Christine Carmine, DVM

My heart dog joined our family in 2012. A local rescue volunteer, knowing my fondness for terrier mixes, said I needed to meet him. She brought him by the hospital. Just 7 weeks old and the progeny of a Miniature Schnauzer Mom and a Lab/Husky mix Dad, his clear blue eyes peered up through scruffy tan fur. I was instantly in love. He seemed to look into your soul, which was why he was the last of the litter to find a home. “People think his eyes are freaky,” said the volunteer.

I called my husband, Jay, and told him he needed to meet this dog. Jay was preparing for a yearlong assignment in Afghanistan as a civil engineer with NATO. “Christine, is this really the best time to get a puppy?”

“It’s the perfect time. He will be a welcome distraction while you’re away. Just meet him,” I said. On my lunch break I drove the pup over to my husband’s office. The puppy trotted clumsily beside me, greeting Jay with a tentative tail wag. Jay’s resignation melted immediately. “Sold,” he said. I named him after the first dog whose life I helped to save, a hound dog name Blue.

Blue kept me company during the year that Jay was away, gently kissing away tears when I was lonely. His kisses are the best- soft and gentle. I appreciate this, because it is in stark contrast to his older brother Miles, who would try to stick his entire slobbery tongue into your mouth after ingesting a big pile of poop, and his sister Silvie, who doesn’t give kisses at all.

When people meet Blue, they assume he has been professionally trained. We did a basic puppy class with him, but mostly he is just innately a good dog. From the time we got him, he heeled perfectly without a leash. We didn’t teach him that. We’ve always used crates to help with house training, so the first night we put him in a comfortable crate with a blanket and toy. His heart wrenching whimpers wore us down, so we brought him into bed with us where he slept the entire night through until we took him outside to potty the next morning. He did not need a crate. Blue is the only dog we have ever owned to never have an accident in the house.

Blue is unassuming, content to just be near his family, and grateful for any attention received. He is sensitive and eager to please. His older brother Miles dominated and sometimes bullied Blue until he crossed the Rainbow Bridge in 2019, at which point Blue was able to step into the older brother role for our new little rescue beagle mix, Silvie. Animal Control brought her to our hospital about 1 month after Miles left us. She had been hit by a car, likely someone’s abandoned hunting dog. She spent weeks recovering from surgery for her shattered rear leg. Blue would lay pressed up against her crate (to ensure activity restriction), and it was remarkable to see the change in her as weeks and months went on. Under his care, she has transformed from a fearful dog who cowered with her ears down and tail tucked, to the confident, snuggly, silly, and playful girl she is today.

Blue laid on my father’s bed while he was dying the week after Christmas in 2021. He was a source of comfort for my Dad, our family and the nurses who worked so tirelessly.

These days Blue is a little slower and his hearing isn’t what it once was. More and more he wanders further than we would like on walks, so we sometimes need a leash to keep him safe. He will still indulge Silvie in a game of tug-of-war, or a wrestling match, if she is persistent enough, never getting frustrated with her exuberant energy. I hear all the time that with his face and personality, Blue should have been a tv star, and I agree! Maybe it will still happen, but regardless, he is my star, and I love him completely.