Owen Lima and his service dog Blue were a team 10 years in the making.
Lima has a brain injury and had Blue by his side for a decade, even bringing the dog with him to work at Lowe’s for seven months. But in December, their friendship came to an end. Blue had to be put down after suffering nerve issues.
“I bawled like a baby,” Lima said.
Daily tasks around the store became different for Lima. He was lonely walking the aisles, until last month when he was introduced to Baby Blue.
“I’m just so grateful that Baby Blue is here,” Lima said. “Baby Blue will become me, just like Blue was part of me.”
Lowe’s reached out to Gary Overs of Gary's Kenneling and Obedience to see who could help find Lima a replacement dog. In January, Overs posed on Facebook to ask the public to help find Lima a dog. Thousands of people responded and Baby Blue was donated by Lucky Paws Dog Rescue.
“The minute we saw Baby Blue, we knew this was the dog for Owen,” Overs said. “(She’s) low energy, non-reactive, just a beautiful dog.”
Baby Blue still needs some training, but Lowe’s is raising money to help offset Lima’s costs.
“I’m hoping that Baby Blue will take on me, take on my personality,” Lima said. “Because Blue made me look good.”
Based on a report by CTV's Christeen Jesse
