Blueberry gets adopted

Dog featured in Herald’s “Adopt a Buddy” column finds a new home Malverne

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Malvernite John Egan was paging through the Herald two weeks ago when he inadvertently (he said), left the newspaper open to a story about a dog for adoption.

“My wife said to me, ‘I guess we’re ready to get a dog,’ and I said, I don’t want any dog!” Egan recounted. He had just lost a dog last year during the Labor Day weekend, and wasn’t thinking about a replacement. “’Well, you left the paper open, so I’m calling,’” he recalled his wife saying.

The dog, which was being fostered by a Malverne family for several weeks, was soon after adopted by the Egans. Blueberry became the first adoptable pet featured in the Herald’s new, bi-weekly “Adopt a Buddy” series.

Egan, 67, who retired after being employed by the Long Island Railroad for 30 years, said he’s got the time to devote to Blueberry, which the family now affectionately calls Blue. He plans on bringing her to a free “doggie boot camp” held in Crocheron Park in Bayside each May by dog trainer Anthony Jerome. But for now, Blue is slowly getting used to her new home and routine.

In addition to his family, Egan’s neighbors are also happy to see a dog back in the family’s lives again, since they missed seeing Egan around the neighborhood with his old pal. “All my neighbors would say, ‘When are you getting a dog?’” Egan said, “But now they see me walking Blue around town and they say, ‘it’s good to see you back out again.’”