My parents graduated from Butler University in the class of 1932. They lived their entire lives in Midtown, the majority of time, two blocks from Hinkle Fieldhouse. They passed away years ago so they never knew that I opened up City Dogs Grocery and in so doing approached the school to become the Bulldog mascot's food sponsor in their honor. This was in 2006/2007 and I first started writing for this publication. I wrote about Butler Blue II and most of you had never heard of him. He was a dog (just the second in Butler's long history) that came to work with Michael Kaltenmark who was on staff. He slept in the office and was walked by students for potty breaks. Fast forward. . . ..OMG! Who doesn't know Blue II now? Last year I was having breakfast in a diner in Hilton Head and saw on the TV screen Blue on ESPN. Don Hinds Ford has donated a van for Butler to escort him in to all of his activities and interviews. (We are thrilled to have our logo on it.) That's what good basketball will do for you. Michael and Blue are the dynamic duo. There really could be no better pairing. Michael is sharp, friendly, engaging and tireless in his efforts to make Blue II the best school mascot on the planet. By all accounts he has succeeded. He has a score of sponsors. Michael has become an agent and the last I heard Blue was cavorting with Victoria Secret models, making commercials with Jillian Michaels and eating steak at St. Elmo's Steak House. He was featured on Jimmy Fallon's Late Night show. He's been Grand Marshals of parades and the list goes on. He is dubbed "Butler's Mascot-America's Dog". Everyone loves him. He is a ham and has so much personality. He is a natural at his job. Gone are the days of whiling away in the office. This is a working dog. Blue has kept up the pace that Michael has put him through and that has not been easy. Bulldogs are lazy. They sleep a lot, age quickly and are prone to skin and health problems. I would like to say that his diet has helped him stay on top. This is fact. He was on a prescription diet for his food sensitivities. I wanted to sponsor him and don't sell prescription diets. I suggested Holistic Select anchovy and salmon, his vet approved and his skin and health have never been better. Back to good basketball. The folks at Holistic Select took notice and realized that I had signed on a celebrity in the dog world. They have seized the moment. Now in Blue's honor they sponsor all kinds of events because they are so proud to be a part of his good health and success. They give the grand prize at the annual Butler Bull Dog Beauty Contest (a year's worth of food) and along with us provide goodie bags and runners-up gifts. Now they are really stepping up and donating 1,400 pounds of food to jump start a pet food drive for Indianapolis Animal Care and Control Shelter (IACC), which Church Brothers Collision Repair is spearheading at the Butler Basketball game at Hinkle February 21st. Bring your donations to the fieldhouse on the 20th or 21st. The shelter has no budget for food and counts on donations.

Blue tweets and blogs and on his facebook page, with thousands of followers, he recently announced that this year's Bulldog Jog (the 20th annual) will be fun for the whole family as they've added a 1-mile dog walk, sponsored by, you guessed it. He'll be the grand marshal of the inaugural dog walk and would love to share the campus with other furry friends. So, sign up and mark your calendars for March 21st. He also introduced us on facebook to his new canine friend on campus, Marcus. Marcus, a 12-month old black Labrador mix, is the newest member of the Butler University Police Department (BUPD) and is an EOD K9 (an Explosive Ordinance Detection Bomb Dog). He will be used for sweeps of Hinkle Fieldhouse and Clowes Memorial Hall, and other campus facilities, before high-profile events. Since 2010, Butler has been partnering with Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department to conduct K9 EOD Sweeps before all men's basketball games. It's becoming more standard for universities to have their own EOD K9. Indiana University recently purchased their first for the Bloomington campus. The dog will be trained and cared for by BUPD Officer Jason Downs. We will feed him Holistic Select as well.

In March Blue II will celebrate his 8th birthday which is getting long in the tooth for a Bulldog. The celebrity and the stir he and Michael have created must continue so it is with great pride that we have the honor to introduce to the world Baby Blue III at City Dogs Grocery, Saturday February 25th from 10:30 to 12:00 PM. This sweet puppy was born in December and certainly has big shoes to follow. This will be Blue II's biggest accomplishment. . . .to get the new kid up to speed to handle all of the media attention. The first of the media blitz and the announcement of Blue III is February 16th, 2012, the day this issue hits the streets. You are in the know and current. Pets make you smile!