Today was a sad day for our home. We had to have our dog Beau put to sleep. He has suffered with Sarcoptic Mange since last winter. Evidently this is something he has had his whole life but as he aged and his immune system weakened it surfaced. That and the fact that the water department had our yard torn up for several months. It stressed him out quite a lot. He was a beautiful fawn colored Sharpei/Chow mix. (That means he was wrinkled and fuzzy.) He had the softest ears, they were my favorite thing about him. Well, perhaps just his whole face was. He had those mournful dog eyes. He was the most loyal and protective dog. While he was never aggressive when a stranger would come into the yard he would place himself in between them and the door. Never bit a soul but he was big enough to worry you. Truth be told, he was a big baby. He was afraid of the dark and had to have a light on. When we would leave the yard to walk to MeMaw and PaPaw's, Grandma's or Aunt Patsy's he would cry until we were out of sight. Sometimes he would cry until we came home. It would do no good to take him with us, he did not like to leave his yard. You could leave the gate open and very rarely would he ever try to leave the yard. If he did finally venture out you could just call and he would obediently trot back into the yard. He was also a very smart dog. When our little wiener dog, Punkin, would try to escape he would put a paw on her back and hold her down so we could shut the gate! He was always gentle with the girls, even when they would hang on him. Bethany would climb all over him when she was little and he would just lick her and when he got tired of it, get up and walk off. Nicole was three when we got him and I doubt there is a time she does not remember him being around. Audrey grew up talking to him through the glass front door. She would shriek with delight when he would lick the door and wag his tail.
I don't think I will ever have another dog. No other could ever measure up. A while back when the water department was replacing our sidewalk he and Punkin walked through the wet cement. Little paws and big paws near where we had our girls put their handprints. I am glad they did that now.
Love,
Shawna
4 comments:
Shawna,
We're sorry to hear about Beau. We'll miss him, too.
Shawna, I'm so sorry to hear of your loss of Beau. It's always sad to lose a beloved pet. In our 25 years of marriage we've had six pets - and still have three of them. Your description of Beau reminded me of our Maggie, our first dog, the dearest golden retriever. She's been gone now for quite a few years. I'm glad we already had King before she died. In fact, Princess found us before Maggie died, too. King is gone now and Princess is aging. We say we might not ever get another dog, but I think we will. That canine companionship is just something I don't think we'd want to be without. I could write a book about Maggie, who could never, ever be replaced, King the gentle giant that I still miss so much, and Princess, who is very happily living her life out now as an "only dog." Yes, some day I must write that book! I'm so glad you have such fond memories of Beau that will last even longer than his footprints in the concrete. Love, Susan
Shawna, I'm so sorry. I remember meeting Beau when I came to drop off the girls for Cole's b-day. I thought he was sweet. We lost a dog a couple of years ago to bone cancer and it is a loss that hurts.
Love,
Sandy
It sounds like Beau was a very good dog. I am sorry to hear he has passed....
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