The first time I saw Beau's face, I fell in love.
Who couldn't love a furry black face like his?
I looked past the upturned lip and missing half of his mouth. I saw a beautiful black Lab mix just as his owner Christina Lewis did. I saw a little dog who needed love and lots of it. Christina Lewis and her husband Eric provided that love, as did the countless others who helped him along his journey from a rescue dog to rehab from a stroke.
On Wednesday, Christina e-mailed to let me know that Beau's luck finally ran out. The dog who had battled through being shot in the face and left for dead and then a stroke couldn't survive another shooting. The Lewises let Beau and his sister Bailey out to play on Saturday. Beau didn't come home. They searched near their rural Massac County, Ill., home and found him on Sunday three miles away.
Beau had been shot in the back side with buckshot.
Beau was such a special dog. Not only did he survive being shot several years ago, he recently overcame the equivalent of a doggie stroke. The week of Christmas, he began walking on his own again. I thought Beau's life would end at a ripe old age, not just two weeks after regaining his ability to walk. He went through so much only to suffer again.
The saying is that life isn't fair. In this case, it's not. All Beau wanted was love. His face either repulsed people or caused them to ask Lewis about his story. The last time I saw Beau was Christmas Eve day when Lewis took him to PetSmart for a new leash and collar. Beau wagged his tail the entire visit and got so much attention that it was like being beside a rock star.
We'll all miss Beau. He pulled quite a few heartstrings, including mine.
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