Blue Henderson
Blue Henderson
Blue Henderson crossed over the rainbow bridge on December 31, 2025, in the loving arms of his mom and dad Casey and Bret Henderson. A stunning blue Merle Australian Shepherd with ice blue eyes, Blue was just a few months shy of 15 years old, but his life really started 13 years ago when he was adopted by his mom.
With a rough start to life, Blue spent time as a stray on the run in rural Kentucky. After he was picked up, he reached his max stay at a crowded shelter. His luck changed with he was saved by an Australian Shepherd rescue, and he made his way to spend the rest of his days loved beyond measure in Indiana. Blue arrived scared, anxious, nervous, and with a clear history of poor treatment. In the process of teaching his mom the importance of keeping the counters clear, picking up loved/expensive items, and making sure the trash door was securely fastened, Blue also taught her the importance of second chances, patience, and keeping a good sense of humor about all the ways in which he outsmarted her. Those who knew Blue love the stories of his regular knife threats, tales of his ability to open small tubes of paint using the cap, and his skill at moving glass or ceramic items from the counter to the tile floor without so much as a single chip or crack.
As an outlet for Blue’s incredible intelligence, Blue trained in frisbee, flyball, agility, and Fast CAT, but his true passion was dock diving. Every single week for his almost 13 years with his mom, Blue spent one night a week at his dock diving class with his friends at Alpha K9U in Fishers. Over the course of his career, Blue won many ribbons and was honored to be a five-time qualifier for the DockDogs World Championships. His personal best jump was 19 feet, 11 inches.
Blue’s remarkable transformation is the reason his mom became a volunteer with Midwest Australian Shepherd Rescue. She sees Blue in every “challenging” dog facing an uphill battle. Blue’s presence in her life has helped save many other Aussies, including his dog sisters Maisey and Zoey.
Beyond competition, Blue was an incredibly loyal companion with a gentle soul. While he had no desire to be the center of attention, his parents always knew where he was thanks to the gentle wet-nose nudges politely asking for pets and attention. Blue loved nothing more than a good couch snuggle filled with soft pets on his head. While the transition to having a human sibling was hard, Blue loved and adored the “Blue tolls” paid after each meal by his human brother Hutton.
Blue traveled on many adventures with his family, visiting Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Devils Tower National Monument, Crazy Horse Monument, Badlands National Park, Mammoth Cave National Park, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Custer State Park, Gateway Arch National Park, Wind Cave National Park, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, and many state parks across Indiana. Other than being with his family or on a dock, Blue loved spending time swimming at the family lake cottage in Traverse City, Michigan.
Blue was loved and valued more than words can describe. His absence makes a house with three dogs, five cats, and a toddler feel empty. He was preceded in death by his dog sister Blitz, his human brother Holt, and two other human siblings. His parents are comforted by the thought that they were all waiting to show Blue the best docks Heaven has to offer.
You will always be our boy, Blue.