Beau : Chapter 1: The Adoption

We already had two dogs, REO the black lab, and Rocky the lab mix. We didn't need another dog. We weren't looking for another dog. But we were volunteering at an animal shelter, walking and playing with dogs. And we met Beau, a rangy black lab, who looked remarkably like REO. He was two years old, had reached his full height, the tallest lab we'd ever seen, and he weighed 47 pounds. He was a skeleton covered with hide. Every bone stuck out, hips, ribs, cheekbones, eyesockets. My kids and I sucked in our breath. "Omigod, he looks just like REO! Omigod, he's been starved!"

Apparently his first owner, like many people who buy lab puppies, was astonished at how fast and how big he'd grown. And astonished at how much energy labradors exert. He was unmanageable, a jumping, bouncing, boisterous, enthusiastic, rambunctious puppy inside the body of a full grown, very large dog. On a leash, he bounded and dragged the human on the other end. He required copious amounts of food. Too much dog, not enough human sense. So he was shut inside a chain link kennel and ignored. He got just enough food to keep him alive. Someone noticed, and talked the owner into surrendering him to the shelter.

It didn't take us but a few minutes to considering adopting him. We brought REO and Rocky to the shelter to meet him - they wagged tails and sniffed hind ends. He was already neutered, so we paid our cash, signed the papers and took him home and began feeding him.

When I first brought him home, I tried to put him in our chain link kennel for a short period - he stood up on his hind legs and stretched his front legs out on either side of the kennel door and could not be pushed inside. He barked in desperation and even placed his jaws around my wrist, begging, threatening, "Please don't put me in here!" So I didn't.

That night inside he was disoriented and timid. He walked toward a toy and REO growled at him, " All the toys are mine." He walked toward the food dishes and REO growled again, "All the food is mine." He tried to climb on the couch next to me, and Rocky who was already there, growled at him, "The spot next to Mom is mine." For awhile Beau stood in the middle of the living room swinging his head from point to point looking cautiously around, not sure where he fit in.

Then REO picked up a tug toy and trotted over to Beau and dropped the toy in front of him. Beau glanced at the toy, then glanced back up at REO. REO wagged his tail. Beau gazed at him. REO barked. Beau stood still. REO nudged the toy with his nose, pushing it toward Beau, then swooped down into a play bow and barked again. This time Beau didn't hesitate, he scooped the toy up in his mouth and bounded away, REO hot on his trail. They played for several minutes then flopped down on the floor panting and smiling. Beau was part of the pack.

It's been two years now, and Beau is still tall and rangy, but he's filled out. I'm not sure how much he weighs, but it's probably around 90 pounds. He's not beautiful as his name suggests, but he's impressive in his size and bearing. He is unmanageable in many respects - walking him on a leash requires a bold, daring spirit, I've fallen and been dragged more than a couple of times, and that's after working hard to train him to walk politely. He's just so boisterous and strong. He still thinks he's a baby dog and will climb into my husband's lap and try to curl up - it's a sight to behold, his big front end and his big hind end hanging over on both sides. He still jumps on people - and he's so tall he can put his front paws on your shoulders and look you in the face. He often has muddy paws so many of my shirts are decorated with his paw prints. We have tried and tried to break him of this bad habit, but Beau can't contain himself. He must jump!

If there is one word, really, to describe Beau's attitude it would be grateful. Everyday with him, he lets me know that he's grateful: grateful for his food, for his big yard to play in, grateful for affection, and a soft place to sleep near us. There's just an expression on his big face,
a way of his being, an aura, that glows with gratitude. When all the dogs are out in the yard, running and playing, it's Beau who is most likely to be by my side, gazing up at me with a grin on his face. When he sees me he bounds straight up in the air like Tigger - he just jumps for joy. He romps in circles around me, then comes quietly to my side and sits and gazes at me.

I love my Beau.