MOSAIC MONDAY - BEAU 2004-2010

I am joining Little Red House's Mosaic Monday today with photos of my dear little Beau who left this world two weeks ago today.


Violetlady
xoxo

Beau

I have been trying to write this post for a day or so and am finally feeling like I have the strength to put thoughts into words and onto the keyboard.

We lost our dear Beau on Monday night.  I was away as you know and Ken was walking Beau down our street for Beau's evening constitutional.  Beau was always a little eccentric, shall we say, and one thing he hated in his neighborhood was trucks of any kind -- big or small.  He would bark, he would lunge, and sometimes it took all my strength to hold back his 17 pounds from his effort to get at a truck's moving wheels.  I warned him time after time.  This time, he lost the battle.  The leash either broke or slipped from my husband's hands.  It was over in an instant.  I flew home the next morning. 

Everything has just been awful here at home.  The house is empty and quiet and sad. (We also lost our old Violette cat two weeks ago).   Beau was a great little barker and he guarded his street with a vengeance.  I was home a lot and Beau was always within my sight or at my side.  Almost everything I did was linked to him in some way. 

We have had so many wonderful e-mails, Facebook comments, phone calls, cards and gifts that it has astounded me.  I am so touched and so grateful.

Not a day goes by that Ken and I don't cry over our little guy.  I know it will get better, but for now the pain is visceral.

One of our blogging friends, Barbara at The Clark Homestead, said this:  "What a little warrior, now he will be in Valhalla with the other brave souls."  That says it all.

Violetlady
xo

BEAU

Our little Beau, first, five years ago when we got him, and now.  Isn't he a handsome little man?  He rules the roost around here.

Beau's Point of View

My little brown Poodle is neurotic, a constant barker, disobedient and oh, so funny. Stop me if I repeat myself, but Beau is totally crazy about two things: the tv remote control and windshield wipers. We cannot go anywhere if there is a chance of rain. He has to sit on my lap when I drive and if I turn on the wipers, he almost climbs onto the dashboard to attack the wipers. It is so awful.

The remote control is unexplainable and clearly psychotic. Somehow he associates us eating with the remote control. Since we generally sit in the family room and eat while the tv is on, as soon as we head there with a plate in hand he begins to run in circles and bark hysterically at the remote. He even starts this routine before we even leave the kitchen. What is the association, Beau? Remote = Food. I don't get it.

The other night I was walking him through our neighborhood and he met another dog and Beau slipped out of his collar and off he went. He will never come when he is called so being loose can be disastrous. Five neighbors combing yards and woods for him and finally someone trapped him near a trash can (of course) and I carried him all the way home with his tail between his legs.

Tonight a kind neighbor loaned me one of those electric collars. She said that it only took a few wearings and her dog behaved. I have heard the same thing from other people. I will probably give it a try. Sorry, Beau, but it may be for your own good. I know a lot of this is because he is just a hyper, alpha, head of the pack dog. And I know I have been responsible for not training him properly.

Here a few pictures of my love bug, which is what I call him because I truly do love him even with all his faults. After all, he feels the same way about me. Oops, gotta go -- Beau's calling.