Devoted, Determined and Deeply Loved

This is one of dozens of photos I have of this very special guy, but it's my favorite for many reasons. Obviously, the light was perfect when I turned and saw it, and it framed up nicely, but the most important part is his intense focus on what you can't see. He's not just watching the sunset.

Many of you will notice characteristics in this photo that give away his breed. He's a Chesapeake Bay Retriever, and as our vet mentioned during his first examination, he's an unusually "broad" one. He's not a mix, nor is he overfed, he's just really big.

Beau came into our lives quite a long time ago, while Pam and I were still living in Casper, Wyoming. I got a phone call from a friend, who told me that he had just found out about a dog that needed rescuing, and he knew we were the perfect candidates. (He'd known us for a long time and knew we couldn't say no.) He had another friend who owned some land and was being forced to give it up and move to an apartment.

Pam's son, Ryan and daughter, Robin were living with us at the time. Robin had very recently lost her dog in a tragic accident. We talked it over and agreed to drive out and meet him. when we arrived, Beauregard (Beau for short), who already bore the name, walked directly over to Robin, sat and gently put his great paws on her shoulders, then turned around and sat by her side, leaning against her.

There was no way for any of us to say, "No" to that.

He melded into the family perfectly, happily romping with his older, but smaller sister, Belle, a petite, white Lab. Trips to the lake were highlighted by Beau tirelessly swimming circles around the kids, while Belle stood at the water's edge and barked frantically at them every time they'd go further out than she was comfortable with.

By the way, in case you haven't already made the connection, the names of both dogs were coincidentally perfect, too. "Beau" and "Belle"? Serendipity was at work there!

Time passed, and with its passing came some hard changes. For Pam and I, along with my son, Jay, that meant a move to Oregon, where Pam's family lived. We'd lose Belle to old age there, and the loss was mourned by Beau as well as us. Jay would also move back to Casper to live with his mom.

Not long after that, Pam, Beau and I would move into a 32' motor home and a park at the base of Mount Hood, where we'd have a live creek running no more than 20 yards from our doorstep. It's roughly 30 miles from Gresham, OR, where her family lived at the time.

Big Valley Woods, as the park is named, was a wonderful chapter of our lives. We were finally married there, in an open pavillion, surrounded by a small group of friends and family. We lived, literally, in the redwoods and there were many adventures there I still need to write about.

That's where we'd learn about another talent Beau had. He was loved as much by our neighbors as by us, and found a girlfriend, Niña, who lived nextdoor, with a couple that we loved as family and still do, as well as others we still stay in touch with and you'll be able to read about later.

The creek in front of our site was Beau's favorite place. We'd let him wade and swim there often in the summer months. One of his favorite things, when we lived close to the lake, had always been retrieving a tennis ball tossed far into the water. Unfortunately, they moved downsteam too quickly to make it much fun for him in the creek. A rock, however, turned into a great toy.

While walking along the edge of the creek, one day, I tossed a small rock into the clear water and he immediately leapt out, dove, and brought it back, to drop it at my feet, anxious for the game to continue. The third time I tossed one out, he plunged in and for quite a while, his rear end and tail bobbed up and down as he dug on the creek bottom. When he popped back up, he had a rock almost the size of a football in his jaws, which he happily swam back with, clambered out onto the bank and happily deposited at my feet. Apparently, he couldn't find the original rock, so he found one that was even better.

Although I worried about his teeth, this became the way the game was played, and over the years we lived there, his teeth and claws never sustained any damage. He did, however, manage to make a nice pool, where the salmon that ran the creek in the fall found some slow water to rest in before they spawned just above it.

From Big Valley Woods, we'd move to McKinleyville/Eureka, California to be close to my daughter and grandkids. There, his water games would evolve into sticks thrown into the ocean, and swimming or wading around the family until he needed to warm up on the beach. The photo above was taken while he kept watch on the kids in the waves as the sun dropped low on the horizon. He was never off duty.

Beau would eventually come to Amarillo with us, when we returned to be closer to my mom and family. He never lost his love for the water and he always had the love of family and friends who met him. He was an unprecedented 18 years old when he crossed the bridge a few years ago. He never failed to warm our feet at night and our hearts every day, as well as the hearts of those who knew him.

I've given pieces of my heart to many canine family members over the years, including those that belonged to other 2-legged family members and the two girls that share our home now. Beau enriched lives and captured hearts everywhere he accompanied us. We are better humans for having known him.

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Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed it, please click that heart and leave me some feedback in the commnets! Written for the Vocal "Through the Lens" Challenge: