Blue (aka Royal Blue Jay) - May you run fast and howl with gusto in doggy heaven!

My last photo of Blue on Dec. 20, 2015
This is the last biscuit he'll ever take gently
from my hand with his cross-eyed look...

Blue, aka Royal Blue Jay, died on Jan. 16th, at just over 12 years old. He was, beyond a doubt, the most gentle of greyhounds and we were madly in love with him... In fact, everyone who ever met Blue fell instantly in love. 

Our friends all loved Blue. Even my sister and nephew
were lucky enough to meet him a few years ago.
(Click on the photo set for a larger view.)

We were but two of his many royal fans. 

His death has hit us all hard. 

Here is our abbreviated history with Blue:

I think Veronica took this photo from our first Greyhound Meet and Greet
in Brunswick. This is where we first met, and fell in love with Blue
(and Queena Bettina, as I fondly call her) on May 26, 2012.

Trouble made us fall in love with Greyhounds, but meeting Blue cinched the deal of us eventually adopting greyhounds of our own. When we met Blue, it was love at first sight. We had only seen four other greyhounds in our lives, and at this Meet and Greet there were twelve! Here is what I said after the Meet and Greet:

Our favorite two dogs were Blue and Bettina, owned by a woman who also lives in our town. She brought her mother’s dog, Crandall, to the meet and greet as well. Crandall is a brindle greyhound, while Blue is a gorgeous white greyhound with grey ears. Bettina is a sweet, petite, black greyhound.

Veronica took it upon herself to give us her phone number if we had more questions about Greyhounds. We didn't want to pester her, but we were thankful for her kindness, which blossomed into a friendship that has lasted for the past 3.5 years. 

July 29, 2012: The first time Veronica brought Blue and Bettina to our yard
to socialize with the newly adopted Lady Flame! Blue was 8.5 years old.

Drew and I were just talking about the fact that it seems like we've known Veronica, Blue, and Bettina for way longer than this. It is one of those friendships that is comfortable, and they quickly became members of our extended family.

Here is our first play date at Veronica's house, in July of 2012. We've had these play dates periodically, during Veronica's lunch hour on Wednesdays, over the past several years. They are short visits, but always fun. This was the first time that we had gotten to see Lady Flame run, since we had adopted her, because our fence wasn't built around our yard yet. You can see Drew and Blue playing together as well. 

4 year old Toby chases almost 12 year old Blue! Fun, Fun, Fun!

Blue remained playful up until his death. He could still kick up his heels at 11.83 years old...This photo was taken at one of our play dates in October, 2015.

Blue on Popham Beach. His one foot supports both he and Drew!

Here is my favorite photo of Drew and Blue. It was a cold winter's day, in March of 2013, at Popham Beach, and Blue really kicked it into high gear! 

And, here is Blue in all his royal glory. We love you, Big Blue!

Run, Blue run...

Oct. 11, 2015 Play date: Those Big Blue ears...

One of Blue's greatest attributes were his ears! We love seeing those perky ears in almost every photo we ever took of him.

Four cute butts of four best buddies!

Even his boney butt was cute!

Blue was magnificent! We miss him with all our hearts, and we'll treasure every memory. He was one of a kind...

Veronica and her beloved hounds at our Hound-o-Ween party! Oct. 2015

Veronica wrote a beautiful tribute to her "Big Poppy". I know that it had to be one of the toughest things she has ever done, but she is a gifted writer and a hard core lover of her hounds.

Lastly, another royal fan of Blue's, Bille Axell, created a lovely tribute video of Blue. Bille, you rock!