center in the Parma PetSmart® store at 6870 Ridge Road. To view all of the animals who are waiting for loving homes online or on your mobile device, visit
www.ClevelandAPL.org or download our free adoptions app on your iOS or Android device.
Our Facebook page is called “Cleveland Animal Protective League”. Here is the link to it for your reference:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cleveland-Animal-Protective-League/29396512928
Our Twitter handle is @Cleveland APL. Here is a link:
https://twitter.com/ClevelandAPL