Beau, a standard poodle who mixed loyalty with quirky stubbornness in roughly equal measures, died Sunday. He was 13.
The cause was undetermined. His health had declined in recent weeks, and around 11:30 a.m. Sunday he suffered a seizure. At the ER, his companions, Jeff and Liz Gauger, granted him release into beloved memory.
His past was murky. In the late spring of 2020, at age 12, he’d come into the care of the Carolina Poodle Rescue, relinquished by someone who didn’t want an older dog.
He must have felt the abandonment acutely. When the Gaugers adopted Beau in July, he became immediately clingy, following them around the house and showing distress if they stepped outside.
But he also displayed jaunty arrogance and winking misbehavior. He liked people and condescended to all other dogs.
He was, it seems, a packet of contradictions. Aren’t we all?
Beau’s new companions knew they’d have less time with him than they’d like. But he needed them for whatever time he had left. They needed him.
And all were happy for what time they shared.
Weeping, Jeff. I’m so sorry for your loss. My Little Jack died in November, and I’m dogless since. Thank you and your wife for giving Beau a year of love.
Such nice and heartfelt words. That time is coming for my Corky who once roamed the top of a few RRS copy desks shortly after we got hom. Survived cancer at 18 months and now walking with a limp and liver issues in Las Vegas. Just have to love him as much as possible every day.
Thank you, Marvin. Keeping a thought for you and Corky.
Sorry for your loss Jeff!