At the end of 2015, my wife moved into our house. We always knew that we wanted a dog. Not any dog, but a hound dog. But we promised we would wait until spring to give us time to get settled in. That promise lasted exactly 10 days, when we welcomed a coonhound we named Beau into our home. It immediately became his home, and he just let us live there.
Beau was a rescue dog at the Wisconsin Humane Society. I am ashamed to admit that I didn't originally want him. I had my heart set on a beagle, having had two of them in my younger days. But I was outvoted by my wife and Beau. Boy, was I wrong.
Beau became my best friend, my constant companion, my heart dog. We had many great adventures together. We were also happy to just take naps together on the couch.
Sadly, on Saturday, I had to escort Beau to the Rainbow Bridge. He had cancer, and he was starting to suffer. I will always remember him, and I will always miss him. I don't know if I will get another dog. It's too soon to even think about it. But if I do, it will be my favorite breed - rescue.
In closing, I will reproduce this snippet of a poem the late Jimmy Stewart read to Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show:
And there were nights when I'd feel him climb upon our bed
And lie between us,
And I'd pat his head.
And there were nights when I'd feel this stare
And I'd wake up and he'd be sitting there
And I reach out my hand and stroke his hair.
And sometimes I'd feel him sigh and I think I know the reason why.
He would wake up at night
And he would have this fear
Of the dark, of life, of lots of things,
And he'd be glad to have me near.
And now he's dead.
And there are nights when I think I feel him
Climb upon our bed and lie between us,
And I pat his head.
And there are nights when I think I feel that stare
And I reach out my hand to stroke his hair,
But he's not there.
Oh, how I wish that wasn't so,
I'll always love a dog named Beau.
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