In the past half-decade or so -- since Butler basketball rose to national Cinderella prominence under wunderkind former (now Boston Celtics) coach Brad Stevens -- its mascot, Butler Blue, has likewise enjoyed an elevated profile. In part, this was thanks to Blue's presence at back-to-back Final Fours, and the still-chugging years of Bulldogs hoops relevance that followed. It also helped that Blue was adorable, and that his social media presence was on point.

Either way, the previous mascot, Butler Blue II, felt so much like a college hoops mainstay that his death in 2013 was both newsworthy and legitimately gutting. Poor guy.

Ahem. Anyway, Blue II's successor, Butler Blue III, has been carrying the torch without interruption since. Until Thursday, that is, when Blue III announced, via Twitter, that he had torn the ACL in his right hind leg:

BREAKING: Dr. Phillips of @FountainSqAC reports partial ACL tear in right hind leg. Sidelined for next 2 weeks, includes Homecoming weekend. pic.twitter.com/QGO29AlkrV — Butler Blue III (@ButlerBlue3) September 29, 2016

The good news? Our canine friends apparently need just two weeks before they can begin to put weight back on a leg with a torn ACL or, rather, a torn cranial cruciate ligament, or CCL. According to WebMD, "If left untreated, the lameness caused by a partially torn or ruptured CCL will improve or go away completely in many dogs, especially small ones, within three to six weeks." That's Wolverine-esque! Man, dogs are awesome.