Lady Cordon Bleu ~ Adopted
Lady Cordon Bleu (formerly Maggie) is a approx. 2 1/2 years old Australian shepherd. She weighs 55 lbs. This stunning girl was an owner surrender to a shelter in AL, who just came to TDL. She’s a wonderful dog, BUT she thinks chickens taste great with ketchup, which makes her a not-so-good farm doggie. She definitely needs a home without chickens, cats, or other small animals!
More information and photos coming soon.In the meantime, check out her photos on Facebook!
Maggie is located in Deltona, FL. If you’d like to meet Maggie, please go here first to learn about our adoption process.
Update from Serena: “Welp. It’s safe to say Bleu is not dog aggressive. Although we have yet let her out with the pack she’s certainly showing no bad behavior with Bernie. They’ve been hanging out for a bit and she has finally acknowledged him. Just some quick sniffs and her attention is back on me lol.”
“She’s a doll really. Total people person. Gives gentle kisses and loves to snuggle.”
03/15/17 Update from Serena: Deja Bleu, What can I say, I fell in love with her! As I tended to this creature who had such a beautiful soul, I contemplated for quite some time if I should keep her or not. I’ve been helping Giselle with TDL for over 4 years now and I haven’t been in the position to adopt until recently. I thought it would be a great present to myself to adopt Bleu and become a forever Mom to a TDL dog. I’d give Gisele all the excuses in the world as to why Bleu had to stay with us, and even went through some great lengths to keep her hidden from adopters so she could be by my side. I had decided, Bleu was mine.
She a spectacular dog! She’s slightly stubborn when it comes to who gets to sleep in the middle of the bed, but the perfect snuggle buddy once we both would get settled in. When I move, she moves. Even to go get a glass of water, she accompanies me to the kitchen and back. She blends in perfect with the pack and tends to follow Bernie’s lead when roaming around outside. Bernie is my Sheltie of 8 years! When Bernie barks, Bleu barks, as if responding to his rants. When Bernie runs, Bleu chases him as far as Bernie’s legs will go. She loves to chase! Bernie chases the tennis balls and Bleu chases Bernie.
Living in the life of rescue though, I know through experience, things don’t always work out as planned. With Bleu being so perfect, I always thought she could serve a greater purpose. She would be a great service dog, or therapy dog. She has that gentle temperament but playful personality and it’s a perfect blend to be approachable to any person. Although she prefers to stick by me, she is always welcoming to anyone she met. Dog or human.
It wasn’t long before a family came along that needed a dog like Bleu, and it was all by chance. I have a day job working at a Call center, I have a team of people I enjoy working with on a daily basis and they all knew I was excited about this new dog. While having open discussions about dogs and who has had what breed and such, it came to my attention that one of my colleagues, Sarah, has been wanting a dog for some time, but hasn’t been able to take the next step because her youngest son Alden has a fear of dogs. “HOW AWFUL!!” this is all I could think to myself! I love dogs, and dogs are my life! How can a human be deprived of “Man’s Best Friend”? When I inquired further, Sarah explained that he had sensory issues. His little 
brain is easily overloaded with environmental stimuli. This makes it hard for Alden to determine if the gaze of a dog has malicious intent or not. Whereas you and I might be able to determine within seconds, what intentions a new dog has when being introduced to a pack. Because of this, he developed a natural fear of dogs.
After hearing all of this, I immediately thought of Bleu. I didn’t say it right away but I knew… I knew Bleu would be perfect for Sarah and her Family. Just like any other dog Bleu gets excited when stimulated, but in general, Bleu was a very gentle and quiet dog. I went home to Bleu that night a snuggled her close. I reminded myself why I am in Rescue, It’s not just about the dogs. It’s also about the people who feel complete once they take home a TDL dog. That feeling of completeness when you expand your family. I knew I had to let Sarah know I had a dog that could potentially help Alden get over his fears, and let her family get the dog they have always wanted.
I went to work the next day and shared my thoughts with Sarah. At first, she was a little unsure. Having tried several times before to introduce Alden to dogs had not been successful as of yet. She asked for some time to consider and I told her to take all the time she needs. If the situation didn’t work out, I would absolutely take Bleu as my own.
After lots of thought and discussions with her husband Aaron and the family, Sarah decided it was time to introduce Alden, and her older son Taylor, to Bleu and see how well they got along. We choose a local community park to meet at. Her older son Taylor was beyond excited, he told me he has been begging for a dog for years! After some standoffish hellos from Alden, he was able to reach out and pet Bleu. After a few more moments my heart swelled with pride as I passed along Bleu’s leash to Taylor and his younger brother Alden who immediately told us he was scared of all dogs… except Bleu. Bleu gave him hope and confidence! They both asked lots of questions about Bleu. They wanted to know everything about her. How much to feed her, what her favorite food was, what toys she preferred. The questions were endless and I was happy to answer them all. After a walk down the nature trail and some practice teaching the boys some basic training habits, we went to the baseball field for a run! I ran with the boys and Bleu, several laps around the bases and we were all exhausted! Sarah’s Husband Aaron was able to catch us at the end of the play date and get a quick introduction to Bleu himself! All and all it was a great meet! Although the decision had not been made, I knew by instinct this was a match.
Sarah wanted to allow some time to pass, ensure this is the dog the family wanted. After a week, it was decided. They couldn’t stop talking about Bleu. They couldn’t stop reminiscing about the fun they had at the park! I was thrilled. We agreed we wouldn’t rush it and wanted to meet a few more times to allow both Bleu and Alden time to adjust.
Every day Sarah and I would swap stories. I would tell her about all of Bleu’s little quirks and habits. She would tell me how excited her boys were and how her husband was convinced Bleu would prefer him over anyone else. As the days past the excitement grew. Taylor has written stories and generated care plans for their first week together! Alden and Sarah have gathered all the necessities of owning a dog. Toys, bowls, crate, food, treats, new leash and collar, more toys!
When all is said and done, Sarah and Aaron, along with their boys Taylor and Alden, now have a brand new member of the family! Aaron is a pastor at Heart of Christ Christian Church in Orange City. Their family is very large and extensive. Bleu will be accepted with open arms to a whole new world full of love and happiness! We couldn’t be more thrilled that Bleu will get to be with a family who didn’t think they would have the chance to experience life with a dog! We know that Bleu has forever changed the lives of these boys by adding to the ultimate joy of life! Unconditional love! She will have more friends and family she ever believe possible, and she will get all the attention she deserves!
03/30/17 Update from Serena: Wow! Bleu has settled right in with her new family and is bonkers about her boys! She is protective and proud to have them. She’s even helping to keep them in line! She has already ratted Alden out for trying to sneak out of bed. HA!
Alden himself has really become quite fond of having a new cuddle buddy. Bleu quickly discovered all the yards with chickens while adventuring out in her new neighborhood during her walks with the family!
The family came out to our annual reunion recently and Taylor got the biggest dose of doggie love yet! Bleu ran her little heart out! Over and over and over again! Bleu loved being able to see her loving pack so soon and was quite happy showing off her new Family! These are the moments we live for!