Mr. Blueberry Baskets

If you've seen me in public, looked at my social media, talked to me at any point, or just know me in general, you know how much I love my emotional support animal.

For those of you who do not know about Mr. Blue.... well, you're about to.

Blue came into my life in March of 2020, and he has legitimately been at my side ever since. If you think I'm exaggerating, I'm not, and here's proof.

If I were you, reading this right now, I would probably roll my eyes and think to myself "ugh this is just another weird obsessed dog mom whose entire personality revolves around her dog." However, you actually have it mixed up; Blue's entire personality is based around me! He is legitimately bonded to me in no way I've ever seen before or thought was possible, but I can't complain. Blue has separation anxiety from me, so whenever I'm away, he is not a happy camper. I like to joke that my emotional support animal has separation anxiety, but in reality, that makes us perfect for each other. It is a mutually beneficial and loving relationship, and we make each other's lives better.

When my family decided to get a dog (over covid I might add) I went CRAZY. I made a spreadsheet of different breeders, including their location (and proximity), customer reviews, pedigrees (yes, I am fully aware of how posh that sounds) and more. I also made a spreadsheet of all the supplies we would need once we got him, and I linked all the necessities with the best price and reviews I could find and emailed it to my mother, several times. I was dedicated, to say the least. After 2 to 3 weeks of insane research, networking and begging, my brother and I took a 5-hour road trip to pick up our precious Blue.

My dad was 10000% the hardest one to convince in general, and he can be quite pessimistic and hesitant when it comes to dogs. That allllll changed after he saw this picture of Blue. He was in love. We were all in love.

How can you NOT fall in love with that face?

I've never really believed in love at first sight, but this moment changed my mind.

When school started again in late August 2020, I was about to enter my Junior year at UNC. I sadly had to leave Blue behind with my parents when I moved into my apartment in Chapel Hill.

We lasted about a month away from each other, and then my family decided it was best if I kept him. Blue wouldn't eat his kibble, wouldn't sleep ANYWHERE except for my empty childhood bed, and the vet noticed clear signs of separation anxiety. I also noticed a great decline in my mental health and could feel my depression starting to creep back in. After talking with my parents and therapist in great detail, Blue moved in with me permanently around mid-September 2020, and we've been inseparable ever since.

Although I am the clear favorite, Blue has bonded with my roommates and is absolutely adored by everyone. In our kitchen, we have a whiteboard with a (necessary) chore chart talley and grocery list, but my roommates sectioned off a part of the board to give Blue a nickname of the week. So far I've heard these:

• Blubie

• Mr. Blue Sky

• Blueseph

• Bluesepher

• Blueface

• Cookie

• Pookie

• Baby boo-boo kins

• Blueberry Baskets

• Dingus

• (Blue)gler

• Mr. Frat Star (see picture for reference)

Mr. Frat Star also attends every class with me and is quite the ladies' man (although he 1000% prefers male dogs). I am lucky enough to have great professors (such as Gary Kayee, the one responsible for my blog) who always let me bring Blue into Carroll Hall for class. In some of my classes last semester, Blue would get passed around the classroom (there were 15 of us in the class) and everyone got their own emotional support time with him. I have even given a full-blown research presentation while holding him and got an A (I have always wondered if Blue had something to do with that grade though).

If it isn't clear by now, Blue is a bundle of love and loves everyone. Last semester, UNC suffered the loss of 2 students from suicide within a span of 14 days, and our community was hit hard. I have a strong passion for mental health and have been trying to improve UNC's mental health resources and support systems since the moment I stepped foot on this campus, but I felt helpless at a time like this.

During this trying time, I woke up to an email announcing "puppies in the pit" and knew I had to bring Blue. A group of volunteers from the animal shelter were bringing some dogs for students to play with in the pit, so I emailed them asking if I could bring my emotional support animal, and we were welcomed with open arms. I was truly in awe seeing the effect Blue had on everyone. I have always known he makes me happier, but seeing him bring light and joy to my peers was truly moving, and I appreciated him on another level; a selfless level.

There are an infinite amount of good (and sometimes odd) qualities that Blue possess, but some of my favorites (and fan favorites) are how he:

• ONLY walks on the wrong side of the sidewalk at all times

• Refuses to walk over bridges

• Hops on top of the dishwasher door whenever he gets the chance

• Snores SO loud out of his tiny little nostrils

• Can always rock a sweater

• Is always wearing his bowtie

• Won't eat his kibble without boiled chicken mixed in (not a favorite as much as an annoying habit, thanks to mom and dad spoiling him wherever they can)

• Will always give you kisses if you ask

• Is really good at playing fetch with a stick twice his size

My life is exponentially better with Blue in it, and I am so happy that he makes me so happy.

And if you were also wondering, many people had many questions about how I was going to balance everything in my life while also having a 9-month-old puppy (which are valid concerns). However, that's a story for another time (aka another blog post!)

Love Always,

Kate