Little Beau Diddley

On December 29th we had to put down my family's dog, Beau. Man oh man - that was truly one of the worst days of my life. Our poor pup was declining fast and his quality of life had dwindled to almost nothing. Our once spry, energetic dog slept most of the day, could no longer see or really hear. He also only had a couple of teeth left (he had a mouth infection and lost a bunch), and the poor thing was having to wear diapers because he really didn't know what the heck was going on. It was obvious that he was in pain and no longer happy. As much as it broke our hearts to think of life without him, it gave us relief to know he would no longer be in pain and would be much happier. 

I am not much of a dog person, but I saw Beau bring so much happiness to our family and comfort to my little brother and sister when they were younger. Beau always knew when someone was sad or sick and would sit close to them, quietly keeping them company. He was so much fun and loved being outside. Beau was a part of our family for 13.5 years! I was in 5th grade when we got him. My little sister was 3 years old - she basically didn't know life without him!

We all went together to say our goodbyes to him and be with him as he died, peacefully in the vet's office. Afterwards we brought him home and buried him in a special spot in our backyard. After that, we read a couple books about "animal heaven" - which by the way, I totally believe in it! Then my dad put together a little slide show of pictures and videos we had of Beau. I love that my dad took the time to put it together: click here to watch it. If not - here are just a few pics of our pup. 

This may all seem a little over the top and cheesy, but I really am grateful for Beau and the happiness that man's best friend brought to our family. He was truly a blessing and will be greatly missed. We love our little Beau dog!