by Nicole Auerbach, USA TODAY Sports

College basketball players come and go, and as we sadly accepted Saturday, mascots do, too. Even our favorite furry ones.

Butler’s English bulldog Blue 2 retired after seven years as the school mascot. In a “Changing of the Collar” ceremony that took place at halftime, Blue 3 — “Trip” — officially replaced Blue 2 as the program’s active mascot. Trip will take over all celebrity appearances and the pre-game good-luck rub. Blue 2 will still be around — both dogs are owned by Michael Kaltenmark, Butler’s director of web marketing — but the elder Blue will be taking a backseat to the new pup.

It’s a sad day for mascot lovers everywhere. Blue 2 barked and growled his way into our hearts during Butler’s Cinderella NCAA Final Four run in 2010, and he’s stayed there ever since through his always-engaging social media presence, which has included Ustream videos of Blue 2 laying around and being perfectly adorable.

The good news? Blue 3 is equally cute and even a bit more feisty than his predecessor — he barked at his canine comrade at center court during the retirement ceremony. Looks like our mascot needs may be met after all!

… [For more on Butler Blue 2 retires, relinquishes collar to Blue 3, click here.]