The tumors on Blue’s body may weigh him down physically, but his spirits are up.
“You can see the pure joy in his face,” said Angie LaFrance, President and Founder of ePITome Dog Rescue.
At 13 years old, this pit bull mix has mast cell cancer. This type of cancer is not treatable, so there’s no telling how much time he has left.
“We know his time is limited,” LaFrance said. “Maybe six months, maybe two years. We’re going to make that time count.”
The community is working hard to make it count by completing a bucket list of things for Blue to accomplish in his last days.
“With us not knowing what kind of life he had before, that I thought that we should do something pretty special for him,” LaFrance said.
Blue has enjoyed fire truck rides and newspaper spotlights, but the best thing that’s happened to Blue so far is finding his foster mom, Brianna Hooker.
“He’s definitely helped relieve a lot of stress that I have,” she said. “I can’t tell you how many times we’re just sitting, cuddling on my bed. I think it’s both therapeutic for him and me.”
For three weeks Blue has called the Western Illinois University senior’s house “home,” and already they have become the best of friends. This is making it quite difficult for Brianna to think about losing her furry friend.
“Thinking about him not being here, like he has a limited amount of time, is very upsetting, because he’s a fantastic dog, and he deserves to have as many years as he can,” Hooker said.
Angie and Brianna know that Blue is lucky. So many dogs don’t get to go home before it’s too late.
“It’s an honor to be able to do that, and it’s the right thing,” LaFrance said. “Every dog should have a family – a forever family. Regardless of how old they are when they find themselves in a situation at a shelter or at a rescue they still deserve to have a forever family.”
Blue’s days may be dwindling, but his legacy in this town is just beginning.
If you want to follow Blue’s journey, you can click here to go to his Facebook page “Team Blue.”
