NASCAR PETS
Say Hello to Sturgill Blaney BY JARED TURNER
PRESENTED BY
Z LP3 ENZYME SYSTEM
Anyone who’s ever been around NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney knows he’s a rather easy-going, mild-mannered guy. Pretty fitting, then, that Blaney’s dog – a Shepherd/Lab mix named Sturgill – happens to have a similar disposition. “He’s fun-loving and gets along great with any dog or person that he meets,” Blaney said. “He also has a very calm personality like his owner.” Blaney has had a lifelong affinity for dogs. His family owned two – first a yellow Lab and then a Havanese/Shih Tzu – during his years growing up in High Point, North Carolina. Blaney, 27, has been out on his own for a while now but just over two years ago decided it was time to adopt a dog – and that’s when he found Sturgill at Saving Grace animal shelter in North Carolina. “He was my first dog, really,” Blaney said. “I was looking around for a bit and just saw him and knew he was just like me.” Although Sturgill is still relatively young, he’s already changed a lot from the day Blaney picked him up. “One of the things I most enjoy is watching him grow,” Blaney said. “I got him when he was 2 months old, and he’s gone from 10 pounds to 70 pounds. And his personality develops in time, too, so that’s fun to watch.”
